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Monte Gimont
Monte Gimont
Grand Charvia (French)
	View from the Gimont Valley
Highest point
Elevation	2,646 m (8,681 ft)
Prominence	129 m (423 ft)
Coordinates	44°54′20″N 6°45′08″E / 44.905597°N 6.752294°E
Geography
	Monte Gimont Piedmont, Metropolitan City of Turin ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Hautes-Alpes
Countries	Italy and France
Parent range	Cottian Alps

Mount Gimont (French: Grand Charvia) is a mountain 2,646 m above sea level^[1] in the Montgenèvre Alps, in the Cottian Alps. It is located on the border between Italy (Metropolitan City of Turin) and France (Hautes-Alpes).

Description

The mountain forms the meeting point between the Little Dora valley (to the northwest), the Gimont valley (to the northeast, a tributary of the Little Dora) and, to the south, the valley from the Cerveyrette (a tributary of the Durance). Administratively, it is divided between the Italian municipality of Cesana Torinese and the French municipalities of Cervières and Montgenèvre. On the summit of the mountain, which is part of the main Alpine chain, is a rustic timber summit cross. The Green Collet (or Grand Collet, 2,519 m^[2]) and the Guignard Col (or Petit Collet, 2,440 m^[2]) divide it, along the northern ridge, from the Mont de la Plane[1] (or Sommet de la Loubatière, 2,545 m^[2]). The Main Alpine Chain continues to the southeast of the mountain with Col Gimont (2,403 m), then ascending to Cima Saurel. In the opposite direction, the main ridge continues with a pass at an elevation of 2,519 m not mentioned in cartography^[2] and then ascends to Mount Chenaillet.

The cable cars and ski slopes of the Via Lattea ski area, ascending from both the Claviere^[3] and Montgenèvre sides, arrive at the Colletto Verde,^[4] which is located not far from the top of the mountain.^[1]

Geology

As in the case of nearby Mount Chenaillet, the rocks that make up the mountain are of igneous origin and were formed on an ancient seafloor that has now emerged. Among these since the late 19th century geologists have reported variolite, a volcanic rock similar to basalt, and diabase,^[5] also of lava origin but in this case with hypoabissal crystallization.

History

The French toponym Grand Charvia comes from the Latin calvus, meaning denuded^[6].

The valley of the Little Dora, comprised between Mount Ginmont and the Chenaillet, although hydrographically part of the Po basin, belonged to French territory^[7] even before the retouching of the borders made by the 1947 treaty after the end of World War II, as had been reaffirmed after some disputes in the 1814 Treaty of Paris.^[8]

Mt. Gimont, along with the surrounding area, was affected by the front line of World War II; artillery duels took place there in June 1941,^[9] then until April 1945 it was garrisoned by the Alpine Battalion "Tirano," which fell back to the plain from April 23.^[10]

Access to the summit

Summer ascent

One of the routes to reach the top of the mountain runs through the Vallone Gimont, starting from Claviere. Its difficulty is rated E.^[11] It is also possible to climb to the summit with departure from Black Lake, which in turn can be reached from Bousson by a dirt road, with an itinerary also rated of difficulty E.^[12]

Winter ascent

The mountain represents a classic ski mountaineering destination. The winter ascent through the Gimont valley is considered BS.^[13]

Points of support

Mautino Hut (2110 m, upstream of Black Lake)
Gimont hut (2035 m, Gimont valley (Cesana Torinese)^[14]

References

^ ^a ^b CAI-TCI, Alpi Cozie Centrali, pag. 416.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d IGN, Géoportail.
^ "Cesana Torinese". L'Italia dello sci. Touring Club Italiano. 2004. p. 55. ISBN 9788836530557. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
^ "Domani Monts de la Lune - Domaine Grand Montgenevre" (PDF) (in French). Montgenèvre - Office de Tourisme. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
^ G.Piolti (1887). "Nei dintorni di Cesana". Bollettino del Club Alpino Italiano: 1896. Vol. XX. Club alpino italiano. pp. 2562–253. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
^ "Patois". Bulletin de la Société scientifique du Dauphiné (in French). Vol. 7–18. Grenoble: Société scientifique du Dauphiné. 1878. p. 216. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
^ Vittorio Adami (Esercito. Corpo di stato maggiore. Ufficio storico) (1919). "Description de la limite". Storia documentata dei confini del regno d'Italia (in French). Vol. 1. Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato. pp. 292–293. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
^ "Monginevro o Monte Ginevro". Dizionario corografico degli Stati Sardi di Terraferma. Vol. 1–2. Guglielmo Stefani (a cura di). Milano: Givelli Giuseppe e comp. 1854. p. 564. Retrieved 7 December 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Revue Militaire Suisse (in French). Vol. 86. Société suisse des officiers. 1941. p. 608. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
^ Pansa, Giampaolo (2011). I vinti non dimenticano. Bur. Rizzoli. ISBN 9788858621004. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
^ "Gimont (Mont) da Claviere e il Rifugio Gimont". Gulliver.it. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^ "Monte Gimont (mt. 2646)". GAV (Gruppo Alpinistico Villarfocchiardese). 9 August 1996. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^ "Monte Gimont (Gran Charvia) 2646 m". Retrieved 24 November 2021.
^ Club Alpino Italiano (20 April 2016). "Baita Gimont". La guida ai Rifugi del Cai 2016. Roberto Gandolfi (redazione schede). Corriere della Sera. p. 159. ISBN 9788861268715. Retrieved 23 November 2021.

Bibliography

Ferreri, Eugenio (1981). Alpi Cozie Centrali. Guida dei Monti d'Italia. CAI-TCI.
Giuseppe, Piolti (1894). Contribuzioni allo studio della variolite del Mt. Gimont (Alta valle di Susa). Torino: Carlo Clausen.
Gabriele, Lincio (1928). Ricerche litologiche e mineralogiche sul Gruppo del Grand Gimont: Alta valle della Dora Riparia. Città di Castello: Tip. Leonardo da Vinci.