Han
Bivacco Gervasutti is your perfect choice to spend a night or two in a space-age capsule that appears to be teetering off the edge of a cliff. Set 9,300 feet (2,835 meters) above sea level on the Frebouze Glacier in the Mont Blanc massif in Italy, Bivacco Gervasutti, named after the Turin-born Alpine climber Giusto Gervasutti, replaces a modest wooden shelter built in his memory in 1948. Mont Blanc, literally meaning “White Mountain,” has the highest peak in Europe and lies in a range that spans Italy and France. A popular spot for hiking, skiing, and snowboarding, Mont Blanc is now home to this capsule hotel.
Bivacco Gervasutti was designed and built by Italian architects Luca Gentilcore and Stefano Testa. They were using helicopters to fly in each section, the unique new structure includes living and dining areas, and two sleeping quarters that can accommodate up to twelve people.
Anyone capable of the challenging ascent from Val Ferret by foot is welcome to visit and stay in the bivouac. With its solar-powered energy and Internet access, this modern Alpine shelter is a far cry from the old, draughty wooden version.
Check the video tour of the unique Bivacco Gervasutti below:
A Short History
The Gervasutti bivouac is the starting point for splendid ascent itineraries. This was established by Giusto Gervasutti and Giuseppe Gagliardone in 1942 and repeated solo in winter by Renato Casarotto in 1985, to the east face of the Petites Jorasses, ascent the first time in 1962 by Walter Bonatti and Pierre Mazeaud, also called Via dell’amicizia in memory of the friends who disappeared a year earlier during the attempt on the Central Pylon of Frêney. Bonatti, Mazeaud and Casarotto are just some of the many mountaineers who have left their signature on the book of the Bivouac built in 1948 from the SUCAI subsection to replace the Freboudze bivouac located 600 meters below (dismantled in the 1980s and now kept in the Courmayeur guide museum). Made entirely of wood, before being transported to high altitudes thanks to the help and work of the members of Sucai and the Alpine troops, it was exhibited for a month in Turin in Piazza CLN.
Comments
Loading…