Seura, from Omens

Introduction

On the heights above Verrès at the entrance to the Val d'Ayas, one encounters a world that is little known but not at all suggestive. The itinerary proposed here takes you into this mid-mountain environment where nature still has the upper hand and anthropisation is very light.

Description

Leaving the car behind, we proceed into the small village; having passed the last houses, the little road begins to climb up through the thick forest with a series of twists and turns that can sometimes be avoided by following the cuts in the mule track. You climb gently, enjoying interesting panoramic views of the Avic mountains and the coast that separates the Champorcher valley from the central valley. We pass a small ruin and again proceed through the forest for a long, almost straight stretch until we reach a series of short hairpin bends that take us up to the Poularey alpine pastures (968m, 0h30'). Having left the alpine pastures, the road continues with long twists and turns through the forest, where the oak slowly gives way to the Swiss stone pine and birch. You reach a short clearing from which there is an interesting view of the lower Ayas valley, and you reach the small village of Champore (1168m, 1h00'). Passing the first cottages, you come to a fork: turn right and start climbing again along the snow-covered track; slowly re-enter the woods and continue up long hairpin bends to the junction for the Vert cottages (1238m, 1h30'). Neglecting the diversions to the left, after 10 minutes you come to another fork: this time turn left and continue uphill along the track until you reach Col de Vert (1411m, 2h00'). Descend the pass briefly in the direction of Fornelle and then take, on the left, a little summer path (not very evident) that quickly leads to the beautiful village of Praussé (1462m, 2h10). We cross the beautiful renovated huts until we reach a beautiful viewpoint over the lower valley. After enjoying the beautiful panorama, retrace your steps to the last cottages, from where you start climbing again in a northerly direction. During this short uphill stretch, you come across two interesting caves before joining the summer farm road again; by now the destination is near: turn right and climb the last short uphill stretch that separates us from Alpe Seura (1546 m, 2h30'). From the beautifully restored alpine pasture, you can appreciate the vast panorama that stretches from the distant Grand Combin to the Rosa massif. The return trip takes place along the farm track to Col de Vert: from here, it is possible to cut across on a non-obligatory track to Champore, from where it is possible to follow the track again to Omens (1h 30'). The route proposed here is not very well known, so to avoid possible orientation problems, you can reach Alpe Seura by following the farm road all the way: the itinerary is a little longer but there is less risk of getting lost.