Carè Alto

The Carè Alto is a 3 465-metre peak in the Adamello-Presanella Alps, standing at the south-eastern edge of the Adamellogruppe. Its isolated position makes it the dominant summit in the southern half of the range. In the First World War the summit became an Austrian strongpoint because it commanded the entire front. A field cableway was built from Pinzolo to keep the position supplied. Hugh F. Montgomery and Sedley Taylor reached the top for the first time in 1865. The usual routes now include the Lares glacier, a gentle ski ascent that ends with a short climb on ice or snow up to forty-five degrees. The east ridge combines scrambling and climbing at grade three, while the south ridge offers a pure rock climb also graded three when conditions are good. Visitors who choose the Lares glacier follow a broad, almost flat névé that leads to the final rock steps below the summit. Those who take the east ridge pass wartime trenches and observation posts still visible on the rock. From the top the Adamello-Presanella chain stretches north and west, showing the high valleys of Val Rendena and Val di Genova.