Using both winter mountaineering and ski techniques, the Aosta Valley mountaineer Hervé Barmasse has become the first person to complete, solo and in winter, the full traverse and integral linking of all the main peaks. It total, the traverse was 67km long, has a total elevation gain of 7,200 meters and includes 17 separate main peaks.
Starting from Passo delle Capannelle on March 6, Hervé Barmasse climbed and descended Monte Franco, Monte Jenca, Pizzo Camarda, Malecoste, Monte Corvo, Pizzo Intermesoli, Giovanni Paolo II, Pizzo Cefalone, Portella, and Corno Grande. The latter, the highest peak, was ascended and descended on skis at night. 
"Finishing the first day this way was incredible," Hervé Barmasse explained. "Up there, the wind was whipping against my jacket, I looked out 360 degrees at the lights of houses stretching all the way to the Adriatic Sea, and I felt happy. A magical, deeply emotional moment—a memory I will carry with me forever."
Barmasse’s second day, continued eastward. Among the peaks climbed were Monte Aquila, Brancastello, Torri di Casanova, Monte Infornace, Monte Prena, Monte Camicia, and Tremoggia.
"I expected it to be less exhausting, but with the abundant snow, between rock towers and couloirs, I often sank up to my waist. But this is exactly how I had envisioned the journey. The adventure itself is shaped by the mountaineer’s intuition and creativity, as well as his honesty. Last year, for example, there was no snow, and if I had attempted it then, things would have been easier—but could I have truly called it a winter ascent? The calendar no longer defines the challenge… Our ethics and ideals do."
Waiting for Barmasse at the end of his journey there were friends from L’Aquila and a bottle of Passerina wine.
"I became deeply attached to these places thanks to the many people I met while filming Monte Corno - Pareva che io fossi in aria, a documentary by Luca Cococcetta, and more generally during my talks across the Apennines. From those experiences and encounters, I always nurtured the idea of embarking on a mountaineering adventure in this region. My deepest gratitude goes to them."
Barmasse’s ascent was supported by Montura, Scarpa, Vibram, Cervino Ski Paradise, Enervit, Julbo, Grivel, Kästle, ATK Bindings, and Pinarello.
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