Refuge · 2195 m
Elisabetta Soldini Refuge
Iconic hut at Lex Blanche, at the head of Val Veny, below Mont Blanc’s south face and facing Grandes Jorasses. First Alta Via 2 stage and classic Tour du Mont Blanc stop — reachable in about 2 hours from La Visaille.
The TMB’s last Italian outpost before the Col de la Seigne, the hut looks down on the Lac Combal plain and the moraine front of the Miage glacier. The terrace at sunset, when the Pyramides Calcaires catch fire, is one of the moments TMB trekkers remember most fondly. An ideal base, too, for exploring Val Veny and the Miage lake.
Altitude
2195 m
Valley
Val Veny
Beds
76
Opening
Early June – 2 October (May weekends for ski-mountaineering; 21-bed winter room)
Managed by
CAI Courmayeur
History
The refuge stands on the buildings of the Lex Blanche alp and barracks, adapted after WWII: it was inaugurated in 1949 by the CAI and named after Elisabetta Soldini Montanaro at the wish of her family, who supported its creation. Enlarged over the years, it is now CAI-run and one of the symbolic stages of the Italian side of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
What to eat
Generous Aosta Valley cooking: oven-roasted chicken, polenta, local cheeses and homemade pasta. Booking mandatory with deposit.
Indicative rates
Rates on official website; booking mandatory with deposit. Cash payment recommended. Pets not allowed.
Contact & booking
Official manager details — always check opening dates and rates on the website before you go.
Book / official siteWhere it is
45.7670, 6.8374 · 2195 m
How to get there
- High Route 2 — Stage 1: Courmayeur → Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini15.0 km · +1406 mE
- High Route 2 — Stage 2: Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini → La Thuile12.0 km · +456 mE
- Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 12: Les Chapieux → Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini14.0 km · +1083 mE
- Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 13: Rifugio Elisabetta Soldini → Courmayeur15.9 km · +461 mE
- Pont Combal - Rifugio Elisabetta3.1 km · +235 mE
- Rifugio Elisabetta - Col de la Seigne3.4 km · +364 mE
- Rifugio Elisabetta - Col des Piramydes Calcaires - Tsa de la Lex Blanches4.0 km · +278 mE
- Rifugio Elisabetta - Bivacco Hess3.0 km · +756 mEE
- Dolonne - Rifugio Elisabetta14.3 km · +1234 mE
Recommended season
Early June – 2 October (May weekends for ski-mountaineering; 21-bed winter room)
Effort to reach it
Difficulty of the access trails: E–EE, +235–1406 m (CAI scale).
What to bring
A sleeping-bag liner (required in many huts), cash (cards are often not accepted at altitude), a change of clothes and warm layers for the evening, a headlamp, a water bottle. Always book your bed and meals in advance, and let the hut know if you cancel.
What to do there
Enjoy dinner in good company and the sunset from the terrace. Many use the hut as a base for a dawn departure: ask the keeper about trail and weather conditions before setting out, and start light while the snow is still firm. The climbing routes are on the trail pages above.
Nearby peaks
Community gallery
Photos are published immediately. JPG/PNG/WebP, max 6 MB.
Source: rifugioelisabetta.com · lovevda.it
Elisabetta Soldini Refuge