Mountain refuge Bivouac Gervasutti

In the TMB environment

The main variant of the Tour du Mont Blanc and its alternative layout by the Tête Bernarda help to place the Bivouac Gervasutti within a very alpine sector of the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif, above Courmayeur and in direct relation to the Frébouze glacier circus. At 2,835 meters, it does not function as a safe haven for comfortable passage as a minimum support in a field of crests, glaciers and severe slopes, under the whole of the Great Jorasses . In this area, the direction of the itinerary and the meteorology weigh more than the pure distance: fog, wind or rapid time changes can turn reasonable access into a much slower day.

Basic support and withdrawal

Its role fits well as a point of protection or retreat on a mountain where it is appropriate not to have abundant resources. It can also serve to fail long routes, link to the itinerary of Arp Nouva - Rifugio Dalmazzi with Sentier des Bergers or Alta Via 1 de Valle d'Aosta but always from a logic of mountain autonomy. The nearby presence of cias such as the Leschaux Aiguille or several points of the Great Jorasses reinforces the glacial and exposed character of the environment, although the shelter should not be automatically interpreted as a simple basis for ascension. It is more prudent to understand it as an elementary coat in an area where to retire in time can be as important as to continue.

Water planning deserves specific attention. The nearest invented sources are more than 2 km away, with the first one about 2.35 km away, a little less distance in this type of relief. This forces you to go out with enough water or to be very clear where you will recharge during the approach, without giving for fact immediate availability next to the bivac. In a safe haven of these characteristics it is also necessary to provide for complete self-sufficiency and to check the state of the itinerary before entering the sector, especially if it is considered as an escape option within a long journey.