Punta Mirauda

The Punta Mirauda is a mountain of the Ligurian Alps located in Piedmont (NW Italy).

Punta Mirauda
The summit from Punta Agugion in a foggy day
Highest point
Elevation	2,157 m (7,077 ft)[1]
Prominence	77 m (253 ft)[2][1]
Coordinates	44°13′13″N 7°37′29″E
Geography
Punta Mirauda Location in the Alps
Location	Piemonte, Italy
Parent range	Ligurian Alps
Climbing
First ascent	ancestral
Easiest route	hiking

Toponymy

Mirauda is a regional name used in Piedmont for the green whip snake.^[3]

Geography

Punta Mirauda in the shade behind the Punta Agugion

The mountain stands on the ridge dividing the valleys of Vermenagna and Pesio. Southwards of the summit the water divide lowers with Colla Vaccarile (2.050 m) after which stand the Monte Jurin and the Cima della Fascia. In the opposite direction, after Il Colletto (2.080 m),^[4] the ridge goes on with the Bric Costa Rossa and the Bisalta. From the Punta Mirauda starts a third ridge which, heading SW, divides the Vallone Sottana from the Valle Almellina, two tributaries of the main Vermenagna Valley. A last ridge heads E towards the centre of the Pesio valley, linking Punta Mirauda with the Labiaia Mirauda (1.971 m), a mountain that overlooks Pian della Gorre.^[5] The prominence of Punta Mirauda is 77 m, its key col being the Colletto (2.080 m). The summit of the mountain is flanked by a subsummit named Punta Agugion (2.133 m^[4]).^[6]

SOIUSA classification

According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:^[7]

• 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:Gruppo Testa Ciaudon-Punta Mirauda
• subgroup = It:Dorsale della Punta Mirauda
• code = I/A-1.II-B.3.b

Geology

The mountain stands in a karstic area. A huge network of natural tunnels, which collects underground water reaching the acquifer through many fractures and ponors, takes its name from Punta Mirauda.^[8]

Access to the summit

The Punta Mirauda can be reached from Limone Piemonte (Casali Barat village) with an easy hiking itinerary,^[9] or from the Pesio valley, starting in this case from Pian delle Gorre.^[10]

The mountain is also a classic, but quite engaging, ski mountaineering destination.^[11]

Conservation

The eastern slopes of the mountain, facing the Pesio Valley, are part of the Natural Park of Marguareis, a nature reserve established by Regione Piemonte.