In snowshoes up to Chabod Refuge

Aosta Ovest motorway exit. Take the road towards Courmayeur as far as Villeneuve, and then turn right towards Valsavarenche. You climb up along the valley as far as Dégioz and after 6.5 km you come to a spacious parking area on the left-hand side of the road.

After leaving your car, you cross the Savara Torrent over a small wooden bridge; you turn right and start to climb towards an isolated building. Go past the building and you meet the summer path which you join in order to reach the Alpe Praviou in a short time. You continue going uphill along the beautiful mule track with splendidly-built, dry-stone walls which run alongside it; following an “endless” series of turns you climb up through the larch-tree wood until you reach a short flat section just over 2000 m. Here the woods begins to become less dense, providing some interesting views over Valsavarenche until you come to Lavassey where you find the Park Rangers’ station and some unusual Alpine pastures with their characteristic half-cask shape. You go through Lavassey passing the station on the left and start to climb the slope, which becomes very steep after leaving the last trees behind. Gradually you enter the high part of the Valley of Savolère, as the Gran Paradiso appears before you in all its splendour. Slowly the climb becomes less arduous, as you walk alongside the spurs of the Côte Savolère and then you practically come to the foot of the refuge. You turn left and climb up across the mountainside until you at last come to the Federico Chabod refuge.