Sport Itineraries: Gignod

Climbing up towards the Great St Bernard Pass, the first centre you come to is Gignod, which features a picturesque church with a Gothic entrance.
Continuing the ascent, you reach the mediaeval village of Étroubles, and a few kilometres further on, you pass through Saint-Oyen, a small village with traditional Val d’Aosta style houses.
At the foot of the main village, you can see the Great St Bernard charitable home run by monks, and the Regina Pacis monastery.

The last municipality on the Italian side is Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, famous for its DOP raw ham called “Vallée d’Aoste Jambon de Bosses”.
Before entering the village, you turn right onto the road which, in 10 kilometres, leads you to the Great St Bernard Pass. The Celts, the Romans and, from the Middle Ages, numerous pilgrims who traveled the Via Francigena in the direction of Rome passed through this Alpine pass. The most famous crossing was that made by Napoleon. Just a few metres across the Pass, on the Swiss side, stands the famous hospice where they breeded St Bernard dogs.

Places you go through on the route:
- Aosta (590 m)
- Arpuilles junction 1.9 km (690 m)
- Valpelline junction 3.8 km (780 m)
- Gignod 8 km (960 m)
- Etroubles 16.4 km (1,265 m)
- Saint-Oyen 18.1 km (1,350 m)
- Great St Bernard Pass junction 20.3 km (1,490 m)
- Saint-Rhémy 22.2 km (1,615 m)
- Great St Bernard Pass 35.1 km (2,473 m)

Route included in a stage of the Giro d’Italia in 1973 (Geneva/Aosta). Stage won by Merckx (Belgium).

You can immediately take the Great Saint Bernard Valley or lengthen the road a bit, choosing the variation that will take you to Doues, picturesque village in the middle of the mountain, in a prime panoramic position.

Another location to “taste”, in every sense of the word, is Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses, where the renowned Jambon de Bosses was born, a genuine gastronomic rarity, celebrated every year in July with a big festival.

Past Saint-Rhémy, the road climbs up to 8114 feet of the* Great Saint Bernard Pass* (don’t forget gloves and heavy sweater!), important alpine passage used since antiquity, as attested to by numerous archaeological finds. It was Saint Bernard himself who constructed here, in the 11th century, the grand hospice that for a long time gave assistance to travellers. Behind his statue, which today dominates the pass, the ancient Roman road carved into the rock is still quite visible.

Technical difficulty: medium
Physical difficulty: difficult
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of route: mixed asphalt, dirt, path

After reaching the neighbourhood of Arpuilles in the Municipality of Aosta, take the road called “dei Salassi” indicated by a signpost and continue to a crossroads located on a hairpin bend, where a sign indicating the “Colonia Città di Collegno” (Collegno settlement town) can be found.

Leaving the car near the abandoned settlement of the town of Collegno, the Ru Neuf runs towards the north until it reaches the asphalt road.
On abandoning the dirt path, you take the road that soon becomes a farm track and leads to a crossroads after passing through a couple of villages; veering to the right, you descend for around a km until you reach the road coming from Planet and leading to a few of the hamlets and mountain pastures above. On reaching this point, start to ascend again, past the Romparmé and Ronc villages where you can stop to fill up your flask and admire the panoramic view over the central valley and the mountains that surround the city of Aosta.

Following the road until you reach a signpost of paths indicating the crossroads between the Pointe Chaligne and the Alp Arsy, continue further until reaching a crossroads located on a hairpin bend. Veering to the right you enter a larch wood with a stunning landscape via a grassy path. After widening, the grassy trail is replaced by a steeply sloping farm track. After travelling along this for a few dozen metres, you catch sight of a road on the right that, following the yellow arrow which indicates the path, reaches a little stream. After crossing this, you come out of the wood and go along a path that reaches the stunning Alp Arolla from where you can enjoy a breathtaking view over the Grand Combin and Valpelline. Going beyond this you reach the farm track that comes from the neighbourhood of Buthier and leads to the Alp Chaligne. Here, after a few km, you reach the Chaligne Mountain Hut where you can stop, refresh yourself and sleep, if necessary.

Once again on the excursion, you go back down along a short stretch of the road taken for the ascent until you come to a level farm track that follows the now underground Ru Colet. Ru Collet continues on level ground through the woods and turning around the Tardiva peak reaches the comba d’Arsy (valley) and the pasture of the same name from where you can enjoy a fantastic view over the large opposite valley of Menouves. The exertion is over. A small, slightly sloping white road sets off from the pasture. Following the white road and taking care over the water collection ducts, you reach the military road of Condemine Gran Testa. Continuing along this road towards the east until you reach the hairpin bend in the road that takes you to Buthier, you will be able to see the milestones with progressive kilometre markers.

