Valle Brembana

[franchì]

I think that if it will snow a little or the temperature conditions are favorable, you don't need anything but your poles. But if the day you arrive there you find just slippery ice, you have to walk back to rifugio Coca, it all depends on the weather conditions. The day I was there the attack was a hard ice surface impossible to walk on just with boots; can't tell if it was just the first 10 meters or the whole way through. They sell little 6 points crampons that are surely enough though, you don't need 12 points crampons to walk on that . Is less steep and dangerous than the path that reach the passo Coca if the ice conditions aren't critical. I just found a pic that shows better the steepness of the snow viewed from passo Coca (thanks to patripoli):



Check this site to see what I mean http://walkhigh.co.uk/acatalog/Crampons.html

EDIT: about Corno Stella - passo publino; on that link you posted the guy says that you need to be very careful on the ridge (parts of I to II UIAA difficulty) but he does just a part of it, from "la Spalla" to Corno Stella, he doesn't go to passo Publino. I never been there so I cannot help you more.

[Paolo]

If i would use the nicer way via Lago del Diavolo, you mean to continue from Passo Venina on the of the ridge and descent to Lago Diavolo by sentiero n.253? Somehow like this? (blue route)

No, you'd better descend along track 254 for at about 15 min, then turn left when you will encounter the metal sign for Rif. Longo.

Great! And can we find there gas cookers? As usual we have problem with getting gas canister after our arrival to Bergamo. Last year Franchì helped us (thanks lot again!), now we would like to not burden anyone. So if there is possible to cook in huts, it would be great!

Biv. Frattini is basically a large... metal can, so you find absolutely nothing inside it (apart from folding beds and blankets). Biv. Pedrinelli is much larger and comfortable, and from what I can remember there's a gas cooker - there's also a water source few meters away (I remember you can read something like "sorgente" or "acqua" with a direction arrow written on a rock nearby).
There's also a wood stove inside, but there's no wood around...

My last question - how about walking from Corno Stella to Passo Publino - stayed unanswered, so i tryied to search informations on my own.
According [url="http://www.lightpainting.it/reportage/corno_stella_monte_chierico.shtml"]this[/url]I guess there would be possible to go that way, but i'm not sure with translating from Italian language

I know that the route from Corno Stella to Publino is quite difficult but feasible, but I never walked along it.
The link you inserted suggests a route which is longer, and probably as difficult as the direct one, so I suggest you not to take it - you could instead come back from Corno Stella, descend along the same road which takes you to the top, then cross the Carisole Valley and reconnect to the route in the link, to reach Valle Sambuzza and climb to Passo Publino. Just below Lago Moro you could turn left and descend down the steep grass, instead of following the road until Passo della Croce, if you want to save some time.