The Alta Via’s you don’t know!

The Alta Via’s - NOT in the Dolomites

In 2021 we managed to get back to our favorite Alps destination, Chamonix, for the much anticipated Walker's Haute Route (WHR). We were 61 and I felt we had only so much more left in the tank to do something as challenging as the WHR. Well, it was everything we expected and more! WHR was staggeringly beautiful, but also much harder than the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). We trained a lot more and it sure paid off, but wow! My only issue with WHR was that it was a point-to-point trek. Flying to Europe and spending 3 weeks in the alps with nothing more than our 28-30 liter packs means limited clothes and lots of washing.

One of the true benefits of the TMB is it affords you the ability to trek in a circular route to return to Chamonix where you can leave luggage with clean clothes to wear before and apré trek. A big plus especially if you want to go onward after trekking.

So for this year’s 2022 trek, we wanted to create a circular trek, starting and ending in Courmayeur, Italy. We love Courmayeur almost as much as Chamonix and we wanted to enjoy several days after flying from the west coast of the USA to overcome jet lag, acclimate to the altitude, and enjoy the Alps experience; the beauty, the food, and wine, before beginning a long mountain trek.

2022 Alta Via Trek Prep

For this year’s trek, we created 12 hiking stages with a rest day in the city of Aosta to allow transition from AV2 to AV1. We’d be living out of our packs for two weeks. Most of my planning for the trail stages as well as accommodations came from an Italian website: Alte Vie trails | Aosta Valley. There are also two Cicerone books, Alta Via 2 (Grand Paradiso) and Alta Via 1 (Tour of the Giants).

The AV2 goes through the stunning Gran Paradiso National Park. Both the rifugios as well as the small villages we overnighted in offered beautiful views, wonderful food, and wine. Each village offered a blend of old-world timelessness as well as charming accommodations and surroundings.

The rifugios offered the bonus of private rooms and hot showers that were not token operated and not limited to a measly two minutes like many of the refuges we encountered on the Walker's Haute Route in Switzerland. Our Italian skills came in handy as English was not readily spoken everywhere, with Italian and French interchangeable.

Alta Via 2 Summary

Stage 1 shares the path with the TMB, with the first night's stay in Rifugio Elizabetta. This and the last day of our hike were by far the most crowded due to overlapping with the TMB. AV2 and AV1 have a total of 31 stages so, to make it a manageable two weeks, I chose Eaux Rousses in the Valsavarenche for bus service to transition to the AV1 trail, stopping over in the city of Aosta.

On day 2 we departed the shared path with the TMB from Rifugio Elizabetta. It was so quiet and beautiful. We were all alone pretty much every day from then on. For nearly two weeks we saw just a few thru-hikers and/or a few day hikers, and we never saw or met another American the whole time! Each stage on the AV2 was very manageable with breathtaking and rewarding hikes. The notable exception was day 4, from Rifugio Deffeyes to the village of Planaval. This was by far the hardest day. At nearly 11 miles with 4,400 ft of ascent, a knee-destroying 7,400 ft of descent, and two Col crossings, it was both an incredible physical and mental challenge. The second col, Col de la Crosati, requires a “head for heights” due to the steep and narrow rope-assisted final ascent. Despite all of the challenges, this was one of my favorite days. Truly magnificent views the entire time!

While we only hiked a portion of the AV2, the trail was very well-marked and well-maintained. The “cols” (mountain passes) had new rope assists and even the more challenging sections were never too narrow, which was a relief as Deb is candidly afraid of heights!

The weather was warm but not oppressive. Europe had just experienced a major heat wave prior to our trek, which pretty much brought an end to the wildflowers and we had no snow crossings. This was quite the contrast to our Walker’s Haute Route experience in 2021. Switzerland had a cold summer, tons of beautiful wildflowers and we encountered a multitude of snow crossings. There were even sections where we slid on our bottoms in the snow for long downhill col descents!

The Transition - Aosta Valley

After completing stage 7, we had a great night and an exceptional meal near the village of Eaux Rousses at the Hotel Gran Paradiso (excellent private room). We then caught the local bus to Aosta, the capital of the Valle d’Aosta region, in northwestern Italy. The local buses run throughout the Aosta Valley and are frequent and inexpensive. A quick single transfer and we were in Aosta in no time! Aosta offers amazing mountain views, Roman ruins, and is near ski resorts and the Gran Paradiso National Park. After a city dinner and a restful night in a quaint B&B, we were on the bus the next morning to Ollomont Rey, a small village situated above Aosta and our planned start point for the Alta Via 1 stages.

