Mont Emilius, from Pila
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Description
Leaving the car park, go up the metal steps leading to the arrival point of the gondola lift and, after crossing the little meadow in front of it, take a small road, turning right. After a few metres, ignore the road to the left that leads to the hermitage of San Grato, and shortly afterwards you come to a temporary signpost indicating to turn left in the direction of the ChamolĂŠ mountain pasture. We climb up a dirt track that in a few minutes first leads to an alpine pasture and after a few metres ends at a signpost indicating Alpe ChamolĂŠ (1851m, 0h10').
The path climbs up a deforested strip among the fir trees, populated by rowan and alder trees, to an altitude of about 2000m where the deforested section becomes wider and leaves room for a little grassland. You soon reach a wider path (2062m, 0h30') and turn left up a beautiful trail that quickly crosses the forest and leads to the beautiful pastureland clearing below the ChamolÊ alpine pasture. The path, in a wide semicircle to the left, first approaches a ruin and finally reaches the ChamolÊ alpine pasture (2154m, 0h50'): from here, the view is already exemplary, with Mont Blanc looming in the distance and in front of us, the view of the Fallère group and the Grand Combin is unmissable... especially at the first dawn.
At the back of the alpine pasture, we take a small road, still following the signpost Trail No. 19a, near a fountain.
We first climb up a small road that becomes a path and enters a wooded area. After a few minutes you come to a fork in the path: both lead to Lake ChamolĂŠ, the path [102] on the left goes directly to the lake, while the path (19A) on the right leads up a small valley to the arrival point of the ChamolĂŠ chairlift (2,310m, 1h 20') with a refreshment point.
From here we begin to climb the ridge that leads to Col ChamolĂŠ: the path, which is very popular, climbs comfortably up the grassy ridge below the TĂŞte Noire; as we ascend it, the panorama becomes more captivating and the view of the lake below becomes more and more impressive. At the end of the innumerable hairpin bends, the pass is finally reached and the Arbolle comba opens up before us with the refuge and the two small lakes located near it. The marker placed on the pass (2655m, 2h10') indicates that the path for Punta Valletta starts on the right; we ignore it and begin the descent of about 150m until we reach the plateau that precedes the refuge. We cross the stream with the runoff from the Arbolle lakes and reach the Rifugio Arbolle (2523 m, 2h30').
In front of the refuge, a path starts and shortly after rejoins the one below, which runs alongside the two small lakes and begins to climb up the wide Arbolle valley; in front of us the Punta Garin (3451m) begins to appear and a little to the left we can glimpse the notch of the pass of the same name. The path flanks the stream until it reaches a wide plateau where it dissipates, widening out: from here we begin to climb halfway up its orographic left, almost immediately meeting the fork for Col Garin (2583m, 2h50'). At this point, the path gains altitude, crosses the small outflow stream of Lago de l'Echo and with a couple of hairpin bends takes us to a small ridge dividing the hollows that descend from the Tre Capuccini and d'Arbolle hills. The environment is now that of the high mountains, the prairie thinning out more and more, leaving room for immense stony ground: every now and then it is worth pausing to admire the beautiful panorama behind, from the ridge of Punta Valletta the Grivola and Mont Blanc emerge imperiously. The walk continues steadily uphill without, for now, excessive steepness until reaching the Lago Gelato (2970m, 3h40'). We ascend a scree section and reach the junction for Col d'Arbolle (3033m, 3h50'): we now continue on the left-hand fork (14), which will lead us to our destination. After a short ascent, we descend a depression for a few tens of metres, near a small meltwater lake, and then climb back up towards the Col dei Tre Cappuccini. We are walking under the south face of the Mont Emilius on a trail that crosses the enormous stony face: yellow arrows assist us on the ascent of the col, engaging us a little in finding the correct passages until we reach the summit of the Colle dei Tre Capuccini (3246m, 4h30'). After casting a glance over the beautiful Laures valley and the distant, but not too distant, Becca di SalÊ, Petite and Grande Roèse and Tersiva, we begin to climb the so-called 'south ridge'. You pass an initial passage on rocks that does not present any difficulty but which nevertheless requires due attention, and ascend following the trail. Some yellow signs (not always evident) make us quickly ascend the difference in height that separates us from the summit. With a bit of effort, we finally reach the summit (3559m, 5h30'), a viewpoint of absolute beauty: in fact, its central position with respect to the Aosta Valley territory allows a 360° view of all the main peaks in the region. A cross and a Madonnina are positioned on the summit.
Just below the Madonnina, in the direction of the west ridge, is the start of the via ferrata that leads to the Federigo Zullo Bivouac in about 5h00'.
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