Court de Bard, from Challancin

Introduction

A medium-length route that highlights all the emotions that can be experienced with snowshoes. All along the route, panoramic views abound and combine well with the discreet charm of the area traversed.

Description

Leaving the car behind, put on your snowshoes and set off along the farm road leading to the alpine pastures above. You cross the pastures of Challancin and, with three wide hairpin bends, you reach the Ponteilles pastures (1741m, 0h20'). Continue along the road and after 150m you will come to the junction for Col de Bard (1761m): here, turn right, but not before taking a look at the beautiful view of Mont Blanc.
You then climb up the farm road, which now enters a dense forest of fir and larch trees and reaches the village of Arpilles (1882m, 0h45'): from here, a path starts out and leads halfway up the hillside into the forest. After a fairly gentle first section, you begin to climb the ridge that divides the watershed with the comba of Vertosan; you proceed through a very dense forest from which, every now and then, there are interesting panoramic glimpses of the peaks that dominate the envers of Morgex: from Mont Paramont to Mont Crammont. Having passed a clearing, from which other tracks depart, pointing to the summit of the ridge that leads to the Punta Fetita, we continue halfway up the slope, re-entering the forest. After about 15 minutes, the track becomes steeper and, with a few hairpin bends, gains altitude. You then start walking again without too much ascent and, after 1h 30', you reach the Col de Bard (2179m): from up here you can see the Comba di Vertosan below. You neglect the path to the Punta Fetita and continue to the right, heading towards the Court de Bard in a truly suggestive environment. We proceed first with a slight descent and then with a gentle ascent towards our destination: the panorama towards the surrounding peaks is remarkable, from the Grivola to the Mont Blanc massif. After about half an hour of idyll, we reach the squat summit of the Court de Bard (2261m, 2h00').
The descent follows the same route as the ascent.

At the top of this snowy panettone there is an orientation board that will allow you to better appreciate the stupendous panorama offered by this privileged position.