I want to do Torino-Nice this year. Planning on 5-6 days. I'd prefer to stay in (basic) accommodation rather than go full sleep-in-a-ditch dirtbag. A combination of carrying less, being able to get clean afterwards, not having to worry about getting a proper evening meal and me never sleeping well in a bivvy bag.
There's a few Refugios I've picked out on the map, but I'm struggling to find a resource - even just a map - that lists all the options in one place - there's plenty for the Dolomites, but they completely ignore the western Italian Alps. Trying to get coherent info about some of them seems to be a struggle. At least one seems to only accept minimum bookings of 2, which is highly annoying as its in exactly the right spot to make a sensible days riding and there's not much else nearby.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
Do you mean the TNR route? If so I've booked into most of them along the way as a solo rider or as part of a bunch staying there that night. I expect they mean they will only open up for min 2? They do need booking ahead generally, though September is fairly quiet (and not all are open then). Have you tried going direct via the refuge websites?
Yup - the TNR route.
I can’t find details of what “most of them” actually means. I don’t know how many there actually are. The one on the Via Sale gets mentioned in reports lots; there’s one, possibly 2 on the way to the Assietta (one of which says it only has 3 rooms, all double/twins - which I was referring to earlier, the other you don’t seem to be able to book online). Other than that, I’m not entirely sure what’s out there or how to search for it. Googling Italian refuges or similar just brings up Dolomites info. What I’d ideally like is a map with all of them on that I can use to join the dots at 100-130 km/2-3000m vert per day.
Try the Club Alipne Italiano. It's the Italian version of BMC. Worth being a member of an Alpine club as you get discount on associated Refuge stays. Have you tried using Googlemaps? A lot of the places are just listed on there. Outside of June/jul/AUG the availability is pretty good - you can just turn up on the day.
Might be worth asking this question on the bear bones forum?
Some Q&A’s from the organisers here…..
As above, the Italian alpine Club website should list all theirs by region which I'd imagine will be the majority. There might also be a few privately run ones, I'm not sure where they'd be listed if not included.
Dont know if it's still a thing but you once could easily join the Austrian alpine club UK to get reciprocal rights.
Jon, you can email me via the TNR site 'Contact/Patches' page for the route info plus a googlemap you'll find useful. Once you have the route files up you can see all the refuges and gites along the way and how to use the route options to manage your pace to hopefully keep your booking commitments! The route files include a set of cue notes and a (non-exhaustive) list of places to stay and eat.
Hopefully not sounding patronising here - if you're booking each night in advance I'd recommend being cautious on the distance you do each day. 5 days is fairly quick if you're wanting to finish each day in time for a shower before dinner and not be off early every morning. The general feedback from riders is of it taking longer than expected or of not having the time for the longer or more time-consuming route sections e.g. the Via de Sale section (Don Barbera refuge and imo the highlight section of the route). It's mainly the terrain but the weather can also shorten a day dramatically. Still, there's always a way to get to Nice faster on tarmac and the route info includes the best shortcuts from a couple of get-off points.
I did TNR about 5 years ago, and have been wanting to get back and do it again as soon as i can, can honestly say it is one of the best routes i have ridden, plus i met a lot of really good people, i'd definitely recommend it.
5 days is fairly quick unless you carry little gear and take all the easier road routes, we rode it at "party pace" and took 9 days, and they were still long days and i don't think i'd want to do it much quicker, purely because it was great to stop for a long lunch and chat to others, or to stop and explore some of the hill forts etc, all part of the experience.
We did bivvy most nights, but James says, once you have the route, there is a number of refuges and campsites along the way, as well some small fairly cheap hotels, we stopped at Rifigio Gardetta purely for a meal, and they let us bivvy in the grounds and us washrooms etc, everyone we met at the refuges was dead friendly and accommodating if they had space.