Cima delle Saline

The Cima delle Saline is a mountain of the Ligurian Alps located in Piedmont (NW Italy).

Cima delle Saline
View of the mountain from Pian Ballaur (West)
Highest point
Elevation2,612 m (8,570 ft) [1]
Prominence270 m (890 ft) [2]
Listing
Coordinates44°10′34″N 7°44′02″E 
Geography
Cima delle Saline
Location in the Alps
LocationPiemonte, Italy
Parent rangeLigurian Alps
Geology
Type of rockmainly limestone
Climbing
Easiest routewaymarked hiking route

Toponymy

Cima delle Saline literally means Summit of the salt marshes. The name comes the neighbouring Passo delle Saline, a mountain pass which was used in the past by marchants in order to bring into the Po Plain the salt produced by the Mediterranean sea.[3]

Geography
View from Pian Marchisio (Ellero Valley)

The mountain rises in the karstic complex of the Marguareis, on the water divide between the valleys of Ellero and Tanaro. At 2,612 metres above sea level, is the third elevation of the Ligurian Alps[4] after Marguareis and Mongioie. Its prevailing rocks are Jurassic limestones.[5] The north face of the Cima delle Saline consists in almost vertical cliffs, while its southern side is a long and gentler slope, rich in sinkholes. If seen from the plain, its summit shows a characteristic rounded shape.[4]

SOIUSA classification

According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:[6]

  • main part = Western Alps
  • major sector = South Western Alps
  • section = Ligurian Alps
  • subsection = It:Alpi del Marguareis/Fr:Alpes Liguriennes Occidentales
  • supergroup = It:Catena Marguareis-Mongioie/Fr:Chaîne Marguareis-Mongioie
  • group =It:Mongioie-Mondolè
  • subgroup = It:Nodo del Mongioie
  • code = I/A-1.II-B.4.a

Conservation

Since 1978 the mountain and its southern slopes belong to the Natural Park of Marguareis.[7]

Access to the summit
View from Mondolè

Summer

Reaching the summit does not require alpinistic skill but some scrambling. A waymarked itinerary which follows the GTA route upo to the Passo delle Saline (a saddle connecting Tanaro and Ellero valleys) amc then the E ridge of the mountain starts from Carnino Inferiore, a village in the comune of Briga Alta, in the upper Tanaro valley.[8] It is also possible to reach the summit from Pian Marchisio (Ellero Valley, North of the mountain), also through the Passo delle Saline.[9] The Cima delle Saline is also a challenging climb for mountain biking.[10]

Winter

The mountain is also accessible in winter by ski mountaineers, but early spring is considered the best period for this ascent.[11]

Mountain huts
  • Rifugio Mongioie and Rifugio Ciarlo-Bossi (Tanaro valley),
  • Rifugio Havis De Giorgio and Rifugio Garelli (Ellero valley).

Maps
  • Cartografia ufficiale italiana in scala 1:25.000 e 1:100.000 (Map). IGM.
  • Carta in scala 1:50.000 n. 8 Alpi Marittime e Liguri (Map). Torino: Istituto Geografico Centrale.
  • Carta dei sentieri e stradale scala 1:25.000 n. 22 Mondovì Val Ellero Val Maudagna Val Corsaglia Val Casotto (Map). Ciriè: Fraternali editore.
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References
  1. 1:25.000 map nr.16 "Val Vermenagna Valle Pesio Alta val Ellero Parco naturale del Marguareis" (Map). Ciriè: Fraternali.
  2. Key col: Colle del Pas (2,342 m, 1:25.000 IGM map)
  3. (in Italian), Passo delle Saline, Claudio Trova "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2020-02-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  4. "Cima delle Saline" (in Italian). Parco del Marguareis. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  5. 91 Carta Geologica d'Italia 1:100.000 - Foglio 91 - Boves "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2020-02-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  6. Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.
  7. "Montagne - Le Alpi Liguri: alte vette e abissi profondi" (in Italian). Ente di gestione Aree Protette Alpi Marittime. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  8. Kürschner, Iris (2012). "60 Rifigio Garelli - Upega". GTA Grande Traversata delle Alpi: attraverso il Piemonte fino al Mediterraneo. 65 tappe. GPS (in Italian). Bergverlag Rother GmbH. pp. 238–240. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  9. Chiaretta, Furio; Ceragioli, Filippo; Molino, Aldo (2006). "608 - La Cima delle Saline". A piedi in Piemonte (in Italian). 1. Subiaco: Iter edizioni. pp. 242–244. ISBN 8881771152..
  10. "Saline (2612 m) - Pian Ballaur (2604 m) - Serpentera (2358 m)" (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  11. "Da Ceva a Imperia". Piemonte (non compresa Torino) (in Italian). Touring Club Italiano. 1976. p. 271. Retrieved 2020-02-01.

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