Altitude: 2,275 m.
Location: Plan de l’Arolla
Sleeping places: 10
Open: always open
Difficulty: E / EE
Trail sign: the bivouac is located on the Alta Via 2 route, in the section which leads from Chabodey to the Passo Alto (signposted AV2 - 5). Alta Via 2 between Col de la Crosatie and Col Haut Pas.
Ascent:
- from the Chabodey hamlet of La Salle (1.043 m.) 3h E
- from the Deffeyes Refuge (2,500 m.) 2h30 E
- from La Thuile (Loc. Promise 1,540 m.) 6h35 E
- from the Col de la Crosatie 2,838 m. 1h15 EE
The bivouac was built in 2021 by the municipality of La Salle after the destruction of the bivouac Promoud due to an avalanche.
The new Cosimo Zappelli bivouac consists of a wooden structure made up of prefabricated modules. It is dedicated to the alpinist Cosimo Zappelli: graduated as a trained nurse, he was an alpine mountain guide and a ski instructor. He was a popularizer, photographer and collaborator of several publishing houses and he dead in 1990 on Pic Gamba in the Mont Blanc chain. Zappelli’s mountain exploits begin with several climbs in the Mont Blanc group, with Walter Bonatti. He participated in extra-European expeditions in Iran, in the Zagros Mountains, in Africa on Kilimangiaro, Ruwenzori and Hoggar, in the USSR in the Caucasus mountains as well as in the Andes.
Access:
- From Passo Alto: splendid view of Rutor area, descend along the Alta Via 2 without particular difficulty. Splendid view of the Paramont and the central valley.
- From Colle de la Crosatie: descend along a technical stretch (slightly exposed on rocks with safety ropes) then continue along the path without particular difficulties. View of Lake Lenteney, Paramont and the Mont Blanc range.
Equipment: n. 10 beds with mattress, mattress covers and blankets, a kitchenette for cooking, no gas, (plates), dining area with a 4-seater table, catching water, electricity from photovoltaic panels, LED lighting. Outside there is a wooden terrace.