Forgotten paths in the basin of By, from Glassier

Access

From the Aosta East exit, enter the tunnels that lead to the G.S.Bernardo state road.
A hundred metres after the exit of the second tunnel, take the road to Valpelline.
One kilometre after the centre of this village, take the diversions to the left for Ollomont, pass the village and head towards the bottom of the valley.
You can park after the hamlet of Vaud (about ten cars) or continue on to Glassier, with a good car park.

Description

From the Vaud car park, after a few metres a path to the right crosses the stream and, in the forest, reaches the Le Crotte alp and path no. 6 (for the Regondi) coming from Glassier. From Glassier, follow the signs for the Regondi bivouac, on a path that climbs comfortably up the steep forest to the beginning of the little valley that precedes the Gaula pass. To the left, a track crosses a grassy slope at first, then a scree slope until reaching a grassy ridge. We turn right following cattle tracks and arrive at some huts in a fairly good state of preservation at an altitude of 2076 on the Hiker's Map. The place is very beautiful, a terrace facing the Velan. Behind the huts, the path continues comfortably and well marked through the forest until it reaches the beginning of the little valley to the north of the Gaula. In 2012, the place was devastated by a road that will probably reach Places. Opposite continues one of the two paths that go up to Regondi, to the left a gully where a torrent runs. Descend into the gully, which can be crossed over a bridge that passes in front of a small waterfall, then climb up the opposite slope to immediately descend again and cross another stream with some difficulty in spring or on hot afternoons. We are now on the steep pastures that descend from Alpe Balme. We ascend until we come to a well-marked path on the left that leads to the alpe (now reached by the inter-passage road). Before reaching it, when you come in sight of the By basin, descend (paths or tracks) towards the Cheval Blanc alpine pasture below, either straight ahead along a little gully or by following a path that is not very evident but is marked by stakes driven into the ground, which allows you to cross the little jump leading to the alpine pasture. This stretch, from Cheval Blanc to Alpe Balme, is, in winter, with settled snow, an alternative to the col Fenetre path, often interrupted by slides of hard snow. Today, the Cheval Blanc alpine pasture is disfigured by a new road. Following this road, you reach the chapel of By, from which, if you wish, you can take a comfortable path back to Glassier. Continue towards the dam, on which transit is forbidden by strong bars. You descend into the little valley below it and climb up the other side, following a little path that leads to the cross-country track coming from Champillon. Continue along it (an exceptionally panoramic stretch, dominated on one side by the Velan and its satellites, on the other by the Gelè-Morion chain, not to mention the Grand Combin and the chain that reaches the Fenetre pass, behind which you can see the huts at an altitude of 2076 metres). When the road bends sharply to the right to skirt the slope that descends from Velan for a long time and reappear on the opposite slope below Monte Rotondo, you leave it and reach Alpe Berruard via a short dirt track. From here, an easy path leads back to Glassier, passing the Barliard waterfalls. On the opposite slope, you can see the cross-country road and paths that reach it by crossing the slope. You then descend to cross a couple of streams to reach one of these paths, leaving some ruins on the right, which, with a moderate ascent, lead you back to the cross-country track that you follow until you meet the cross-country track coming from Barliard and leading to the La Chevriere alp. From this pasture, follow this inter-country road to Vaud (last section on the trail) or to Barliard, from where you can easily reach Glassier.