Rifugio Deffeyes with the Ruitor Glacier above

Alta Via 1 Summary

Stage 8 was a quick 3-hour hike, all uphill (3,412ft ascent), primarily through the forest, up to Rifugio Champillon, which sits above the tree line. This rifugio is very popular for day hikers and is very busy at lunch. But by dinner, we had the rifugio to ourselves. The meals were excellent, and the accommodation (private room with shower and toilet), was first class as far as rifugios go. It had a sauna and hot tub! One of the nicest rifguios I’ve experienced in the Alps.

Rifugio Champillon is popular with day and overnight hikers.

The next day’s hike required a steep but quick one-hour hike to Col Champillon and then a long and winding descent to our next stop, the very quaint village of Saint Rhemy. Our stay in Saint Rhemy was at a beautiful little inn, called the Hotel Suisse. The village is situated on an ancient Christian pilgrimage route below the Saint Bernard pass between Italy and Switzerland. For those with extra time, there is a variant to overnight at the famous Saint Bernard Monastery.

Our next stop was the architecturally interesting and special Rifugio Frasatti. This day was a 7.7 mile ascent of 3,556 ft that passed through quaint stone villages and then a stunning and steady climb up to a beautiful, grassy, and rock-spired high pass. The construction of Rifugio Frassati began in 2008 by the boys of Operation Mato Grosso , a movement of young people from all over Italy, who worked for free for 3 summers until the inauguration in 2011. The transport of the necessary materials was done almost entirely on the shoulders of the boys. Being American, the young men working at Frassati were eager to speak to us to practice their English skills. A real treat for us to share! The rifugio is a popular day hike, but once the crowds departed we were immersed in the absolute silence of the mountain, enjoying the Chamoix herd at sunset over a bottle of wine. These are the secret ingredients of rifugio trekking!

Departing Rifugio Frassati, we immediately began the steep uphill hike to the famous Col Malatra. It quickly came into view on a perfectly clear and warm morning. The trail was evident across the scree field, with the final technical ascent up and through a small gap in the rocky spires. This was definitely one of the highlight days of our trek. The ascent was challenging but manageable, and the proverbial “head for heights” caution is warranted. The final 50 yards were all rope assists, reaching nearly 10,000ft in elevation! At nearly 10 miles of hiking with 2,153ft ascent and 3,500ft of descent, this day was breathtaking. Once you come through the narrow Col Malatra slot, the incredible Monte Bianco massif wondrously appears and provides a truly awe-inspiring descent.

After a long downhill hike, we reached Rifugio Bonatti just in time for a lunch of pasta and beers. Despite this being where the AV1 intersects with the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), it was eerily quiet as it was in transition between the onslaught of TMB hikers. After lunch, we started our final leg to reach Rifugio Bertone. The Val Veni balcony walk is one of the great highlights of the TMB and was another reason we returned. But with it came the crowds. We saw more people on this portion of the hike than we had seen in the two weeks combined!

Our last night at Rifugio Bertone was both pleasing and a bit sad as we knew we were heading back down into the crowds of Courmayeur and civilization. Having wine overlooking the lights of Courmayeur below we reminisced the past 2 weeks; the beauty, the tranquility, and the adventure we experienced in the Italian Alps. We awoke the next morning and all that was left was the final 3 miles and 2,500 ft descent to Courmayeur. Again, we felt like fish swimming upstream as we were met with wave after wave of TMB hikers heading up the mountain. America and the rest of the world has clearly discovered the TMB!

We arrived in Courmayeur within a couple of easy hours of downhill and proceeded to find a restaurant that served delicious cheeseburgers. After two weeks of pasta and tons of polenta, we were craving some American comfort food!

After lunch, we caught the tunnel bus from Courmayeur to Chamonix for one last glorious night in the mountains at our favorite spot. Ciao and au revoir until next time, Alps!

Author and photography: Jeff Schrakamp, USA.

For more information on this trek, feel free to contact Jeff at: jschrakamp@gmail.com or via Instagram.

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