Mont Labiez, from the Mendey car park
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Updated at: 07/07/2026
Access
Road directions
Leave the motorway at the Aosta Est exit and continue along the motorway slip road for 350m (0.35km). Take the exit onto the state road towards Aosta Centro for 100m (0.45km). At the roundabout, take the second exit and continue on the for 2.6km (3.05km). At the next roundabout, take the first exit and join Viale del Gran San Bernardo, following it for 3.3 km (6.35 km) until you join the . Follow the for 10.9 km (17.25 km), passing through the village of Gignod, until you reach the junction for Buthier Gorrey. Turn left and take the local road to Buthier Gorrey, following it for 2.5 km (19.75 km). Turn slightly to the right and continue for 800 m (20.55 km), then carry on straight for 1.1 km (21.65 km) until you reach the car park.
Car park
At the end of the tarmac road, in the hamlet of Mendey, there is a free đ żïž car park. This is the starting point for the route to the Chaligne Mountain Hut.
Access by public transport
To reach the starting point of the route, you will need a private vehicle, as Mendey is not served by public transport.
Distance and walking time
đ Walking time: 28 minutes
đ Distance: 21.6 km
GPS navigation
Temporary notice
The route described is a diversion due to the closure of the A5-SS27/E27 link tunnel and remains valid until the end of June 2027. Once the tunnel reopens, the route will need to be revised to return to the standard route.
Information note
The directions provided were verified on the date the route was surveyed. Before setting off, we recommend checking for any changes to the route or road conditions. For up-to-date information, please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Introduction
A partially circular route leading to Mont Labiez, in the Gignod area, ascending from the Mendey car park through the valley of the Ars stream and returning via a separate path through Collet and Meriau dessus; only the upper section, around the Costa Labiez ridge, forms a complete loop.
The route is marked by a succession of historic mountain pastures: Meriau dessous and Praz Gallet on the ascent, then the Ars mountain pasture, and on the descent, Collet and Meriau dessus. From the pastures of Meriau dessous, there are views of Mont Saron and Mont GelĂ©. Beyond Ars, the route leaves the dirt track to climb, along a footpath, up to the ruins of the CrĂ©pon mountain pasture and then on to Costa Labiez, where you reach the Forest Rangersâ bivouac, dedicated to Millet and marked by a wooden cross. On the descent, the route traverses the ridge towards the Col dâArs and descends to the Tsa dâArs mountain pastures, whose tall building is recognisable by its distinctive stone vaults.
The section leading from the ruins of CrĂ©pon to the bivouac follows a narrow track, which is at times difficult to follow due to low vegetation; the continuation along the ridge towards the summit and the traverse towards the Col dâArs also require careful navigation as there are no continuous signposts. The remainder of the route follows unpaved alpine tracks.
Description
0h00' 0.00km From the car park, head towards a signpost and take the farm track that branches off to the right towards Lanche (3h00'). The track, which is not particularly steep, winds through the dense Vaudrace forest. At the first bend, cross the Clusaz stream and then, after two hairpin bends, gain a little altitude before continuing to follow the slope, still on a gentle incline, until you reach the pastures of theMeriau dessous mountain pasture (1,583m), just visible on the left. The pasture gives way to a few glimpses of Mont Saron and Mont Gelé. Turn slightly left to enter the catchment area of the Ars stream. Continue through the coniferous woodland, climbing gently, until you reach thePraz Gallet mountain pasture (1,626m), which lies to your right, and, a little further on, a fork in the track.
0h40' 2.57km Keep to the track on the left â you can make out the markings on a boulder half-hidden by vegetation â and climb up the valley on a fairly steep slope. The woodland gradually thins out and the view opens up onto the lower part of the Comba dâArs. Leave the woodland and, with a quick diagonal traverse, reach a signpost indicating the junction with the dirt track coming from Collet.
1h30' 4.11km Continue to the right along the dirt track and in a few minutes youâll reach the Ars mountain pasture (1,974m). Leave the mountain pasture on your right and take a couple of hairpin bends until you come to a small cairn (2,039m) on the right-hand side of the track, which marks the barely visible path.
1h40' 4.74 km [to be completed] Follow the yellow markings â which are a little faded in places â and head uphill through the woods, alternating between more open stretches and cooler sections. Cross the stream and climb the southern slopes of Costa Labiez with a series of sharp bends; after rounding a rocky spur, at around 2,150m the path heads northwards, cutting across the now grassy hillside, until it reaches the ruins of the CrĂ©pon mountain pasture (2,253m).
2h22' 5.99km Go round the ruins of CrĂ©pon and head up above them, where youâll come across a faint but discernible trail. Climb the steep slope along the narrow path, which is occasionally obstructed by the odd solitary larch or juniper; despite this vegetation, the path remains discernible, so gain altitude quickly, veering to the left, until you reach a small scree slope where you turn left to reach the ridge of Costa Labiez. Continue up a steep section until you spot the forest bivouac. Continue along the ridge for a flat stretch and, after a short climb, reach the Forest Rangersâ bivouac (2,615m), dedicated to Millet, near which there is a wooden cross.
3h15' 7.62 km (1,103 m ascent) (7 m descent) From the shelter, with little effort, climb the final section of the ridge to reach the summit of Mont Labiez (2,630 m).
3h25' 7.78 km (1,118 mD+) Descend towards the bivouac and, on the right â barely visible near a small rock â take a faint track that cuts across the sparse pasture and becomes more distinct a little further on. On the descent, cut across the western slope of Mont Labiez, make your way to the edge of the western ridge and follow it to the barely visible saddle of the Col dâArs.
