The analysis of this last great valley does not differ much from the previous ones. The Valley La Thuile can certainly be regarded as a queen among those orographic Southern about downhill skiing; In fact, a
"domaine skiable" huge stretches over the Tourist Village Les Suches to connect also in La Rosière in Haute Tarentaise. With regard to the Eastern side, we recommend that the ascent to the Refuge Albert Deffeyes the beginning of the great glaciers that Rutor certainly not suited to this discipline. Then we go to
"seek his fortune" on the opposite side, or in those great spaces that stretch from the Great Assaly
(3.174m) towards the North-northwest in the direction of Valaisan and the Little Saint Bernard Hill; further and further to the North of the same long parallel walloons are directed towards Pointe Léchaud
(3.127m) and Mount Berio Blanc
(3.252m) but are very exposed to avalanches. We prefer to avoid sending them back, if anything, to hiking in summer. Instead, we
"fall back" on the Vallons Bellecombe and Tachuy with their beautiful lakes and in the wild of Ponteilles from Les Suches door to the crest watershed Belvedere/Bella Valletta/Mount Valaisan. The small range of Fréduazs
(2.938m) stands between these two areas just mentioned above. Many are the routes so-called
"minimum" and some basic ones that lend themselves to multiple variants; the ascent to the Mount Valaisan can be considered as Exceptional Via, both the length (not excessive in relation to Bella Valletta) for problem situations that can be reserved at the end in case of snow. A trip in itself can be considered as a separate entrance to the valley of Mount Crammont
(2.737m); it must be addressed in its Eastern Slopes along with snow absolutely beautifully transformed. Beyond, in the Val Veny, little or nothing for the closure of the winter road, which dates back from Courmayeur to the Notre Dame de la Guérison; the same may be considered a small path of initiation for snowshoeing.
La Thuile, adjacent to Valdisère/Haute Tarentaise (France), Veny Valley-La Lex Blanche Vallon, Arpy Basin and Valgrisenche.
It reaches from La Rosière (1.890m; France) by Little Saint Bernard Hill (2.202m). From Pré Saint Didier (1.017m) or Morgex (920m) Communes through San Carlo Hill (1.960m). From La Thuile Municipality (1.484m) to La Joux (1.603m) or to La Suche Resort (2.145 m); also to Village Main tourist center Little Saint Bernard Hill (2.185 m).
From La Suche de Cantamont Resort to Mont Crammont
1) - Basic Itinerary n° 1: from La Thuile, with State Road of Little Saint Bernard towards the alternatives 1.972 meters on Main Road (below Tête de Tsargian 2.708m) and 1.990 meters (to Combemar and "Fourclaz Express" ski lift) metres, where completely reversing direction with a long East straight to Les Suches de Cantamont Resort (2.145m; stone fountain near a small parking). From this, through dirt road in Southwest, passing under three ski lifts and abandoning North the little watershed Terre Noire (2.419m)/Chaz-Duraz (2.579m), to third fork 2.402 meters, neighbor the arrival of "Argillen Express". Continue on dirt, discarding left another, up to the following cross in Bedalla Tableland (2.465m; yellow signal); leaving Southwest the road to Fourclaz (2.486m), Mount Belvedere Hills (2.568m), through path decisively in South with short descent to subsequent walloon floor in Suche Tableland; tourning East through a diagonal ramp and doubling a rocky small spur enter into a following Ponteilles Walloon, in upper part. Changing direction completely again and the trail turns into a good military muletrack, reached a more steep section of debris-blocks (possibility snow presence) will gradually go below the ridge. Continuing to the South and crossing two altitudes (2.731m, 2.710m) reaches a grassy small shoulder (2.767m) and immediately after Bella Valletta Summit (2.811m) with small and occulted bunkers, above Ponteilles Vallon (M-; 3h'50/4h'10).
