Multipitch Atlas

Diretta al Banano

Paretone di Arnad / Corma di Machaby (Arnad) · Aosta Valley · Italy

Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium

Along with Bucce d'Arancia this is the Paretone's other great classic (first ascent 1977, later retro-bolted). It climbs big, juggy, non-athletic slabs on beautiful rock up the centre of the wall to near the summit. Expect a few metres above the last bolt in places.

Hand-drawn topo of Diretta al Banano (direct finish), Corma di MachabyPhoto: José Picheral · CC BY-SA 3.0

Topo

Hand-drawn topo of Diretta al Banano (direct finish), Corma di MachabyPhoto: José Picheral · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
5c+
Pitches
9
Length
250 m
Approach
30 min
Aspect
SW
South-west-facing
Rope
1×50 m
Read before you go

Fully bolted with good new belays, but widely spaced bolts on the easier pitches make it more committing than 5c+ suggests.

The route

Overview

Diretta al Banano takes the centre of the Paretone, the big south-west gneiss wall of the Corma di Machaby above Arnad, in nine pitches that finish near the top. The climbing is on large, well-featured slabs with a short corner and a small juggy overhang in the middle; it is rarely strenuous. It is one of the two great classics of the wall, alongside Bucce d'Arancia. It feels more serious than the grade suggests: every recent report says the bolts are far apart on the 5a and 5b ground, and you need to be happy climbing several metres above your last bolt.

In pictures

Photos

Approach photo

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthBoltsNotes
P15c+25 m7 boltsBlack slab, then lighter rock. A thin move at the fourth bolt is the hardest climbing on the route, and several parties find it stiff for the grade. The pitch crosses P1 of Anchorage; belay on the left. Other topos give 5c.
P25a30 m6 boltsStraight up slabs and featured rock. Graded 5b in the English Camptocamp text and 4c–5a by vielunghe.com.
P35a45 m5 boltsTrends left up a pillar and easy-angled slabs, crosses the big wooded ledge (the 'garden') and belays right at the foot of P4. Only five bolts in 45 m; vielunghe.com gives this pitch as 50 m.
P45b30 m8 boltsA dark slab, then a pleasant corner; leave it on the left and come back right. The belay is described as awkward. Bolts stay well spaced on this steeper pitch.
P55c25 m8 boltsStraight up an open corner and steep slab, with a small juggy overhang that is very well bolted. Belay on the slab below the left side of the 'Banana Roof'.
P65c40 m9 boltsClimb up left of the belay (5), then follow the bolt line and make a more delicate traverse left (5c) to the belay. Do not traverse too early: one party did and ended up on the neighbouring bolt line. This is the Galion variant that everyone now climbs; the original line went right under the roof. Often named the best pitch.
P75b40 m7 boltsTrends right with good moves. Do not take the Diedro Galion (6b) above the belay; go right towards two big holes. The English Camptocamp text gives 5c+.
P85a40 m7 boltsA string of short grade 4 steps with one slightly harder move.
P9340 m4 boltsThe wall lies back. Easy broken ground to the last chain near the fore-summit of the Paretone.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Arnad is in the lower Aosta valley between Pont-Saint-Martin and Verrès, on the SS26 (motorway exit Pont-Saint-Martin, then past the Forte di Bard). Park at the large car park just above the Osteria l'Arcaden at the foot of the wall, about 1 km east of the village; the older roadside car park below the wall is closed. Camptocamp rates public transport to Arnad as a good service. An alternative used by some parties is to drive up to Machaby and park there, walk down the marked path to the base (30–40 min) and finish the day at the top next to the car.

On foot · about 30 min

About 30 min. From the Arcaden car park walk the tarmac road south-east past the osteria, through the section closed to cars and briefly along the SS26 to the old closed car park. Take the steep signed path (yellow paint, old red marks, several fixed ropes and rock steps) to the foot of the wall, arriving below Bucce d'Arancia. Follow the ledge left past a short fixed rope where Nulla al Caso starts, then drop a few metres to the start. The route name is on a metal plaque at the base. Fixed ropes on the approach were reported brand new in spring 2026.

Finding the route · 2 photos

Approach photo

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking
  • GPS line

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

GPS line: one party's recorded GPS track of the whole day, including the climb and the descent. One party's recorded day in May 2025. The track starts at the foot of the steep approach path, goes up the wall (they started up Diretta al Banano and finished up the neighbouring Anchorage) and follows the walk-off down to the Arcaden car park. Do not follow it blindly.