[3h51âT2] 9.14km (1,124mD+) Turn right and follow a faint path leading to the high mountain pasture of Tsa dâArs (2,364m), marked by distinctive arches.
[4h01âT1] 9.81km Take the track, which is grassy at first and then becomes a dirt track, leading quickly to the new Tsa dâArs (2,260 m) and, from here, following the clearly marked dirt track, reach the Ars mountain pasture and the signposted junction encountered on the ascent.
[4h33âT1] 11.96km (1,124mD+) ] Ignore the route taken on the ascent and continue straight along the dirt track, which skirts the Costa Tardiva and reaches the Collet mountain pasture (1,919m).
4h57' 13.83 km (1,130 m ascent) (732 m descent) Turn left onto the path and descend, initially along a path that becomes a track a little further down. Walk alongside the Meriau-dessus mountain pasture and continue the descent, taking a few bends, until you reach a junction marked by a signpost. Turn right and follow the path downwards; after skirting the Mendey pastures, it leads back to the starting car park (1,521m) 5h33' 15.89 km (1,130 m elevation gain) (1,130 m elevation loss).
Places of Interest
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We have been there
Edited by:
Giancarlo Beretta
Mont Labiez, dal parcheggio di Mendey
Questa escursione raggiunge una cima che si trova sulla cresta di confine tra lâalto vallone dâArs e quello di Flassin da cui il panorama Ăš magnifico sulla cime circostanti, tra cui lâimponente versante settentrionale del Mont FallĂ©re, e di quelle della vicina zona del Gran San Bernardo e della Valpelline. Lâitinerario attraversa, nella sua prima parte, bei pascoli ed un bellissimo bosco allâuscita del quale si apre la bella e solitaria comba dâArs delimitata dalla CÈte Labiez a nord e dalla cresta Tardiva a sud che racchiudono i bei pascoli dominati dal Mont FallĂ©re. Il sentiero non presenta difficoltĂ anche se bisogna prestare attenzione alla sua diramazione finale che si stacca dalla strada sopra Ars il cui inizio Ăš poco riconoscibile.
 Dalla curva si imbocca la strada di sinistra con lâindicazione per il rifugio Chaligne e si percorrono alcuni tornanti della poderale passando dalla baita di Mendey (1570 m) e, poco oltre, in corrispondenza di un muro di contenimento si svolta a destra su unâaltra stradina seguendo gli evidenti bolli gialli sulle pietre e poi si prosegue diritto ignorando il sentiero che si stacca subito dopo sulla sinistra segnalato da una palina (1594 m). Si continua sulla panoramica strada sino ad alcune opere idriche alla cui sinistra si imbocca un sentiero che attraversa un bosco di conifere alzandosi dolcemente sino ad incrociare una larga mulattiera erbosa (1723 m) che si percorre a destra, tenendo la sinistra ad un vicino bivio, arrivando quasi subito alla baita di Meriau damon (1743 m). Sempre sulla mulattiera si continua nel bosco alla cui uscita si attraversa in leggera salita un bel pascolo alla cui sommitĂ si trova il panoramico alpeggio di Collet (1929 m) che si raggiunge ed al quale si devia a destra su una poderale; questa compie un lungo traverso in piano passando a mezzacosta sulla fiancata della montagna in un bel bosco allâuscita del quale si giunge in un ampio vallone al centro del quale si trova lâalpeggio di Ars (1994 m) che si raggiunge. Si cammina ancora sulla strada che, con un paio di curve, arriva al pianoro superiore dove appena prima di attraversare il piccolo torrente si trova un ometto di pietre sulla destra da cui parte, poco visibile, un sentiero segnalato da sbiaditi bolli gialli (2038 m); imboccatolo ci si alza subito nel bosco per piegare poi sulla destra contornando un alto sperone roccioso e raggiungendo i ruderi dellâalpeggio di CrĂ©pon (2253 m) dal quale il sentiero, che a tratti si riduce ad una traccia, si alza ripido sulla fiancata di pietre e bassa vegetazione. Il tracciato, dopo aver deviato decisamente sulla destra, raggiunge la panoramica cresta della CÈte Labiez dapprima percorrendola sul lato sud e poi, raggiuntone il filo, la si percorre raggiungendo una ben visibile croce lignea accanto alla quale si trova un bivacco della forestale (2615 m) e dal quale ci si alza ancora di poco sulla larga dorsale per raggiungere in breve la vetta.
La naturale conclusione di questa salita Ăš il raggiungimento del vicino Col d'Ars e quindi, tornati al sentiero, si svolta a destra proseguendo sul lato sud della vetta e con un traverso si taglia lâerboso pendio sommitale del Mont Labiez, per ritornare sul filo della cresta dalla parte opposta. Con qualche saliscendi un poâ esposto la si percorre ancora per alcune decine di metri e si raggiunge il colle (2547 m) dove si trova sulla destra il sentiero proveniente dal vallone di Flassin.
In discesa, volendo accorciare un poâ il percorso, sia dal colle che dal traverso sotto il Mont Labiez si puĂČ scendere senza percorso obbligato i facili pendii erbosi puntando ad un sottostante alpeggio dal caratteristico tetto a volte (2374 m) dal quale scende una mulattiera che raggiunge in breve lâalpeggio di Tsa dâArs (2267 m). Continuando ora sulla strada si scende comodamente la Comba dâArs arrivando al bivio quota 2038 per poi proseguire sullâitinerario dellâandata.
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