Pizzo Coca () is a mountain that straddles the Val Seriana and the

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

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 ...

. It is the highest peak in the

Bergamo Alps The Bergamasque Alps or Bergamo Alps (; sometimes translated into English as Orobic Alps) are a mountain range in the Italian Alps. They are located in northern Lombardy and named after the city Bergamo, south of the mountains. Within the Easter ...

(also called the Orobie Alps). Its height is 3,050 metres with a prominence height of 1,878 metres and a

saddle A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not know ...

of 1,172 metres. A post-glacial valley exists near a point called (literally "little man in rock") at 2,400 meters.

Geology and orogeny

The Alps form a part of a

tertiary Tertiary (from Latin, meaning 'third' or 'of the third degree/order..') may refer to: * Tertiary period, an obsolete geologic period spanning from 66 to 2.6 million years ago * Tertiary (chemistry), a term describing bonding patterns in organic ch ...

orogenic belt of mountain chains, called the

Alpide belt The Alpide belt or Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt,K.M. Storetvedt, K. M., ''The Tethys Sea and the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt; mega-elements in a new global tectonic system,'' Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, Volume 62, Issues 1 ...

, that stretches through southern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

from the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

stretching eastward to the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. The Bergamo Alps have three prominent peaks named Pizzo Coca, Punta Scaiss and Pizzo Redorta. As with its parent Alpine belt, Pizzo Coca is composed of "dark-coloured" sedimentary mountain rock with "huge rocky spurs" known as a pyramid type peak. Pizzo Coca, along with the other Bergamo

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

peaks, exist parallel to the Valtellina Valley. Narrow and vertical chimney clefts stretch towards Pizzo Coca's summit, which has rock debris, before it levels off. The mountain rises to 2,924 meters by "Dente di Coca" (literally Tooth of Coca") before settling out by Pico Coca's summit.

Climate

The Alps are split into five climate zones, each with a different kind of environment. The climate, plant life and animal life vary on different sections or zones of the mountain such as Pizzo Coca. The initial altitude at

Val Seriana The Serio ( Lombard: ''Sère'') is an Italian river that flows entirely within Lombardy, crossing the provinces of Bergamo and Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left ...

, one of the recommended southern access points, is 1,100 meters and part of a valley. The valley trail rises to 1,892 meters by Rifugio Coca which is a

rest stop A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

. Pizzo Coca's Subalpine regional climate ranges to 1,800 metres with the lower levels available for cultivation. The Alpine regional climate exists between 1,800 and 2,500 meters. The

Glacial A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

regional climate extends from 2,500 to Pico Coca's top at 3,050 metres with snow falling at the higher elevations.

Approach

Pizzo Coca can be reached from the south starting from Valbondione. From here the path leads to Rifugio Coca, a "hut" managed by

Club Alpino Italiano 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 ...

based in Bergamo, then continues towards Lago di Coca. From here, before reaching the lake, climbers must crawl up the

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

to the east. After this, the trail climbs quickly, then follows a semicircle along the natural amphitheatre at the foot of the Bocchetta dei Camosci. From here begins the steepest part of the path allowing climbers, after 300 to 400 meters uphill, the base of Pizzo Coca is reached. From the peak, there is an unrestricted view to the east and the surrounding area. The

Rhaetian Alps The Rhaetian Alps (; ) are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps. The SOIUSA classification system divides them into the Western Rhaetian Alps, Western, Southern Rhaetian Alps and Eastern Rhaetian Alps, while the Alpine Club classification of the ...

that connects to the north are visible, as is Lake Barbellino, Monte Torena, Pizzo Strinato, Monte Costone, Monte Trobio, Monte Gleno and Pizzo Recastello, Pizzo Redorta, the glacier of Marovin, and the Pizzo del Diavolo di Tenda in the west, Presolana and

Pizzo Arera Pizzo Arera is a mountain of the Bergamasque Prealps of northern Italy. Its peak is above sea level. Geography It is part of the ridge that divides Val Seriana from Val Brembana. The town of Roncobello is nearby. Fossils can be found on some ...

to the south as well as several other peaks, and beginning from the valley of the

Serio River The Serio ( Lombard: ''Sère'') is an Italian river that flows entirely within Lombardy, crossing the provinces of Bergamo and Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left ...

, the starting point of Valbondione. The initial trail leads to a series of rifugios, which is Italian for refuges, like the first Rifugio Coca

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

. This is a hike to this stage or refuge. Past Rifugio Coca, becomes a YDS 3 or a

climbing route A climbing route () is a path by which a Climbing, climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock face or an ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing-route database. De ...

with

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It can be described as being between hiking and climbing, rock climbing. "A scramble" is a relat ...

uphill amongst boulders, creeks, cliffs and zig-zag markers. Based upon exposure to falling and increased YDS 3+ in some hard rock climb areas, climbing equipment like rope,

climbing harness A climbing harness is a piece of equipment that allows a climber to tie in (climbing), tie in to the safety of a rope. It is used in climbing, rock and ice climbing, ice climbing, abseiling, and lowering; this is in contrast to other activities r ...

, boots,

crampons A crampon is a traction device attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and icefields, as ...

ice axes An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simp ...

snowshoes Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

and skis is recommended.

Nearest services

Pizzo Coca's nearest airport is

Orio al Serio Airport Orio may refer to: People Notable people with this name include: Surname * Baltasar de Echave Orio (late 16th century – mid-17th century), Basque Spanish painter * Shane Orio (born 1980), Belizean football player Given name * Orio Caldiron (193 ...

in Bergamo, Italy. The nearest "convenient center" is Valbondione.

Photo gallery

File:Torena_dal_coca.jpg, Looking south Monte Torena from Pizzo Coca File:PizzoStrinato1.jpg, Looking south Pizzo Strinato File:Presolana_dal_coca.jpg, Looking at Presolana File:DenteCoca.jpg, The crown view from Pizzo Coca File:PIZZODICOCA.jpg, Pizzo di Coca

Sources

''Europe Ultra-Prominences'' www.peaklist.org
Retrieved: 2010-05-11. *

Retrieved: 2010-05-11

References

External links

''Alpinfoto'' alpinfoto.it
Retrieved: 2010-05-11. - Images from the Alps
''Alpine Convention'' www.alpconv.org
Retrieved: 2010-05-11. - Convention on the Protection of the Alps
''Alpine Space Programme''
Alpine Space Programme Retrieved: 2010-05-11. - EU transnational co-operational programme for the Alps {{DEFAULTSORT:Coca Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Lombardy Mountains of Italy Alpine three-thousanders