Court de Bard, from Challancin
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Description
Leaving the car behind, put on your snowshoes and set off along the farm road leading to the alpine pastures above. You cross the pastures of Challancin and, in three wide bends, you reach the Ponteilles pastures (1741m, 0h20'). Continue along the road and after 150m you come to the junction for Col de Bard (1761m): here turn right, but not before taking a look at the beautiful view of Mont Blanc.
Follow the farm road that now enters a thick forest of fir and larch trees and reaches the village of Arpilles (1882m, 0h45'): from here a path branches off halfway up the hillside into the forest. After a fairly gentle first section, you begin to climb the ridge that divides the watershed with the comba of Vertosan; you proceed through a very dense forest from which, from time to time, there are interesting panoramic glimpses of the peaks that overlook the envers of Morgex: from Mont Paramont to Mont Crammont. Having passed a clearing, from which other tracks depart, pointing to the summit of the ridge that leads to the Punta Fetita, continue halfway up the slope, re-entering the forest. After about 15 minutes, the track becomes steeper and, with a few hairpin bends, gains height. You then start walking again without too much ascent and, after 1h 30', you reach the Col de Bard (2179m): from up here you can see the Comba di Vertosan below. Leave the path for the Punta Fetita and continue to the right, heading towards the Court de Bard in a truly suggestive environment. We proceed first slightly downhill and then gently uphill towards our destination: the panorama towards the surrounding peaks is remarkable, from the Grivola to the Mont Blanc massif. After an idyllic half-hour or so, we reach the squat summit of Court de Bard (2261m, 2h00').
The descent follows the same route as the ascent.
