
Bassa Valle
High Route 1 — Stage 1: Donnas → Perloz
The start of the High Route of the Giants, from the valley floor up to Perloz meadows through Walser villages and chestnut groves.

Where to spot
55 trails where Alpine chamois is listed in flora/fauna: difficulty T–EE, elevation gain 0–1644 m.
55 · 4.7–18.2 km · +0–1644 m

Bassa Valle
The start of the High Route of the Giants, from the valley floor up to Perloz meadows through Walser villages and chestnut groves.

Valtournenche — Val Saint-Barthélemy
The wild heart of the Alta Via: 17 km across Fenêtre de Tsan, Col Terray and on to Rifugio Oratorio di Cuney, with Matterhorn and Grand Combin dominating a horizon of 2700-metre passes.

Valpelline
From the Sanctuary of Cuney to the Valpelline: a long descent over exposed ridges with short scramble sections, ending at Oyace in the heart of the Aosta Valley's most untouched valley.

Valpelline
The wild Valpelline: Oyace and Ollomont sit at nearly the same elevation, but Col Brison at 2520 m demands over 1100 m of climbing with views to Mont Vélan and Grand Combin on the Swiss border.

Valpelline — Conca di By
From Ollomont to Rifugio Champillon in the Conca di By: 1000 m of climbing through forests and summer farms to one of the AV1's most distinctive huts, complete with mountain sauna and yurt.

Valle del Gran San Bernardo
Over Col Champillon (2709 m) with panoramic views from Mont Blanc to Gran Paradiso, followed by a long descent to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses in the historic upper Grand Saint-Bernard valley.

Valle del Gran San Bernardo
A steady climb through the Merdeux basin to Rifugio Frassati at 2540 m, the last overnight stop before tackling Col Malatrà (2925 m), the highest pass on the entire Alta Via 1.

Val Ferret
Col Malatrà at 2925 m is the rooftop of Alta Via 1: from the panoramic crest above Mont Blanc the trail descends into Val Ferret to the legendary Rifugio Walter Bonatti.

Bassa Valle — Mont Mars
From Perloz hill the trail climbs through Lillianes forest and into the Mont Mars Nature Reserve, where Rifugio Coda at 2280 m opens the view to the high valley.

Mont Mars — Valle di Gaby
A high-level traverse between Mont Mars and the Barma Lakes: a skyline path linking two historic huts across a landscape of peat bogs, glacial slabs and end-of-summer bilberry.

Valle di Gaby
From Barma Hut the trail descends to Niel, Gaby's most remote Walser hamlet: a village frozen in time where dark-stone houses preserve centuries of alpine culture.

Valle di Gressoney
The longest stage in this sequence: 18 km of solitary ridge walking above the Lys valley with Monte Rosa views, ending in the Walser town of Gressoney-Saint-Jean.

Valle di Gressoney — Valle d'Ayas
Crossing Col Pinter at 2777 m is the highlight of this stage: a wild pass between two alpine valleys where Monte Rosa dominates the entire eastern horizon.

Valle d'Ayas
From the ridges above Champoluc to Rifugio Grand Tournalin with the Matterhorn always in view: high-mountain terrain with sweeping panoramas over the Ayas valley and its pastoral landscape.

Valtournenche
The great descent: from Rifugio Grand Tournalin losing over a thousand metres to the valley floor of Valtournenche, passing through the scenic plateau of Cheneil with Matterhorn views.

Valtournenche
The shortest stage on the entire AV1: 4.7 km of sustained climbing from Valtournenche to Rifugio Jean Barmasse on the shores of Lago di Cignana, in preparation for the hardest day ahead.

Val Veny
First stage of AV2: from Courmayeur to Rifugio Elisabetta in Val Veny, at the foot of Mont Blanc.

Val di Cogne
Climb from Cogne centre to Rifugio Sogno di Berdzé at Péradzà.

Champorcher
Cross Fenêtre de Champorcher and Lake Misérin to Dondena.

Champorcher
Descent along the «Scaletta» trail to Champorcher village.

Champorcher
Long stage to Crest-Damon with climb to Colle della Fricolla.

Bassa Valle
Final AV2 stage: from Retempio sanctuary to Donnas in the valley floor.

Val Veny
Descent from Col des Chavannes to La Thuile across pastures and the La Thuile valley.

La Thuile
Climb to Rifugio Deffeyes and Promoud bivouac in the Rutor valley.

La Thuile
Cross Col de la Crosatie and descend toward Planaval in Valgrisenche.

Valgrisenche
Cross Valgrisenche to Rifugio Chalet de l'Épée.

Valgrisenche
Descent from Col Fenêtre to Val di Rhêmes and Rhêmes-Notre-Dame.

Val di Rhêmes
Iconic AV2 stage: Col Entrelor, Lake Djouan and descent to Eaux-Rousses.

Valsavarenche
Highest stage on VdA High Routes: Col du Loson (3296 m) and Rifugio Vittorio Sella.

Val di Cogne
Scenic descent from Vittorio Sella to Cogne via Valnontey.

Val di Cogne
From the heart of Gran Paradiso National Park to an alpine lake surrounded by ibex. A classic.

Valtournenche
Climb from Cervinia to Rifugio Duca degli Abruzzi below the east face.

Valtournenche
Traverse toward Rifugio Oriondé and Plateau Rosa.

Valtournenche
Climb to Colle del Teodulo, pass toward the Swiss side of the tour.

Valpelline
Climb from Ollomont to Rifugio Prarayer in Valpelline.

Valpelline
Traverse toward Great St Bernard Pass.

Valpelline
Approach to the Gran Combin massif.

Valpelline
Descent to Oyace closing the VdA Gran Combin loop.

Val di Cogne
Approach in the heart of the Park: Cogne to Valnontey.

Valsavarenche
Climb to Lake Djouan, jewel of Gran Paradiso National Park.

Valsavarenche
Descent from Djouan basin to Eaux-Rousses in Valsavarenche.

Valsavarenche
Climb to Col du Loson and Rifugio Vittorio Sella.

Val di Cogne
Return to Cogne closing the VdA loop of the tour.

Val Ferret
First Italian TMB stage: climb to Rifugio Bertone above Courmayeur.

Val Ferret
High traverse of Val Ferret to the famous Rifugio Bonatti.

Val Ferret
From Bonatti to Elena along the Val Ferret balcony.

Val Ferret
Final Italian stage: climb to Col de la Seigne (FR border).

Valle del Lys
Walser climb from Gressoney to Rifugio Gabiet below Lake Gabiet.

Valle del Lys
Traverse toward Colle del Teodulo (3301 m) and Breuil-Cervinia.

Valtournenche
Connection in the Matterhorn valley toward Breuil-Cervinia.

Valle del Lys
Closing the VdA loop: return toward Gressoney.

La Thuile
Climb to Rifugio Deffeyes in the Rutor valley.

La Thuile
Traverse to the Rutor glacial lakes.

La Thuile
Descent toward Rifugio Verney above La Thuile.

La Thuile
Return to La Thuile closing the Rutor loop.