"Free spaces, no more cross-linked ...", by emilius
^^^^^^^2) - Exceptional Via n° 1: from La Suche de Cantamont towards Bedalla Tableland to Bella Valletta through preceding route; from this, with easy, short descent, to following large Saddle
(2.743m). Bending progressively West and, always through military muletrack just under the crest and crossing amongst various boulders, to terminal part on Eastern Slope. Here the trail becomes narrow and steep path and, passing near a bunker, with a short crossing to the South goes over a tiny rocky promontory; continue through a small rocky spur reaching the conclusive part. Generally, the route ends on the Southeast Ridge (signal output at the Top), which descends the Grand Glacier Pass (
2.809m; alternative route through traverse from previous saddle and crossing on Mont Valaisan Glacier with numerous dangerous crevasses in Northern border) below Western Mont Fréduaz or Pointe de la Louie Blanche
(2.932m). But in high snow presence (sometimes the rocks are covered with big sticks of ice) should bypass the small turret final with a delicate crossing on the Northern Slope and, finally, to Mont Valaisan (
2.891m;
D-; 5h'15/5h'30 Les Suches).
3) - Intermediate step with Variant n° 1 and n° 2: from La Suche-Cantamont, previous routes in Southwest, to:
Variant n° 1) - alternative
2.402 meters, below Grande Tête
(2.379m); from fork, through dirt road in North and crossing under the two ski lifts
"Chaz Duraz Express/Chaz Duraz" to upper alternative (
2.527m; junction of three dirt roads). Finally, through diagonals South/North, up to the Mount Chaz-Duraz (
2.579m; even path-traces on crest from Terre Noire) on small watershed above Fourclaz Pass in Southwest and Les Suches in Northeast (
T; 1h'45/2h'00).
Variant n° 2: from the first alternative just after Cantamont, with dirt road in West-northwest, to arrival of ski lift
"Chalet"; from this continue and, through a small trace on South Slope and in North, to Terre Noire little Summit (
E/T; 1h'20/1h'30), at the end of watershed from Mont Belvedere
(2.641m)/Fourclaz Pass/Mont Chaz-Duraz.
"Then it declines towards the Little Saint Bernard Hill ...", by Antonio
^^^^^^^4) - Intermediate step with Variant n° 3: from Cantamont to Bedalla/Suche Tablelands
(2.465m), with prrvious routes; from fork
2.465 meters continue on dirt and in West to an upper small saddle (
2.516m; to Lac de Touriasse and Plan Abondance below Little Saint Bernard Hill). Tourning Southwest through the same to Belvedere Hill (
2.568m; junction with route from ski lift
"Little Saint Bernard"); from this, in a short time on South Slope, to Mount Belvedere Hill
(2.568m) and Mount Belvedere (
2.641m;
F; 3h'30/3h'45), above Verney Lake
(2.088m) and Little St. Bernard.
5) - Basic Itinerary n° 2: from La Joux and following parking (
1.646m, 1.603m; triple signals no passage on three different dirt roads; reastaurant) continue South-southeast through muletrack Alta Via number 2 along Ruitor Torrent and towards First Rutor Waterfall
(about 1.700 meters), Parcet
(1.770m), Plan Fruitier (
1.820m around; source;
"Belvedere" just above in Southwest) Pastures, Second and Third Waterfall
(1.996m) to subsequent double forks (
2.108m; from a mini narrowing with signals, in West to Bellecombe Walloon and two magnificent Lakes;
2.197m; in South, with more small path, to Seracs Lake
2.387m). Leaving the two last and from the first cross go East to Alpage du Glacier neighbor the homonym Lake (
2.158m, source;
2.140m) and, through semicircular route to Rutor Alp and just following Albert Deffeyes (
2.500m; near fork to Ussellettes Walloon, continuing on Alta Via;
M-; 4h'15/4h'30).
"Isolated but safe, even in Winter ...", by Antonio
^^^^^^^6) - Minimum Route: from La Joux Parking to First Waterfall
(1.720m), Parcet Pasture
(1.770m), Second and Third Waterfalls
(1.996m), following fork
(2.108m) in a small narrowing with preceding route (
E/T/F+; 2h'15/2h'30).
