Description of the route

Two of the twenty-six glaciers present in Valgrisenche can be found in the municipal area of Arvier: the Château Blanc and the Tos glacier.4
The first, visible from Aosta and from the mid central valley, takes its name from mont Château Blanc (3408 m) which dominates it, and is part of the Rutor ridge, a group of mountains that occupies an area of about 50 square kilometres within the Valley of La Thuile or the “Little Saint Bernard” (Piccolo San Bernardo), the Valgrisenche and the Val d’Isère, in France.

To divide the valleys of Valgrisenche and La Thuile, in addition to Mont Château Blanc, there are Punta Flambeau (3315 m) and Doravidi (3439 m) with its characteristic summit formed by two peaks of the same height, from where you can also admire a sweeping panorama of the Rutor glacier.

The Tos glacier is located on the border with the municipalities of Valgrisenche and Rhêmes-Saint-Georges, and it is surrounded by three peaks, all on the same side: the highest is the Becca de Tos (3302 m), followed by the Grand Revers (3164 m) and by the Becca del Merlo (2961 m), also called “Becca di Chamin” from the name of the village below. Opposite these peaks rises the Becca di Verconey (2925 m).

Descending along the ridge and approaching the central valley, on the border of the municipality of Rhêmes-Saint-Georges, there is Mont de l’Âne (2362 m) and Plan Cou (2219 m), a wonderful balcony with a broad view.