High Route 1 — Stage 12: Oyace → Ollomont via Col Brison

Stage twelve crosses the Valpelline from Oyace to Ollomont, climbing over Col Brison (2520 m) in one of the physically most demanding stages for the ratio of elevation gain to distance. The route leaves Oyace centre, drops briefly to the Buthier torrent and then climbs relentlessly through a conifer forest to the summer farm of Sucheaz (1993 m), where the trees give way to high pastures. The ascent continues toward Col Brison through solid, well-maintained switchbacks, reaching the pass where Mont Vélan (3734 m) and Grand Combin suddenly appear on the skyline with the Swiss side of the Grand Saint-Bernard valley visible on the horizon. The descent to Ollomont is equally significant: over 1100 metres on a clear path crossing the Beria alp before dropping into the valley-floor forest. Ollomont (1393 m) is a small Valpelline village with a Romanesque bell tower and a centuries-old cheesemaking tradition: an ideal stop to taste local dairy produce and resupply before the final three stages to Courmayeur.