Parcheggio Dondena - Col Pontonnet

From the Dondena car park (2103 m), in the upper Champorcher valley, this hiking route (E) reaches the Col Pontonnet (2897 m) with about 800 metres of ascent over 7.7 kilometres, starting already in the full alpine belt. You walk through the broad Dondena basin among pastures and scree, climbing towards the pass that looks out above three thousand metres over the neighbouring valleys. It is a high-altitude route, well beyond the treeline from the start: despite the hiking grade it calls for fitness for its length and attention to weather, which changes quickly at altitude. From the col the panorama embraces the head of Champorcher and the ridges separating it from Piedmont. Summer is the recommended season.