Tsa de Metz, from Thouraz dessus

Access

From the motorway barrier at Aosta-West keep left following the signs for Aosta - Saint-Pierre. After one kilometre, at the roundabout, take the first exit to join the main road in the direction of Aosta. Proceed for 750 metres until you reach another roundabout: take the second exit and follow the signs for Ville-sur-Sarre. Drive through the village of Sarre and continue for 7.3 kilometres until you reach the regional road dei Salassi. Turn left and follow the regional road for 1 kilometre before meeting the turnoff for Thouraz. Turn left and drive up the 5.1 kilometres to reach Thouraz dessus where there is a small car park 🅿️ near a fountain 💧.

[0h28'] - [14.4km]

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Introduction

This route of not too great an altitude difference but nevertheless of relatively sustained length leads across the pleasant slopes of Pointe de Metz. Passing through highly scenic passages, we finally arrive at the Tsa de Metz, an alpine pasture with a distinctive vaulted barn.

Description

0h00' Leaving the car, we set off along the farm road that leads to the Tsa de la Comba. Start the ascent slightly uphill among sparse larch trees (Larix decidua) until you come to a crossroads (1664m): turn right onto another little road that winds its way through the larch trees.

0h05' After a few minutes, you come out of the wooded scrub and find yourself above the last buildings of Thouraz. The little road turns slowly to the left and cuts diagonally across the wooded ridge that descends from the Pointe de Metz without any particular difference in altitude. You come out of the forest again and an alpine pasture appears before you: this is Vignon (1800m, 0h30'). 

0h30' You neglect the first diversions to the left, the one that leads to the alpine pasture, and after a few minutes you cross a small road: turn left and start walking along it in a westerly direction. The ascent becomes slightly steeper and, after a short while, you turn right and begin to enter a section free of tall vegetation. One slowly enters the terminal part of the Great St Bernard Valley, being able to appreciate the first panoramic views, beginning with the Becca di Viou. You pass below the Condemine de Metz mountain pasture and then enter the larch forest again near the ruins of an alpine pasture. Once you have entered the forest again, turn left and walk through a rather dense stretch of woodland before exiting at another right turn: just before the hairpin bend, a beautiful view of the Grivola! We now proceed on the last traverse, definitely the most scenic. Slowly as the last larch trees thinned out, a series of beautiful views of the Pennine Alps opened up: from the Grand Combin to the Cervino. Following the roundness of the ridge of the Pointe de Metz, the little road turns to the left, approaching the last traverse before the destination: this is the most delicate part of the route, you have to carefully evaluate the condition of the snowpack as you are crossing a rather steep slope!
Now the destination is in sight and with it also the Pointe de Chaligne, a classic summer destination for the people of Aosta Valley. We follow the long, almost flat traverse until we reach the Les Arpes Vieilles (2270m, 2h15' ), a beautiful alpine pasture with a characteristic vaulted barn.
The descent follows the same route as the ascent 1h45'.

As already mentioned in the body of the description, it is advisable to undertake this itinerary only after consulting the snow and weather bulletins and carefully assessing the condition of the snowpack: it is better to stop before the last traverse rather than risk it!