Pilastri dello Stange (Alpe Devero) · Val d'Ossola · Italy
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Three friendly pitches of 5a to 5b on rough, featured rock, then a change of gear: an intricate 6a with two traverses and a short, powerful 6a+ through juggy bulges that can be pulled through on fixed cords. A half-day route in the Veglia-Devero park, an hour's walk past Crampiolo.
The route
The Pilastri dello Stange are a group of pillars near the Devero dam above Alpe Devero, next to the Busin-Stange single-pitch crag. Veia di Bruchita starts 5 m right of LindElda and was bolted by Paolo Stoppini, with materials paid for by the Crampiolo farm restaurant whose family history gives the route its name. The first three pitches are easy slabs and short walls; pitch 4 weaves left and right on delicate ground and pitch 5 climbs two slightly overhanging steps on big holds to a hanging belay. Both hard sections were deliberately equipped so they can be aided, which brings the route down to about 5c. Repeaters like the rock and the setting and treat it as a half-day outing.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | Slabs and small steps. |
| P2 | 5a | More of the same, a little easier. |
| P3 | 5b | A good varied pitch with interesting short walls. |
| P4 | 6a | A step towards a chain, a delicate traverse left without climbing too high (a fine layback according to camptocamp), a slab, then an airy traverse right on good holds. The bouldery move can be aided on a cord. A chain secures a hollow undercut flake that you have to pull on. Long and winding: 14 quickdraws, some of them extended. |
| P5 | 6a+ | Two slightly overhanging steps on jugs, the second one harder, equipped with cords so that it goes at 5c A0. A short airy traverse left leads to the only hanging belay of the route. |
Getting there
From the Ossola dual carriageway (SS33) take the exit for Crodo and the Valle Antigorio, drive to Baceno and follow signs for Goglio and Alpe Devero. The road above Goglio is very narrow and access is regulated at certain times of year. Parking at Alpe Devero is paid (6 euros on a weekday in 2025; camptocamp quotes 6 to 10 euros a day). Buses run from Domodossola to Baceno and a small Prontobus service from Baceno to Alpe Devero.
1 h to 1 h 15 min. From the Alpe Devero car park take the path through Crampiolo to the Devero dam and lake (about 1 hour). At the foot of the dam turn left following the sign for the Busin-Stange crag, then go down along the base of that wall for about 15 minutes to the pillar. When the crag is in view there are scattered cairns but you can pass almost anywhere. The route starts 5 m right of LindElda, which has a bolt and cord at its start. On the way back you can cut through the woods towards Crampiolo.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Paid car park at Alpe Devero (camptocamp access waypoint 109289)
Point from gulliver.it map point for the route (single source; camptocamp has no crag waypoint)
Contains the route point and parking. 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.
Coordinates: 46.33305, 8.27859 (crag) · Parking: 46.31496, 8.26063
Getting down
Abseil the route from belays with abseil rings. With two 50 m ropes you can skip belays 4 and 2 and make three abseils of exactly 50 m. A July 2026 party went from belay 5 to belay 3 and then to a descent station just above belay 1; an October 2023 party made a 30 m abseil from the top and then two of 60 m.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent and all belays have abseil rings; reports from 2022 to 2026 describe quick, trouble-free abseils. The only complication is pitch 4, which traverses left and then right, so retreating from the middle of it means reversing a traverse.
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing at about 1900 to 2100 m, a summer and early autumn route: reports run from early July to late October. Not too hot at this height in July. A few grassy sections. The pillars lie in the Veglia-Devero natural park and a 2025 report refers to a nesting ban that did not apply that year, so a seasonal closure is possible; check before you go.
Sun on the wall · S-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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −5 | −4 | −1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 0 | −5 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 9 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 643 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
14 quickdraws, a few of them long, for pitch 4 (camptocamp says 12). Two 50 m ropes are the best choice for the traverses and the abseils; gulliver.it says a single 70 m rope is enough. No cams or nuts. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
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 Veia di Bruchita.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Spain · Montserrat
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France · Verdon
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Germany · Ammergauer Alpen
The popular sport line of the Geiselstein south face, straight up to the summit cross. Long, steep pitches on excellent rough limestone, sustained at UIAA 6- to 6 with two short passages of 6+ and one easier pitch on less reliable rock. Never easy and never crowded with bolts: you climb between them.
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Read the cautions
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.