El Schenun (Valle dei Bagni, Val Masino) · Valtellina & Valchiavenna · Italy
A six-pitch friction climb on dark, grippy Masino granite that starts 20 m from the car. Mostly 5b to 5c with a 6a+ fifth pitch; 5b obligatory. A good fast outing after the area's bold trad slabs.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point about 1300 m above sea level (estimate: terrain height at the mapped point plus the height of the route).
6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches · 150 mEasy to bail
El Schenun is a granite slab right above the road up to Bagni di Masino, and La coda del Dinosauro is its best-documented route: six pitches of slab climbing on dark, very grippy granite. Unlike most Val Masino slabs it is closely bolted, so you can move fast and enjoy the friction. The pitches are short (the second can be linked with the first) and the descent is three straightforward abseils. Expect some road noise, softened by the waterfalls in the valley.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Valtellina Rock Pareti - Multipitch sportivi e trad.
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5bVI-5.8 | Slab. |
| P2 | 4cV5.6 | A short pitch; it can probably be linked with pitch 1. |
| P3 | 5cVI5.9 | Slab. |
| P4 | 5bVI-5.8 | Slab. |
| P5 | 6a+VII-5.10b | The crux pitch. |
| P6 | 5bVI-5.8 | Slab to the top belay. |
From Morbegno on the Valtellina road (SS38) take the Val Masino road (SS404) via Ardenno to San Martino, then continue up the Valle dei Bagni towards Bagni di Masino. The crag is right above the road between San Martino and Bagni di Masino, with a small car park at its foot. In summer a bus (line A20 from Morbegno station) runs up to Bagni di Masino.
The route starts about 20 m from the car park (46.241388, 9.605933). It is the second line from the left on the slab.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Parking
Point from camptocamp waypoint 1454478 (El Schenun)
Contains the route point and parking.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 46.24172, 9.60621 (crag) · Parking: 46.24139, 9.60593
Abseil the line in three rope-lengths of up to 50 m: from R6, R4 and R2. The belays are two rings that are not linked.
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent, from R6, R4 and R2 in three 50 m rope-lengths. You can come down the same way from any of those belays.
Italy
112Emergency, where the single number is in service
Emergency, where the single number is in service
Where 112 is not yet the single number, call 118 and ask for CNSAS.
Position of the crag
46.24172, 9.60621
Marks the crag, not the route: give route and pitch.
Say what happened, how many are hurt, and where you are. Checked October 2026 (sourceofficial sources).
10 quickdraws; two 50 m ropes for the abseils. No cams or nuts needed.
South-facing slab at about 1100 m. The 2022 party climbed it in August; the season shown is inferred from altitude and aspect.
Forecast · next 7 days · 1300 m
Loading the forecast.
| Measure | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 1300 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 6 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| Mean daily low °C | −7 | −6 | −2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | −0 | −5 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 8 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1182 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
Italy · Valtellina & Valchiavenna
Five pitches of slab and steeper slab on excellent granite next to La coda del Dinosauro, slightly more sustained, with 6a and 6a+ on pitches 3 and 4. Roadside and well bolted.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches130 m
Italy · Valtellina & Valchiavenna
Six short pitches up the first (north) tooth of the Denti della Vecchia at 2000 m above the Pescegallo ski area, mostly 5b to 5c with one 6a pitch. Stainless glue-ins and a summer chairlift make it a relaxed alpine half-day.
6aVI+5.10a6aVI+5.10a6 pitches95 m
Around 6a+ · about 6 pitches
Switzerland · Furka
The classic of the Hannibalturm: six short, wandering pitches of slab, quartz veins, cracks and a 6a+ slab crux on perfect high-mountain granite at 2800 m. A bench and a bus-stop sign wait on the summit. Very popular, so expect company.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches180 m
Spain · Costa Blanca (Morro Falquí)
A superb sea-cliff multipitch. P4 makes an impressive exposed exit from a cave with 100 m of air below, and the 6a+ P5 has a chimney and fingery slab. Balancy, airy and great for introducing someone to multipitch.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches170 m
Read the cautions
France · Chamonix valley
The great classic of the Aiguilles Rouges: six varied pitches of gneiss, ten minutes downhill from the Brévent cable car and finishing at its top station, with Mont Blanc opposite. The crux is a short, physical corner crack and the last pitch is a long, clean corner. It is extremely popular.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches200 m
Austria · Tannheimer Tal
Six short, sustained pitches of steep pocket climbing on the best rock of the Gimpelvorbau, almost all at UIAA VI+. Big pockets let you clip comfortably, so it is less fierce than it looks. One of the most popular sport routes above the Gimpelhaus.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches170 m
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.