The limestone wall of Paretone Oggioni is 100-150 meters high. As it’s facing East, it’s sunny since the early morning. The quality of the rock is globally acceptable, even if at times it is poor. In a grandiose setting, overlooking the valley of the Esina river, and the parking area. The environment along the side of the Gola della Rossa is man-made, but the other side is wild. The rock wall is the boundary between the Gola della Rossa and the Gola di Frasassi, and this explains why there is such a difference.
Some routes go through slabs and vertical walls of perfect rock (Bivi della Solitudine), some other go through fissured and quite dangerous walls (Badiali-Conti) requiring a certain amount of experience and attention. Globally all the routes require mountaineering experience, and rope maneuvers skill.
It is compulsory to wear the helmet, and it is advised not to climb a route behind another rope team.
In winter, under wind-free conditions, you can climb in short sleeves, in the morning. In summer you can climb in the late afternoon, in the windy days. The wind is always an important factor, to be taken into account. It’s advantageous in summer, and troubling in winter, even on the sunny days.
The descent can be done in abseil or by feet. The abseil is recommended for who is not familiar with the Gola della Rossa area, even if the path has been recently re-opened and equipped with red signs.
The climb down on foot requires about 1 hour, plus a half hour to one abseil to descend from the “high slabs” wall, plus some time to descend a trail, very exposed in places. None of the routes of the Paretone Oggioni can be considered as a “plaisir route”: even if well equipped, these route requires mod-mountain experience and rudiments of mountaineering.
