Tête du Mont, from Dublanc

Introduction

A splendid viewpoint over the Champorcher valley, passing through the uninhabited village of Barmelle. On arrival, a stunning view of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa..

Description

The first steps are taken along the asphalt road that leads to the large white apartment building. At the height of the building, take the path on the left that, after a few concrete steps, continues gently, passes the building and heads into the meadows, passing above a stable that houses a flock of goats. At the end of a slightly uphill section, the path narrows to pass between two large rocks, and shortly afterwards begins the first of several steps up the steep sides of the valley. At the end of the steps, you descend to cross a gully and climb up the other side into the coniferous forest until you come to a narrow passage where the path seems to be carved into the rock. Immediately afterwards, you come to a fork where you must follow the track to the left, which climbs steeply and almost immediately becomes a long stone staircase that, with a few narrow hairpin bends, quickly leads to the belvedere over the lower Champorcher valley. Cross a small valley crossed by a rivulet and after a few dozen steps, the village of Pontboset can be seen at the bottom of the valley. Continue along the steps until reaching a level section where the path heads eastwards until reaching the pastures below the village of Barmelle. The slope becomes less steep and after a few hairpin bends, you reach the beautiful fountain built downstream of the hamlet. Surrounded on three sides by a dry-stone wall that supports the roof made of slab tiles, the basin was carved out of a single block of rock patiently chiselled away on the inside, unfortunately lacking any reference to the date of construction. It takes less than five minutes to reach the abandoned village, cross it on the way to the recently restored little church and from here, passing under the cables of the cableway used to transport materials, climb the slope northwards for a few minutes until you reach the foot of a large ash tree. Here, the uncertain track that ascends between the meadows resumes the dignity of a path and climbs steadily up the slope, crosses a scree slope and then reaches a forest of majestic larches. These dot the mountainside at a respectable distance from each other, tall and massive, stretching their long branches almost to the point of touching. The path then creeps between the dense rows of reforestation conifers that follow the contour lines in an orderly fashion until we reach the fork where we leave the left-hand branch that descends towards the village of Rosier and continue the ascent to the right. The path becomes less and less steep as it approaches the ridge, and you soon come in sight of the cross that marks the summit of La Tête du Mont and shortly afterwards cross the pass, passing on the north side of the mountain. Follow the path that descends the ridge heading west until you meet the track on the left that leads to the summit with a steep but short ascent. From here you can enjoy an exceptional panorama over the entire Champorcher valley, turning north, beyond Mount Barbeston, you can see the unmistakable silhouette of the Matterhorn in the distance and the Monte Rosa massif to your right.