7) - Variant n° 4: from fork
2.108 meters, changing in Southwest, through a good path along Belle Combe Torrent and leaving North the deviation to Comba Sozin Loch
(2.081m), to an isolated and unnamed alp (around
2.300m; semi-ruined) preceding two next Bellecombe Lochs (
2.379m;
E/F+; 3h'30/3h'45), below Monts Fréduaz Range.
8) - Variant n° 5: from the junction of two Belle Combe Lakes, tourning decisively South through a small path, to various splendid Tachuy Lochs
(2.550m, 2.569m), between Great Assaly/Mount Favre (
M-; 4h'30/4h 45 La Joux).
"Even the snow shoes not can scratch & damage this Peace ...", by Antonio
^^^^^^^9) - Variant n° 6: from Belle Combe Lakes continue West-southwest through small path on vallon floor to easy La Lex Blanche Pass
(2.570m), between Serre Pass
(2.705m)/Tête du Charvet (
2.742m;
M-; 4h '45/5h '00 from La Joux).
10) - Variant n° 7 with small Variant n° 8: from La Joux Alp (
1.646m; signal no passage), with short dirt road in Southeast, to unnamed and isolated pasture
1.682 meters at the end of the same; changing direction in North, through a small path, to Arnouva Désott. From tyis, abandoning in North the deviation to Posaz Pasture and through better path before in Southwest towards Maison Grange (
1.938m; source), Arnouvaz Damon
(1.975m), after more in West, discarding a little detour to the Cerellaz Pasture, to Ponteilles
(2.060m) Alp in Ponteilles Vallon (
E/F+; 2h'30/2h'45).
* Small Variant n° 8: with dirt road from La Joux, passing alpage
1.862 meters and through a path near a large hairpin bend, reaching Ponteilles Torrent and towards Maisonnettes Pastures
(1.894m) to Ponteilles Alps (
E/F+; same time).
"Even in Winter ... but ...", by Antonio
^^^^^^^11) - Exceptional Via n° 1 and Mini Mixed Variant n° 9 : from Pré Saint Didier near
"Station Thermal" (1.017m), with Regional Road in South, towards three tunnels, to Elévaz Hamlet (
1.302m; +
"Notre Dame de la Visitation" Chapel); leaving the same and with Municipal Road in North to Torrent small Village (
1.344m; signal no transit), at the beginning of Plan Praz Vallon. From this continue North and towards Quiedroz Désott
(1.464m) and Damon Pastures
(1.386m) again reach the dirt farms road nearby Chamossin Pasture
(1564m). With a large tour North/Southwest on dirt road to attain Maisonnettes Pasture (
1.714m; even path shortcut) and in North Chanton Alpages (
1.817m; source); again changing South, to reach the following Alps of Mialey (
1.868m; source). Continue North/South on dirt road into Chanton Forest and, leaving right (North-northeast) the good path to Mont or Becca de Nona
(2.106m), reach Plan Praz Alp
(2.099m), at the end of private dirt farms road. Before through path in West, along the torrent, and after tourning North get on Eastern round Crest of Crammont in altitude around
2.450 meters; by the same, which merges with East-southeastern wide Slope (
** very exposed to snowslides and avalanches in case of too high or unprocessed), through path easy but progressively steep to Summit (
2.737m; great Virgin Mary statue;
"Pavillon de Saussure" ruins) (
E/M-; 5h'30/5h'45).
"Madonna & emilius in Summit", by Antonio
^^^^^^^*** Footnote: this peak has been reached for the first time by the famous
Genevan Naturalist Horace de Saussure in 1774 and in 1778; Section C.A.I. of Aosta built a shelter on the Top in 1880. Having become very popular for its great views over the Mount Blanc Mountain Chain, was also climbed by
Queen Margherita of Italy, August 16, 1886 accompanied by the Guide of Courmayeur Henry Séraphin. Hut now only ruins near a trigonometric signal near the Top.