GPS line: dereuxromain · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Coordinates · crag

45.63498, 7.73580

Parking

45.63457, 7.72929

Arnad (camptocamp access point)

Point from camptocamp waypoint 39748

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

Contains the route point, parking and a GPS line. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.

Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

Walk off. From the top follow the path over to the hamlet of Machaby (agriturismo Lo Dzerby and the old fort). Then either (a) take the steep path marked '5C' from the old fort back down beside the wall to the base of the routes, with fixed ropes, iron rungs and wooden ladders (ropes and ladders renewed by spring 2026), about 30 min to the base; or (b) follow the easy mule track and road on the north side past the sanctuary and back round to the car park, about 45 min to 1 h. All belays have chains, so abseiling the route is possible, but sources call it inconvenient.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

You can abseil off, but sources call it inconvenient. All belays have chains. P3 is 45 to 50 m and several other pitches are 40 m, so a single 50 m rope will not reach belay to belay. P6 traverses left and P7 trends right, which makes the upper abseils less direct.

Retreat from
Any belay. All nine are chained. P3 crosses a big wooded ledge, but no source says you can walk off along it.
Carry
Two ropes of 50 m or more. The Scuola Guido Della Torre write-up recommends two ropes for this route.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredThe guide's sources state that all belays are chained and that abseiling is possible but inconvenient. That a single 50 m rope is too short for a retreat is inferred from the pitch lengths.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • Bolts are far apart on the easier (5a–5b) pitches. Reports from 2025 and 2026 all say so, and one calls it very unsettling for anyone leading at their limit. The obligatory grade assumes you can climb a few metres above the last bolt.
  • A September 2026 report warns of ground-fall (ledge-fall) potential when leaving the two ledges.
  • The Scuola Guido Della Torre write-up notes stretches on P6 and P7 that cannot be protected.
  • P3 has five bolts in 45 m and may be 50 m long, so a 50 m rope has no margin.
  • Route finding: it is easy to traverse too early on P6 onto the neighbouring route, and one party had to search for the line on the last pitches.
  • The direct descent path beside the wall is steep, with fixed ropes and ladders; it is awkward when wet.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-west facing at 380–800 m, so it is climbable for much of the year; Camptocamp trip reports run from November to May and late September. Several parties report strong wind on the upper half. Expect other teams on a fine weekend: one September 2026 party had two teams ahead and one behind.

Usual season · Feb to Jun, Sep to Nov

Sun on the wall · SW-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season

Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−20371117202016103−1
Mean daily low °C−8−8−5−148111172−4−8
Rain days 1 mm or more121112131616151312121312

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1489 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

Camptocamp's Italian text gives one 50 m rope and about a dozen quickdraws; note that P3 is 45–50 m. The Scuola Guido Della Torre write-up recommends two ropes. Camptocamp and vielunghe.com say nuts and cams are useless; the Scuola write-up (revised 2022) suggests small to medium nuts or cams to fill the gaps and mentions a flake that takes a medium cam on P2. Helmet, and proper shoes for the descent path.

Checklist

Quickdraws
12
Rope
1×50 m
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Diretta al Banano.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • The first ten metres are the hardest of the route; do not be put off if P1 feels harder than 5c+.
  • The Camptocamp French topo (with bolt counts) was judged accurate by 2026 parties; Italian topos grade the route about a notch lower.
  • If you park at Machaby instead of Arnad you walk down to the route first and top out a few minutes from the car.
  • The agriturismo Lo Dzerby at Machaby serves meals at the top; the Forte di Machaby hostel offers beds.
  • Car to car took one party about 4 h (30 min approach, 3 h climbing) and another 7 h.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Pitch grades: Camptocamp FR gives 5c+/5a/5a/5b/5c/5c/5b/5a/3 (followed here, as it is the most detailed and was confirmed by 2026 parties); Camptocamp EN gives 5c+/5b/5a+/5c/5c/5c/5c+/5a/3; vielunghe.com tops out at 5c with easier upper pitches; Scuola Guido Della Torre gives 5c/4/4/5b/5b/5a/4/3/3.
  • Length: Camptocamp gives 250 m of height; vielunghe.com and the Scuola give 300 m of climbing, and the pitch lengths add up to about 315 m.
  • Trad gear: Camptocamp and vielunghe.com say nuts/cams are useless; the Scuola write-up recommends them to supplement the spaced bolts.
  • Rope: one 50 m rope (Camptocamp IT, a 1992 description) versus two ropes (Scuola). P3 is 45 m (Camptocamp) or 50 m (vielunghe.com).
  • Descent time: 1 h (Camptocamp IT) versus about 30 min by the steep path or 45 min by road (vielunghe.com).

Provenance

Sources

Same area

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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.