Rifugio Elena

In the starting point of Val Ferret, Rifugio Elena is located. This valley (Valle d’Aosta region) stretches in a north – east direction under the Grand Jorasses massif in the Mont Blanc group.

Rifugio Elena can be reached very easily, via a dirt road or a path that crosses meadows. It is at an altitude of 2061 meters. The whole Val Ferret can be covered by car during summer, and the only last kilometres are forbidden to the traffic. So starting from an altitude of 1780 meters where the car parking is located, you have to overcome only 281 meters of level.

This experience is very easy but done in a fantastic environment encompassed by the highest mountains in Europe. Rifugio Elena is in a wonderful position from which the Grand Jorasses massif can be seen, but also the whole Val Ferret with its fantastic forests of pines and the Mont Blanc chain. During our visit the weather was not the best, even with a little bit of snow, but the suggestion is to soak in this awesome environment !

Once you reach the shelter, there is the opportunity to go up to the Col del Gran Ferret (2537 meters) along a simple but steep path. This pass is on the border with French Switzerland and from here another path starts and it goes to Bivacco Fiorio (2810 meters) a bivouac close to Ghiaccio Pré de Bar under Mont Dolent (3819 meters).

The final part – the tongue – of this glacier is perfectly visible by the balcony of Rifugio Elena. The landscape is majestic but the shrinkage of the glacier has been strong in recent years. In the previous century the tongue was very big and it filled a little valley carved out by the movement of ice. Nowadays this valley is almost empty and only a long but narrow tongue of ice descents from the main body of the glacier. However the environment is strongly savage and it is worth seeing !

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