Pointe de Chaligne, from Mendey to the Crête de Tardiva

Introduction

The Pointe de Chaligne is the highest peak in the municipalities of Aosta and Gignod. Every year, on 16 August, there is a famous procession from Gignod to the summit. The route proposed here, on the other hand, makes a beautiful loop up the distinctive Crête de Tardiva.

Description

We leave the car and set off along a small road heading south. Slightly uphill, we immediately cross into the beautiful pastureland below Mendey, while a beautiful view of the Pointe de Chaligne opens up before our eyes. After a couple of hairpin bends, you reach the long pastureland of Mendey (1547m, 0h05'); continue slightly uphill until you reach a crossroads: turn right and follow the track until you come to the crossroads for the Chaligne hut (1590m, 0h15'): ignore the diversions to the left and continue until you first come to a ruin and then an aqueduct, on whose left you meet the uphill track. Go up the short wooded strip until you come to a small clearing at the foot of an alpine pasture. Turn slightly to the left and you reach a track: continue left and, shortly afterwards, right again along the grassy track that soon reaches the cottages of Meriau Damon (1740m, 0h40'). Continue on the track that, after a couple of hairpin bends, stretches into the forest until reaching a new pasture: here the track turns left and climbs straight up to Collet (1919m, 1h00'). A short stretch is passed and the track joins the farm track to Ars. Trail markers appear in front of the hiker: re-enter the forest and ascend a rather steep section through dense fir forest. Slowly the path descends and crosses some small clearings where it is not usual to come across roe deer. The ascent continues slowly to the left, the forest thins out and we soon reach the farm track (2100m, 1h30'). Follow the dirt track for a few hundred metres until meeting the path again, which branches off to the right; take it and climb up the last stretch of ridge until reaching a small plateau where there is a wooden cross. The forest now gives way to the prairie that envelops the steep ridges. After savouring the first panoramic views, we reach the repeater and from there continue along the line, or almost, of the Crête de Tardiva (Tardiva Coast). The route in this section is very suggestive, we proceed along a few short ups and downs and the destination appears clear in front of us. Once past the long stretch of the Côte, we reach the Col de Tardiva (2410m, 2h30'): a small pass connecting the comba de Chaligne to the Ars valley. Disregard the criss-crossed paths and continue straight on, climbing a small grassy outcrop to the edge of a last asperity. Climb up the stony ridge, still on a comfortable path, until reaching the ridge of the Pointe de Chaligne Mont de la Tsa ridge. Now proceed slightly downhill in a southerly direction until reaching the narrow depression that anticipates the final ridge. Climb a very short step and follow the beautiful path along the edge of the ridge until reaching Pointe de Chaligne (2607m, 3h00'). The descent can be along the same route as the ascent (1h45') or you can descend to Col de Metz on the path, then follow the path diagonally to the right to the Tsa de Chaligne (2225m). From the Tsa, first descend the pastureland then the woodland until you reach the Chaligne hut (1936m): finally from the hut, return to the starting point on path (3A) (1h45').