Cima delle Lobbie, Mountain summit in the Cottian Alps, Piedmont, Italy
Cima delle Lobbie is a 3,015-metre mountain on the ridge that runs from Monviso down between the Varaita and Po valleys, the southernmost three-thousander of the Monviso group. Its summit, entirely in Italy, is the meeting point of Sampeyre and Casteldelfino in the Varaita valley and Oncino in the Po valley. The mountain is a kind of tower surrounded by gullies and rocky spurs, and the top is forked: the higher north-east summit is separated from the south-west one by a narrow notch.
The first ascent was made in spring 1897 by Ercole Daniele, Carlo Ratti and Alberto Viglino, who climbed the more demanding southwest ridge rated AD. The normal route today follows the northwest flank from Castello di Pontechianale via the Passo dei Duc. A metal cross dedicated to God as protector of mountaineers was placed on the summit in 2003 by the Cai of Beinette.
The name may come from the Piedmontese word 'lobia' meaning balcony, or from Franco-Provençal 'labia' for stone slabs. This origin connects local language to the mountain's rocky ridge structure.
The normal route leaves from the Castello hamlet of Pontechianale at 1,580 m, passes the Bagnour refuge and the Alevè forest, and climbs the long Vallone dei Duc to the Passo dei Duc at 2,796 m. A steep scree gully, often snow-covered into summer, leads to the shoulder; the last 23 m are an inclined slab with climbing moves of grade III. The route is rated F+/PD. The Passo dei Duc can also be reached from the Po valley via Pian Gallarino.
The Alevè Forest on the mountain's slopes is Europe's largest Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra) woodland. On the north side, at 2,950 metres, stands the highest Swiss stone pine in its entire range. The forest is crossed by the normal route from Castello di Pontechianale up the Vallone dei Duc.
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