**** Technical climbing remark: it is besides possible to access the true Summit of this mountain (Tête du Grand-Mont
2.748/9m; around
120 meters more to the Southwest), which lies just to the South, with an easy crossing on grass tracks and a short passage, after a brief descent to a carving with no good rocks; easily but exposed more to the Northwest (
a quarter hour later, half hour for the round trip; it is essential to remove snow rackets in final part).
"From Crammont to Mount Blanc Mountain Chain", by self-timer photo
^^^^^^^Mini Mixed Variant n° 9 (dirt road/paths): up to here (Mialey) with a ride on the private road off to the West through two isolated and unnamed Pastures
(1.405m, 1.533m) and through the Alps Combembey
(1.506m); after a subsequent winding road and through a shortcut to Maisonnettes. From this two possibilities:
1) - dirt road in West to Chanton;
2) - directly through path to Mialey (
E/F+; a quarter hour more or less, depending on the route chosen).
"In the silence, please review the scenes of border war ... / Nel silenzio rivedi le scene di guerra di confine ... ", by Emilio Bertona
^^^^^^^
L'analisi di quest'ultima grande vallata non si discosta di molto dalle precedenti. La Valle di La Thuile può essere indubbiamente considerata quale regina, tra quelle orografiche Meridionali, riguardo lo sci di discesa; infatti un "domaine skiable" enorme si estende al di sopra del Villaggio Turistico di Les Suches per collegarsi anche a La Rosière nella Haute Tarentaise. Per quanto concerne il lato più Orientale, consigliamo la sola salita al Rifugio Deffeyes all'inizio dei grandi Ghiacciai del Rutor che certamente non s'addicono a questa disciplina. Andiamo quindi a "cercar fortuna" sul lato opposto, ovvero in quei grandi spazi che dalla Grande Assaly si protendono verso Nord-nordovest in direzione del Mont Valaisan e del Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo; oltre ed ancora più a Nord del medesimo lunghi valloni paralleli s'indirizzano verso la Punta Léchaud e Berio Blanc ma son alquanto esposti a valanghe. Preferiamo evitarli demandandoli, semmai, all'escursionismo estivo. Noi invece "ripieghiamo" sui Valloni di Bellecombe e Tachuy con i loro splendidi laghi, in quello selvaggio di Ponteilles e nell'area che da Les Suches porta verso la cresta spartiacque Monte Belvedere/Bella Valletta/Mont Valaisan. La piccola catena dei Fréduazs si frappone tra queste due zone appena sopr'indicate. Molti sono i percorsi cosiddetti "minimi" ed alcuni quelli di base che si prestano a molteplici varianti; la sola salita al Mont Valaisan può essere considerata qual Via Eccezionale, sia per la lunghezza (non eccessiva rispetto a Bella Valletta) che per le situazioni problematiche riservabili alla parte finale in caso di neve alta. Una gita a se stante può essere considerata quella del Mont Crammont all'ingresso della valle; essa va affrontata nel suo lungo Versante Est con neve assolutamente ben trasformata. Al di là, in Val Veny, poco o nulla per la chiusura invernale della strada che da Courmayeur la risale verso Notre Dame de la Guérison; la medesima può essere considerata qual piccolo percorso di iniziazione alle racchette da neve.
"Then the Crammont leaves space to Her Majesty ... / Poi il Crammont lascia spazio a Sua Maestà ...", by emilius
Campings
Remember that free camping is forbidden (except for emergency reasons, over
2.500m, from darkness until dawn).
Mountain Condition
- Meteo: you can find all the needed informations at the official site of the Valle d'Aosta Region:
- Valle d'Aosta Meteo
Important Information
Useful numbers
- Protezione Civile Valdostana località Aeroporto n° 7/A Saint Christophe (Ao) Tel. 0165-238222.
- Bollettino Meteo (weather info) Tel. 0165-44113.
- Unità Operativa di Soccorso Sanitario Tel. 118.