Snowshoeing Malesco-Alpe Cortino

The start of the mule track for Alpe Cortino is signposted (M24 route) and along the path there are white/red signs.
A smooth, fairly easy climb through a beautiful beech wood leads to Alpe Cortino, a group of renovated huts in the middle of a large, snowy, gentle slope.
Here, you find yourself on a natural balcony from which you can admire Vigezzo Valley, particularly the north slope up to Monte Ruscada and the upper part of the Centovalli, in Switzerland.
In summer, the Nigritella refuge is open, offering a bar service, a restaurant and a few rooms for those who want to stay there overnight.
Beyond the mule track, you can use (only on foot) a dirt farm-forest road that starts from the Valle Loana road, around 150 m below the car park mentioned earlier. The slopes are gentler here, but the journey time is longer (around 2 hours).
Once you reach Alpe Cortino, it may be worth climbing up to the summit (1810 m), ascending south from the Cortino huts to reach the ridge, which you can constantly follow south-east to the summit. This deviation adds around an hour more to the excursion.
You are advised not to leave the ridge in any circumstances, since the side slopes are steep and dangerous.

INFO: www.caivigezzo.org

From the trunk road in Malesco, follow signs for Valle Loana for around 4 km. On the left of the road, you will see a small car park with a bus stop. You can leave your car here and walk to the start of the mule track 50 m further on.

Take trunk road 337 to Malesco and then follow the road to Valle Loana.

E

370 m

1 hr 30 min

In very heavy snow conditions, the last section of the road may be exposed to avalanches.