Gonella Hut


The Gonella Hut is a high altitude mountain hut in the Aosta Valley in the Mont Blanc massif area of the Alps. It lies at an altitude of 3071 metres, above Val Veny near Courmayeur in Italy. The refuge is located on the Italian 'normal route' to Mont Blanc.

History

The hut was rebuilt between August 2006 and July 2011, and offers accommodation for 60 people, and is wardened between mid-July and mid-September. The old winter hut remains open all year round.

Access

The Refuge Gonella is situated on the Aiguilles Grises ridge that separates the Dôme glacier from the Glacier de Bionnassay Italien.
The climb to the refuge starts at La Visaille / plan Lognan and follows the track towards Plan Combal. Not far away lies the Lake Miage. Near the Ghiacciaio del Miage glacier is the trailhead S15 leading to the hut at 3071 m.
At 2,500 m flows on the Dôme du Goûter result in the Ghiacciaio del Dome glacier of the Miage. At about 2,400 m, the Mont Blanc glacier is reached, which is fed from the southwest slopes of Mont Blanc.
At an altitude of 2,650 m the trail finally leaves the Miage glaciers and rises over steep rocks to the hut. It takes approximately 5 ½ hours reach the Gonella Refuge from La Visaille, graded at F

Mountaineering

Summit ascents

The following peaks can be reached from the Gonella Refuge:
Reaching any other hut from the Gonella Refuge involves serious mountaineering on glacial terrain at altitudes above 4,000 metres.