Mount Ponteranica Central

Introduction

A classic excursion that accompanies the nearby and more popular ascent to Monte Salmurano, but in a more atmospheric environment and with a more technical and enjoyable route. Needs reasonably safe snow (much to be assessed locally in case of avalanche danger 3/5). Great panorama of the entire circle of the Rhaetian Alps. NOTE: there is no recent cartography of the area, and the little that is available is sketchy and schematic with few toponyms.

Description

From the parking area 1454m, head towards the chairlift station, but near a bridge over the stream and a last building (ex-hotel), take a small snow-covered road to the left and start climbing it. After a few tens of metres, at a vast slope (a former track that is no longer beaten), you leave it and begin to head, with various zigzag traverses, towards the two huts of Casera Pescegallo. Behind the buildings, we take the forest track to Lago Pescegallo. A series of wide hairpin bends allows you to climb up the sparse wooded slope: after passing a wide valley and some avalanche barriers, you come alongside the Casera Pescegallo Lago and arrive in sight of the ENEL 1839m dam buildings. Just before reaching them, we turn right in an easy ascent up the open slopes towards Monte Salmurano; having gained a few dozen metres in altitude, we head to the left, taking us parallel to the western side of the basin of the lake (almost always empty in winter). One traverses - still to the left - under the rocky walls of Cima Pescegallo 2328m and continues climbing carefully up the steep slopes of a ridge-cost until reaching the summit at the entrance to the Ponteranica valley. In a very suggestive environment, amidst large boulders covered in snow, continue towards a forecourt that seems to close off the valley: go around it on the right and you will reach a vast basin surrounded by the Ponteranica peaks (from the right, Ponteranica Occidentale, Dentino, Ponteranica Centrale and Ponteranica Orientale). We follow an easy sloping plane to the left that, having passed a small valley right at the base of the ridge rocks, in a few metres reaches an unnamed vent exactly between Monte Ponteranica Orientale 2378m and Monte Ponteranica Centrale 2372m. Leaving your skis on, it is easy to follow the right-hand ridge for a few dozen metres to the Central summit.
Descent along the outward route. If the snow is favourable, you can go down a gully directly below the Cima Pescegallo, located to the side (west) of the ridge-hill climbed on the way up.