Lateltin bivouac, from Tschemenoal
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Updated at: 26/04/2026
Access
Road navigation
Leave the motorway at the Pont-Saint-Martin exit and turn right. After 100m, meet the first roundabout: take the second exit continuing on the . After 350m, at the second roundabout, take the third exit onto in the direction of Valle di Gressoney. Follow for 26.8km (27.2km), passing through the villages of Lillianes, Fontainemore, Issime, Gaby and Gressoney-Saint-Jean. Turn right to stay on the and continue for a further 2.2km (29.4km) to the hamlet of Tschemenoal.
Parking
Just beyond the hamlet of Tschemenoal, on the side of the road, there is a free car park 🅿️, the starting point of the itinerary.
Access by public transport
The place is served by public transport 🚌. For up-to-date timetables and routes consult aosta.arriva.it.
Distance and travel time
🕒 Travel time: 41 minutes
📏 Distance: 30.2km
GPS navigation
Information note
The information provided has been verified as of the date of the survey of the itinerary. Before departure, it is recommended to check possible changes in the route or road conditions. Please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps for the latest information.
.Introduction
A round trip route that climbs up the Gressoney Valley slope starting from Tschemenoal, reaching the Ulrich Lateltin Bivouac on the Testa Grigia at an altitude of over 3,100m. The route crosses very diverse environments: from the larch forest in the lower part, it climbs through a sequence of historic Walser alpine pastures - with the village of Alpenzù, its chapel of Sant'Anna and the refuge of the same name - to then gain the Pinter valley and reach the pass of the same name. Beyond Col Pinter, the landscape changes in nature: the terrain becomes friable, the pastoral structures give way to rock and ridge, and the progression requires attention over a small gully and exposed sections before reaching the semi-flat ridge leading to the bivouac. The route is recommended in late summer, when the high passages are free of snow; the length and overall height difference require an early morning start. The gradual unveiling of the view of the Pinter lakes, suspended in the emptiness of the valley, is one of the most characteristic landscape elements of the climb.
Description
[0h00'T2] 0.00km Proceed along the tarmac road above the car park and reach the signpost indicating the start of the itinerary. Turn right in the direction of the waterfall visible opposite; after a short flat section, turn right again to take the wide mule track of Alta Via 1. Climb the steep slope through a series of hairpin bends that quickly gain height, entering a forest dominated by larch (Larix decidua), with sporadic presences of maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). After a long traverse to the right, continue climbing with short turns until reaching some panoramic benches at an altitude of 1,526m. Pass the benches and turn left along a section protected by a railing: here the forest thins out, offering a wide view of the Gressoney-Saint-Jean basin. Continue until you reach a well-preserved stadel and, a little further on, a small oratory, located near a fork in the road (1,592m).
[0h25'T2] 0.54km Ignore the path on the left and continue along the mule track, flanked by ancient dry stone walls. Gradually leave the forest and meet the ruins of the Tschòké mountain pasture (1,655m), protected by a large rock. Cross the alpine pasture, skirt a small stream and negotiate a few wide bends, at the end of which the picturesque little village church appears above your heads. Cross a short wooded strip and enter the pastures that extend below the village. Pass a second oratory (1,702m) and continue across the meadows until reaching the old mule track. Turn right: the characteristic Walser settlements and the charming St. Anne's chapel appear in front of you. Continue for a few more minutes to reach the village of Alpenzù (💧) and the hut of the same name, located within it (1,779m).
[0h45'T2] 1.17km From the Alpenzù refuge, take the path that climbs up through the pastures in a north-westerly direction until reaching an alpine pasture at an altitude of 1,914m, where the trail bends to the right until reaching some ruins. Walk along the meadowy ridge to the crossroads in front of Alpe Ondermontel (2,007m), where you take the uphill path.
[1h25'T2] 2.16km This moves to the left and, with wide bends in the larch wood, reaches the ridge above. Climb over the ridge, first to the side, then over a rocky crag protected by fences. Reach a ledge, from where the climb continues in hairpin bends to the turnoff for Alpe Obermontel (2,220m). Continue ascending towards the centre of the valley, leaving a very primitive pastureland to the right, until reaching the buildings of Alpe Loaôche, equipped with a fountain (💧). Pass a couple of small streams and another mountain pasture located near the impluvium of the Montil stream (Mòntélbach), which runs through the centre of the wide valley. Next, ascend the slope to a panoramic terrace, where the ruins of the Pinter (💧) alpine pastureland (2,465m) are located. Continue between open spaces, climbing up a crag in the valley, which gradually narrows. Cross a false plain and lean to the right, to cross the scree gully below the slopes of Mont Pinter, and tackle the final ramp keeping to the right, at the point of maximum depression until reaching Col Pinter (2.777m), a marked inlet between two very scenic and representative peaks, the Corno Vitello to the south and the Testa Grigia to the north.
From the pass, turn left and begin to climb up path no. 12 along the steep ridge that descends Mont Pinter. With a series of twists and turns, you quickly gain height, leaving the splendid scenery of the Pinter lakes behind you. The path slowly turns westwards, overlooking the Val d'Ayas, leaving the grassy green behind and entering the austere world of the high mountains. We proceed over friable terrain until we reach an uneasy passage. Once we have passed this, we ascend a short gully, just below Mount Pinter, until we come to the distinctive, semi-flat ridge of Testa Grigia. The path dips to the north-east until reaching the wide ridge and the turnoff for the Ulrich Lateltin bivouac (3115 m, 2h00').
Turn right and follow the flat path until reaching the large bivouac perched on the rocky knoll dominating the valley.
The descent follows the same route as the ascent
.