Tour du Mont Blanc, Day 4: Ville des Glaciers to La Visaille
Tuesday, August 4: over the Col de la Seigne and into Italy
Day 4 was the day we walked from France into Italy. One big climb up to the Col de la Seigne, a border on the top, and then a spectacular descent, with the glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif spilling down right in front of you. This is Day 4 of ten on the trail; the overview and the all-days map are in the trip summary post.
The day in numbers: 9.3 mi / 15.0 km · 2,526 ft / 770 m up · 3,031 ft / 924 m down · 6h22 on the trail, 4h11 moving · high point 8,268 ft / 2,520 m on the Col de la Seigne · Ville des Glaciers 1,838 m to La Visaille 1,683 m (watch).
Back up the valley
Buffet breakfast at Base Camp Lodge in Bourg-Saint-Maurice was a bit of a zoo, so we took ours out to the patio.
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| The patio at Base Camp Lodge in Bourg-Saint-Maurice, first thing in the morning |
Then we mustered for the taxi back up the valley we'd come down the night before, past Les Chapieux and on to the end of the road at Ville des Glaciers. The day started at a small Beaufort cheese factory, with calves grazing outside. Windy!
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| A calf grazing by the cheese factory at Ville des Glaciers |
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| Me at the start, with Ville des Glaciers and the road up the valley behind |
A sign at the trailhead tells the story of this valley in June 1940. The Col de la Seigne was an obvious way in for Italian troops, and French ski scouts and a blockhouse held the valley against the Italian offensive until the armistice on June 25. Keep that in mind for later.
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| "Chemins de mémoire en Tarentaise": the sign about the June 1940 fighting around Ville des Glaciers |
Up to the Col de la Seigne
Across the valley, the Aiguille des Glaciers was showing off its glacier in the morning light.
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| The Aiguille des Glaciers and its glacier, from the start of the climb |
The whole ascent is above tree line, through high pastures dotted with ruined stone huts and fireweed.
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| Ruined stone huts and fireweed on the way up |
Looking back, there were views across to the ridge we'd come down the day before.
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| Looking back down the Vallée des Glaciers on the climb |
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| Fireweed on the slope below the Col de la Seigne |
We topped out on the Col de la Seigne, 8,268 ft / 2,520 m, at 10:50, and stepped over the border into Italy. We spent eighteen minutes on the top.
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| The first look down into Italy from the Col de la Seigne |
The variant, Day 4 edition
On the Italian side, under the limestone spikes of the Pyramides Calcaires, our guide took us off the main trail again, this time on a short variant past what's left of the WWII positions up here: old fence posts marching across the meadow, a ring of rocks around a pile of rusty barbed wire, and the wreck of a position still lying in the boulders.
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| The Pyramides Calcaires above the plateau on the Italian side of the col |
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| A ring of rocks around a pile of rusty barbed wire |
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| What's left of a WWII position among the boulders |
On the way back down to the main trail, we saw our first marmots of the trip, hiding in the rocks. There's one in this picture. Squint.
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| Spot the marmot: one of our first, tucked into the rocks below the variant |
Lunch by the Rifugio Elisabetta
The descent was spectacular, with the Lex Blanche glacier and its glacier-fed river right in front of us the whole way. We ate lunch on the hill next to the Rifugio Elisabetta from 12:05 to 13:16. We were supposed to spend the night here, but it was booked up. Hence the taxi rides.
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| The Rifugio Elisabetta on its perch below the Lex Blanche |
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| Cottongrass in a wet patch below the refuge |
The road to nowhere
Below the refuge, the trail drops into the beautiful Val Veny and onto a straight, flat, abandoned road across the valley floor. Our guide's theory is that Mussolini built it for an airport that never came to be. I haven't been able to prove or disprove it, and I like the story too much to try very hard.
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| Me on the valley floor, with the Lex Blanche behind |
Lac Combal
Near the Combal lakes, the turquoise glacial runoff mixes with clear spring water in the streams, and you can see exactly where the two meet. Add fireweed on every bank and it's a little ridiculous.
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| The Cabane du Combal sign |
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| Turquoise glacial water meeting clear spring water near the Cabane du Combal |
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| Fireweed and pines along the Lac Combal, with the peaks above the Val Veny |
From there it's tarmac, shared with quite a few cyclists, and we mostly followed the road down to the bridge at La Visaille, where cars are allowed and our transfer van was waiting. We got there at 14:54.
Courmayeur
The van ran us down the Val Veny into Courmayeur, with a stop at a grocery on the way. Our driver was from Moldova by way of Padova. Home for the next two nights was the Hotel Triolet: private rooms with their own showers, which felt like a luxury after the dorm.
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| The view from the Hotel Triolet in Courmayeur |
Showered up, L. and I went looking for a drink, ended up buying it at the grocery next door, and took it out to the adjoining patio to chill until dinner. Dinner was family-style pizza at La Padella, and we got a bit rained on during the walk back.
Tips for Day 4
- Take the short variant past the WWII remains on the Italian side of the Col de la Seigne. It adds very little climbing, it's quieter than the main trail, and that's where the marmots were.
- Book the Rifugio Elisabetta early if you want to sleep there. It fills up, and we didn't get in.
- Stop at the Lac Combal. The turquoise water and the fireweed are worth a few minutes, and after that it's road walking to La Visaille.
The track
The whole day is on the track, start to finish. Hover or tap the profile for elevation.
Ville des Glaciers to La Visaille
Elevation, Day 4 — the whole day recorded
Day — tap to hide or show
← Previous: Day 3, Notre-Dame de la Gorge over the Col du Bonhomme to Les Chapieux
Next → Day 5, Villair over the Mont de la Saxe ridge to Plampincieux
Overview: all ten days and the all-days map
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