Introduction: Costa della Sentina is a small face located right at the mouth of the Valle Majelama and is the steepest part of the buttresses of Monte Magnola and the Sentinella. The route is open from 15 August to 15 February, because the valley is closed for the breeding of birds of prey.
Route characteristics: It's a not very complex mountaineering route whose difficulties are mostly concentrated in its lower part. Easy to do and highly satisfying.
Route description
Climbing up the Valle Majelama the face of Costa della Sentina is on our right. It's a west face, in the sun from midday. Although the face looks west, the gully to be climbed faces almost south.
About 500 metres into the valley you find on your right a tongue of grey loose rubble coming down from an obvious small gully. You climb the rubble slope almost to the mouth of the gully. As you climb you can make out two starting points. One on the right, easier and with vegetation, and one on the left, with a rock step and a big wedged boulder forming a passage you will have to go under.
Depending on the snow conditions you'll decide whether or not to put on crampons, but the truth is that this gully stays free of snow for almost the whole season. The warm air currents rising from the valley and the almost southern aspect of the gully melt the snow.
The first passage is done with hands and feet on small rocks mixed with grass up to a first grade III step. Here the holds are few and rounded. Two big jugs on the left-hand bulge force you to stay off balance. You keep your feet in the middle of the wide recess and climb up through the grass.
You pass a second little grade I hands-and-feet move and go under the rock. Here a small tree lets the leader belay the others.
You carry on over easy grade I moves on smooth small rocks mixed with soil, grass and low vegetation. You go on like this up to a large snowfield. Here, in front of an imposing boulder, you take the way on the right which, passing between rocks and small trees, comes out onto a second large snowfield. From here you leave the gully of the lower part. The landscape changes completely. On the right we have pinnacles and towers, and on the left the view of Monte Cafornia opens up.
You continue on the right inside a very snowy gully that slowly curves left. After a small grade I step of rock mixed with ice the gully reaches an exposed shoulder. Keep to the upper part of the shoulder, where you set up a belay stand. From here you do a pitch on a rather airy snowy traverse. Past the traverse the leader will set up a belay stand near a tree clearly visible from the shoulder. It looks possible to climb straight up a small gully right above the little tree, but you carry on, bending towards the wider snowfield on the left.
You set up a belay stand level with an outcropping rock, staying put on the right side of the snowfield. The last pitch reaches the ridge line. From the shoulder we carried on with easy progress on crampons and ice axe.
We are on the ridge line. To the north, a low memorial cross.
The descent is on the eastern side of Costa della Sentina by easy hiking passages.
Notes on effort and difficulty
In the lower part:
1st move grade I
2nd move grade III
3rd move grade I
Other easy grade I moves, more or less obvious depending on the snow conditions.
In the upper part:
Exposed shoulder and hanging snowfield at risk of releasing.
Snowy slope at 35° to be climbed as a rope team with crampons and ice axe.
Visitor centres and accommodation
Frequently asked questions
When can you climb Costa della Sentina?
The route can only be done from 15 August to 15 February, because for the rest of the year the Valle Majelama is closed for the breeding of birds of prey. In winter you need crampons and ice axe for the snowfields in the upper part.
How difficult is Costa della Sentina?
It's a not very complex mountaineering ascent: in the lower part there are grade I moves and a grade III step, in the upper part an exposed shoulder and a snowy 35° slope to be climbed as a rope team with crampons and ice axe.
