Punta Cornour Explained

Punta Cornour
Other Name:Punta Cournour
Listing:Alpine mountains 2500-2999 m
Elevation M:2,868
Elevation Ref:[1]
Prominence M:418
Prominence Ref:[2]
Map:Alps
Location:Piemonte, Italy
Range:Cottian Alps
Coordinates:44.8502°N 7.0925°W
First Ascent:1836, Captain Cossato of the Royal Sardinian Army
Easiest Route:Hike with some scabbling

The Punta Cornour is a 2,868 metres high mountain on the Italian side of the Cottian Alps.

Toponymy

The mountain is also named Punta Cournour. While Punta Cornour appears in most of the available maps (i.e. the 1:50.000 scale IGC map Valli di Susa Chisone e Germanasca, based on the IGM official Italian 1:25.000 cartography), Punta Cournour is reported by some older sources as, for instance, the Encyclopædia Britannica in its 1911 edition.[3]

Geography

The Punta Cornour is located on the water divide between val Germanasca (North) and val Pellice. It consists in a prominent peak clearly distinguishable also from the Po plain. The main ridge runs from SW to NE; from the summit branches out another ridge heading South. The summit of the mountain is the tripoint where the comune of Prali (Val Germanasca) meets Bobbio Pellice and Villar Pellice (both in Val Pellice).[4] The SE slopes, belonging to the comune of Villar Pellice, are made of steep rock cliffs, while the other faces have gentler slopes with a lot of blocks.

On the summit a small metallic pillar points out a trigpoint named 067905 Punta Cornour, whish belonging to the primary IGM network.[5]

SOIUSA classification

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

Geology

From a geological point of view the mountain belongs to the Dora-Maira massif series, and is mainly composed of gneiss and mica-schists, with lenses of Augen gneiss, dating back to the pre-Triassic era.[7]

Access to the summit

The normal route follows the NE ridge of the mountain.[8] An access itinerary starts from Ghigo (comune of Prali) close to the valley station of the cable car Seggiovia dei 13 Laghi, which can be used in order to shorten the walk.[9]

Maps

Notes and References

  1. [Istituto Geografico Centrale]
  2. [Key col]
  3. Alps . 1 . 741.
  4. Web site: IGM 1:25.000 maps . . 2020-02-23 .
  5. Web site: 067905 PUNTA CORNOUR . 2020-02-22 . . Divisione geodetica .
  6. Book: Marazzi , Sergio . Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA . Priuli & Verlucca . 2005 . Italian . 88 . 978-88-8068-273-8 .
  7. Book: Carta Geologica d'Italia scala 1:100.000 - foglio 67 - Pinerolo . ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) . Servizio Geologico d'Italia. 2020-02-22.
  8. Book: Guida dei Monti d'Italia . Milano. it . Eugenio . Ferreri . Alpi Cozie centrali . 1982 . 171–173 . .
  9. Web site: it . Cornour (Punta) da Ghigo di Prali, per la cresta NE . 2020-02-23.