Laurent Comte - a mountain walking guide with Grand Angle - describes his trek in Italy on one of our few level 5 walking trips - difficult: Walking the Giants' Circuit_. The longest, the highest, the most authentic: “The Giants' Trek” earns every superlative. This magnificent, unspoilt route through still-wild landscapes runs between 2000 and 3300m, passing through 34 villages and the 16 valleys of the Aosta Valley, a French-speaking territory whose history was closely intertwined with that of Savoy, now an autonomous region of Italy._
This account has been divided into 2 articles. This is the first part and mainly follows Alta Via No. 2. The second part covers Alta Via No. 1 - The Giants' High Route.
Alta Via No. 2: A unique adventure
First, there is the setting: magnificent. The Aosta Valley, with its 4 peaks above 4000m, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Gran Paradiso, boasts natural scenery of rare beauty. The wild, remote high route follows paths that have been carefully maintained for centuries and crosses Alpine passes with a unique atmosphere.
Then there is its soul, something a brochure cannot convey, something rooted in people and their universal values: freedom, truth, humility and solidarity. The freedom we feel on these Alpine trails, the truth and humility brought home by our efforts, and finally the solidarity that brings us together and makes us better people.
Scenery on the Giants' Circuit © Laurent Comte
I am not a devotee of pure individual achievement. Like all treks, but this one in particular, this trek is a shared adventure. We manage to cross all these passes and cover all these kilometres together, as a team, united and inseparable. That is how we experienced this first traverse in the summer of 2017, and how we overcame our apprehension and fatigue.
A word to reassure anyone still undecided: you will never be alone. We will walk together and experience this unique adventure TOGETHER.
Scenery on the Giants' Circuit © Laurent Comte
Alta Via No. 2 trail journal
Day 1: Courmayeur - Deffeyes Hut
Warming up
+ 1031/-148 8.79km 4h Min elevation 1599 Max elevation 2505m
The group gathers over coffee in Courmayeur. Marie and Eric, Laurence and Pierre, Steven and Isabelle, Thérèse, Hélène, André, Roger. I sense a little apprehension, quickly dispelled by the roar of the waterfalls and the storm that decides to break overhead as we reach the shepherd’s hut by the lake. We calmly watch the fireworks before continuing our walk to Deffeyes Hut at the foot of the Ruitor Glacier.
Albert Deffeyes Hut at the foot of the Ruitor Glacier © Laurent Comte
Day 2: Deffeyes Hut – Planaval
Into the thick of it
+1326/-2249 20km 10h (7h) Min elevation 1553 Max elevation 2873m
What a stage! 2 ascents, 2 magnificent passes.
We set off early in the morning through damp meadows, then cross the Passo Alto, with its stark, rocky landscape and a very steep final stretch. The view from the pass is breathtaking. The descent takes us back into green surroundings, where alpine pastures, streams and larches invite us to take a short break before tackling the slopes of the Col de Crosatie. Steps carved into the schist lead us to the top, our fatigue melts away, and we descend to Lac du Fond for a long lunch break with our feet in the water…
At dinner that evening, faces look tired, but the owner’s pasta and our growing sense of camaraderie, that shared feeling of having already experienced a unique adventure, bring enormous smiles to our faces.
View from the pass on the Tour des Géants © Laurent Comte
Day 3: Planaval - Rhêmes-Notre-Dame
Through the window
+1741/-1600 27km 10h (7h) Min altitude 1513 Max altitude 2840m
This morning, I find the group full of energy after a good night’s sleep at the hotel, so I decide to leave the valley floor leading to Valgrisenche and head up to the alpine pastures. We follow a high traversing trail, with no one else around, all morning until we reach the Chalet de l’Épée, where we meet the crowds of day hikers.
Light, intermittent drizzle spurs us on to the Col de la Fenêtre, where the wind drives away the clouds and lets us admire this extraordinary place. The high route has several passes named fenêtre, meaning window. Once we are there, the name makes perfect sense. Amid this vast landscape, people have found a tiny opening through which to cross the mountains and connect the valleys. We descend at a leisurely pace, watching the ibex that roam the surrounding rocky cliffs.
At Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, we arrive before the storm, settle back into comfort, and a gala dinner rounds off this perfect day.