Continuing on the asphalt, take the crossroads for Petit-Buthier and once the road ends, follow the farm track, turning to the left and crossing the fields until you reach the Moré-Buthier village where the Lo-Couis farm company is located. Continuing further towards the south, you take the first path on the left that, via a number of spectacular rises and descents in the wood, reaches the ru Neuf near an asphalt hairpin bend where there is a signpost indicating the Via Francigena route. After crossing the hairpin bend, you come upon the farm track overlooking the ru that soon re-emerges, running alongside the woody path and indicating a picture postcard landscape. Continuing beyond the climbing centre, you pass a few municipal roads at several points before returning to the point of departure.

From the state road for Gran San Bernardo, take the road that leads to Buthier and leave the car in the square at Buthier Gorrey (1375 m). Take a route which soon comes to Clemencey, where the trail joins routes 3 and 3A. Continue up until you reach Alpe Mendey (1547 m). Near the residential area, take route 3, which goes into the woods. You soon come to the private road for Alpe Chez-Tognette, which you leave after a few metres to take the path that leads up alongside the pastures of Grangette. When you get to a crossroad, c. 1715 m, keep to the right-hand branch, which goes past Alpe Meriau Damon (1740 m), and up Alpe Collet (1919 m). From here continue on the right on the trail that covers the Rû Collet channel, signposted 3B, and which, gently winds up the slopes of Cresta Tardiva and enters the Ars valley. When you get to Alpe Ars (1975 m), go down the steep agricultural track signposted 4, until you reach the old military road (3C), near Alpe Praz-Gallet. Turn right and go down the trail until you come to a bend, where there is a no-entry sign for vehicles. Turn right and you quickly come to the pasture of Mendey. Go back down the same trail that you came along to get to the car park.

From the state road for Gran San Bernardo, take the road that leads to Buthier and leave the car in the square at Buthier Gorrey (1375 m). Take the route which soon comes to Clemencey, where the trail joins routes 3 and 3A. Continue up until you reach Alpe Mendey (1547 m). From here, veer left onto route 3A, which sometimes takes you onto the private road and sometimes on the path. Go through meadows and conifer woods until you reach the Chaligne refuge in Chaligne. From here you can choose numerous excursions including the best-known, which are to Punta Chaligne and Punta Metz.

From the state road for Gran San Bernardo, take the road that leads to Buthier and leave the car in the square at Buthier Gorrey (1375 m). Take the route which soon comes to Clemencey, where the trail joins routes 3 and 3A. Continue up until you reach Alpe Mendey (1547 m). Near the residential area, take route 3, which goes into the woods. You soon come to the private road for Alpe Chez-Tognette, which you leave after a few metres to take the path that leads up alongside the pastures of Grangette. When you get to a crossroad, c. 1715 m, keep to the right-hand branch, which goes past Alpe Meriau Damon (1740 m), and up Alpe Collet (1919 m). From here, leave the forest track, and continue in the woods, until you come to the dirt road for Alpe Tza de Chaligne. Follow this road briefly, then leave it for the path on the right which leaves the woods, just after this point. Go up to Cresta Tardiva, towards an antenna tower that is clearly visible from below, until you come to the large saddle of Col Tardiva (2410 m). Continue on the same itinerary, veering left until you reach Punta Chaligne, marked by two large crosses (2607 m).

From Mendey take the road that descends to the right down to a bend where there is no entry for vehicles. Continue along the dirt road signposted 3 that goes off to the left, and shortly afterwards leads into the wood. The trail takes you along the pastures of Meriau Désot, Praz-Gallet and Eteley, ignoring the branches for Alpe d’Arsy to the left, Etroubles to the right, and later for the slopes of Mont Labiez again to the left. It then reaches a terrace where the road ends, looking out over the valley of Flassin and the high valley of Gran San Bernardo.

After leaving your car, continue on your left along the snow-covered road which turns right after a couple of minutes: a view of Pointe de Chaligne and its welcoming peaks suddenly appears. Climb the slope to the fork: turn left following the signs for path 3A. Climb the wide slope to quickly reach the Mendey mountain pasture, go around it on the left and follow the slope to another fork: first turn right and then, after about thirty meters, turn left taking the clear mule track.
The track climbs the slope hugging some sparse larch woods to the slope under the Roncaille mountain pasture. Take the track that passes under the pasture and leave it, after about 150 m, to head West, ignoring the path on the left. You will soon enter a larch and red fir wood, climbing a small valley on the left to the snow-covered farm road. Cross the road for the first time and continue South, crossing the road two more times. The climb becomes slightly steeper until you find the road that leads to the alp: you can see the end from here. Just a few more minutes and you’ll reach the pasture and Chaligne refuge.

From Buthier 1,319 m, climb the fields above heading South-West to the Rolla pastures, 1,692 m and the Chaligne hut, 1,934 m, both visible from below. Climb the sparse woods over the hut and continue on the open peaks heading for the top. When the slope starts to become steep, turn left and, crossing upward, reach the col di Met, 2,485 m. Follow the wide ridge heading North to the top.