Refuge Crête Sèche or Rifugio Crête Sèche is a
shelter
A shelter is an architectural structure or natural formation (or a combination of the two) providing protection from the local environment. A shelter can serve as a home or be provided by a residential institution. It can be understood as both ...
in the
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.
...
of
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
near the border with
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. More precisely, this refuge is located in the valley of
Valpelline, a side valley of the
Aosta Valley
The Aosta Valley ( ; ; ; or ), officially the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley, is a mountainous Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region in northwestern Italy. It is bordered by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Fr ...
in the Italian
Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...
, at above sea level. It lies on the slopes of Mont de Crête Sèche whose summit is at elevation .
[Waeber, Michael and Bauer, Marianne. ]
Walliser Alpen: Gebietsführer für Wanderer, Bergsteiger, Skitourengeher und Kletterer; die beliebtesten Anstiege auf alle wichtigen Gipfel mit Beschreibung aller empfehlenswerten
', p. 466 (Bergverlag Rother GmbH
Bergverlag Rother is a German publisher with its headquarters in Oberhaching, Upper Bavaria. Since 1950 the company, that formerly went under the name of ''Bergverlag Rudolf Rother'', had published the Alpine Club Guides in cooperation with the G ...
, 2003). Mont de Crête Sèche is not to be confused with the mountain called Crête Sèche in Switzerland. The words "crête sèche" in French mean "dry ridge" in English.
The shelter was built in 1982, and is owned by the
Italian Alpine Club
The Club Alpino Italiano is the senior Italian alpine club which stages climbing competitions, operates alpine huts, marks and maintains paths, and is active in protecting the Alpine environment.
It was founded in Turin in 1863 by the then fin ...
. One of the nearby mountains to climb is
Mont Gelé whose summit is above sea level, and which can be accessed via the
Col de Crête Sèche. This same mountain pass continues from Italy into the Swiss district of
Entremont in the
canton of
Valais
Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
. Another mountain near this shelter is
Bec d'Epicoune, elevation .
To reach the shelter, one can hike on a dirt trail for about two hours from the village of Rû in the municipality of
Bionaz.
[Rû may also be referred to as Les Rus, Ruz, or Ru.] The capacity of this shelter in summer is 86 beds, and in winter 8 beds.
External links
Topographic map 1
(showing "Ref. Crête Sèche" on map).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Refuge Crete Seche
Mountain huts in the Alps
Mountain huts in Aosta Valley