Ascent on day 3 of the Tour des Géants © Laurent Comte
Day 4: Rhêmes-Notre-Dame - Les Eaux-Rousses
A vast corner of paradise
+1376/-1381 20km 9h (5h) Min altitude 1678 Max altitude 3007m
Early in the morning, the sky is perfectly blue. We linger in the narrow streets of Rhêmes-Notre-Dame before climbing into the forest. Conversation flows freely: aching muscles and yesterday’s spectacular dinner are the 2 most discussed topics, keeping us company all the way to the Col d’Entrelor. We celebrate passing the 3000 mark, admire the view of Gran Paradiso, then make our way into the vast open spaces that were once the setting for Victor Emmanuel’s royal hunts.
After a long break at Lac de Djouan, we finish the day’s walk in the afternoon in the hamlet of Les Eaux-Rousses, with its cosy comforts and distinctive host…
Lac de Djouan on the Tour des Géants © Laurent Comte
Day 5: Les Eaux-Rousses - Rifugio Sella
The highest pass
+1621/-895 20km 9h (5h30) Min altitude 1660 Max altitude 3298m
We leave Les Eaux-Rousses. I sense that the group is in peak form, motivated by the prospect of crossing the highest pass of the trip.
After half an hour, a phone rings with bad news. Eric and Marie have to leave us. Eric has just lost his mother. I have been hiking with them every year for several years. We take some time to talk and say our goodbyes. The group sets off again in silence while Eric and Marie head back to face what lies ahead… We dedicate this stage to them, parting reluctantly and with a few tears.
3298m! We are at Col Lauzon. Up here, the view is incredible. “It feels like Bolivia,” someone says, and the whole group is awestruck by the panorama. Our thoughts wander, of course to Marie and Eric, and each of us thinks of our loved ones, of life, so precious and beautiful, yet hanging by a thread, something we must celebrate every day, always…
Climbing the highest pass on the Tour des Géants: Col Lauzon © Laurent Comte
Day 6: Sella Refuge - Cogne - Dondena Refuge
The longest stage!
+1450/-1923 30km 10h (7.30h) Min. altitude 1514 Max. altitude 2836m
We leave Sella Refuge early in the morning to catch sight of chamois on the descent to Cogne. In this lovely town in the Aosta Valley, we make the most of the glorious day to enjoy an Italian coffee on a terrace, despite the many kilometres still ahead of us. Slow and steady…
I buy fresh vegetables and juicy fruit, which we savour further up beside a mountain stream in the shade of the larches. Then we cross the Fenêtre de Champorcher under the gaze of an unperturbed ibex before reaching Dondena Refuge, Victor Emmanuel’s former hunting lodge.
Descent to Cogne © Laurent Comte
Day 7: Dondena Refuge - Donnas – Gressoney St Jean
Dolce Vita
The planned stage is the gentlest of the trip, giving us a much-needed rest after 6 fairly demanding days.
Nevertheless, the group is in great shape, and aching muscles are a distant memory, so I suggest getting up very early, with the sun, for a short loop along the surrounding ridges with much lighter packs. We follow a steep, little-used path to a vantage point above the small valley where our refuge stands. The mood is relaxed, and the day continues with a lovely descent beside a mountain stream to the charming hamlet of Chardonney. There, a grocery shop of the kind only Italy can offer supplies us with antipasti, cheeses, cured meats and little treats. We set the table for a picnic fit for royalty in the shade of the pines while the sun beats down.
While we wait for the bus that will take us down into the valley, some explore the village lanes, while others, like me, surrender to a wonderfully restorative nap. Dolce Vita!
Scenery on day 7 of the Tour des Géants © Laurent Comte
Continue reading about this trek with Alta Via No. 1 - The Giants' High Route.
Trekking on Alta Via No. 2 - The Giants' High Route
To bring together all the highlights, we have combined the best sections of Alta Via No. 1 and Alta Via No. 2 to create #The Tour des Géants.
And for more thrills, discover the 5 most difficult hikes in Europe or our long-distance Alpine traverses.
Text and photo credit © Laurent Comte, Grand Angle guide
Article written by
Laurent Comte
Mountain leader on the finest treks in the Alps
A Savoyard and a Parisian, with a passion for history and the mountains, always looking after you and a rigorous organiser, he'll share his wonder and good humour with you. Read more
