Corno Stella Rock Climbing

The great alpine wall of the southwest Alps, on the NW side of Monte Argentera in the Mercantour National Park.
Summit elevation 3050 m (GPS lat long N44.18514 E7.30129).

Rock is (interestingly-featured, hard-metamorphic) granitic gneiss. Faces SW, so cold in the morning.

Sleeping base at Rifugio Bozano hut (elevation 2453m) close to the base of the wall, with non-strenous hiking approach from parking on asphalt road. Closes mid-September, but has a nice "winter room" in separate building.

Has a lower and upper part, each with its own routes, and a wide ledge with a little scrambling connecting between them.

Classic less difficult route is "Campia" (6a free > 5c with simple aid) on the left side of the upper part, with a variety of interesting rock situations to challenge the leader.

Nice less-difficult "warmup" way to reach it is by "Pilastro di Oscar" (5c) in the lower part.

Harder more interesting on the lower part is "Regalami un Sorriso" (sustained 5c+ free, or 5c with simple aid).

Another interesting route on upper part is "Il Barone Rampante" (6b+ free, or 6a+ perhaps 6a with simple aid).

Descent from the lower part (newly re-fitted and re-designed in 2017) is by rappels first rappel from near top of route "Pilastro di Oscar" toward the S (easiest with double-ropes - but perhaps could be done with single?), then some hiking/scrambling, and some more single-rope rappels roughly S. Finishing with long scramble NW on talus down to meet the super-deluxe trail back to the hut.

Descent from left side of upper part of wall (newly re-fitted and slightly re-designed in 2017) from cairn-marked top anchor just below top edge of cliff -- three double-rope rappels down to the wide ledge.
. . (there is another rappel descent, likely requiring double-ropes, from right side of upper part).