Trekking Adventure
in the Italian Alps, explore the Gran Paradiso Massif!

The Trip

Crossing the Western Alps 

Crossing the Alps by feet, a trekking adventure part of a big hiking project that can be completed year after year by walking a new part of the whole itinerary: the Gran Paradiso Traverse in Italy is the second part of this hiking project !

The Gran Paradiso Traverse is a 7 days trekking which mixes mountaineering and trekking: after the first 5 trekking days, you will be well acclimatized to climb the Gran Paradiso (summit at 4061 meters, king of the Gran Paradiso National Park) with a Mountain Guide of our Team.
This altitude trek with passages over 3300 meters will have you acclimatized for the summit.
You will return with great images and memories of this time in the middle of  the Italian Alps!

Program

TREKKING TRIP PROGRAMME

DAY 1
CHAMONIX - AOSTA - ARBOLLE REFUGE

Vertical drop: + 800 m and - 100 m
Walking time: 4 hours
Night: in mountain hut

Meet in front of the Chamonix train station at 9am, your guide will take you by minibus to the start of the trek.

We will leave from Pila for the Col de Plan Fenêtre / Replan / Chamolé. Depending on the weather, we will follow the ridge that passes over these three passes to the Refuge d'Arbolle and its superb lake, we are near the Becca di Nonna.

DAY 2
REFUGE D'ARBOLLE - MONT EMILUIS (3551m) - COL D'ARBOLLE (3154 m) - COL DES LAURES ( 3035 m)- VALLON CREUSON

Vertical drop: +800 m and -1000 m
Walking time: 7 to 8 hours
Night: in mountain hut

Here we go for the first passes at more than 3000 m, we will climb under the Mont Emiluis (3551 m) and will have a break at the Lac Gelé before arriving at the Col d'Arbolle (3154m), then the Col des Laures (3092 m) where we will overlook many lakes! We are now in the Grand Paradis Park! The Grauson valley is a superb and wild area. The descent back to the small village of Cogne is very pretty with superb pastures, the descent is pleasant despite the significant difference in altitude.

DAY 3
VAL de COGNE - VALLON DE L'HERBETET - UNDER THE EAST FACE OF THE GRAN PARADISIO - REFUGE VITTORIO SELLA

Vertical drop: + 1200 m and - 800m
Walking time: 6 hours
Night: in mountain hut

The village of Cogne is one of the most beautiful in the Alps, this little stop will be very pleasant and we can buy a small item that you forgot before continuing the adventure.
We will go up the valley overlooking the Grand Paradis, the most impressive of its faces, the North-East Face, a superb glacial cirque. On the way we are likely to come across chamois and ibex before arriving at the refuge.

DAY 4
REFUGE VITTORIO SELLA - COL LAUSON (3296m) - EAUX ROUSSES - VALSAVARENCHE

Vertical drop: + 800 m and - 1650 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours
Night: in mountain hut

Here we go for the highest pass of the Trek: the Lauson Pass!
The climb is quite technical and we will appreciate the fixed ropes and other equipment in place. At the pass, it's vertiginous and you'll understand why we're doing the tour this way, we'll start a long descent to the Eau Rousse hut, where we'll be happy to rest.

DAY 5
EAUX ROUSSES - VALSAVARENCHE - REFUGE CHABOD

Vertical drop: + 1100 m
Walking time: 4 to 5 hours
Night: in mountain hut

We'll leave for a short day to reach the Chabod refuge, today we'll only be climbing! The legs will recover from yesterday's descent, in the afternoon we will be at the foot of the Grand Paradis! If the weather is good and you want to, you can climb the Grand Paradis: tomorrow during the rest day. The afternoon is dedicated to the preparation of the equipment with the guides who will do the ascent of the next day and we will rest for tomorrow.

DAY 6 
CHABOD HUT - BALCONY UNDER THE GRAN PARADISO - PONT - CHAMONIX

Vertical drop: + 350 m and -1000 m 
Walking time: 5 - 6 hours

We will start on the balcony paths under the Grand-Paradis glacier to reach the Tetra-Lyre refuge and the village of Pont. We then return to Chamonix by minibus.?Disappearance of the group at 6 pm in Chamonix in front of the train station.?Possible option this day to do the Grand Paradis ascent, contact us to put it in the program : You can see the program of the Grand Paradis ascent here !

Level

Physical Level 4/5

SPORT TRAINED
Effort corresponding to approximately 1200 - 1700m of ascent per day.
You like and practice endurance sports at a good level.

Technical Level :

VERY DIFFICULT MOUNTAIN HIKE 3.5/5:
The hike has dizzying, physical and technical passages, the path is equipped with cables and ladders to allow progression.
You must master the activity, you are autonomous in the mountain in the easy passages, the guide will help you in the difficult passages.
You will learn about the weather and how to use a mountain rope to help you progress.

Useful info

Useful information for the organisation of the Gran Paradiso trekking trip

How to reach Chamonix Mont Blanc 

By train, possible access from France or Switzerland
By car via the motorway on the French side, by Switzerland via the Montets pass.

Meeting on the first day 

Meeting with the Guide

• either in Chamonix Mont Blanc, in front of the train station, at 9.00 am, click here to see the point on the map;
• or directly in Aosta at 10:00 am, at the departure of the cable cars of the Pila station. If you wish to go to Valle d'Aosta by your own means we advise you to go through the Petit St Bernard pass to avoid the toll of the Mont Blanc tunnel (100 euros the return trip for information).

Your guide will be waiting for you to give you a short briefing and check the weight of your bags.

Car parking

in Chamonix, free public parking at the entrance of the town: Parking des Planards, see the point on the map
in Valsavarenche, free public parking, in Pont, the last village in the valley: see the point on the map

Departure - End of the tour

At the Chamonix train station, around 4pm.
Do not plan to travel before 5.30 pm.

Accommodation

You will be welcomed in the charming Italian refuges, renowned for their cuisine and warm atmosphere.
Nights in rooms or dormitories depending on availability.

Where to stay in chamonix mont blanc, before or after your week of trekking?

Here is our advice:

• Hôtel La Pointe Isabelle
• Hôtel Plan B
• La Chaumière Lodge

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.