2022 Tor des Geants Italy

Monday 22nd August:  Weather: 8°C to 15·C.  Sunny all day with blue skies  

Day 6 Eaux Rousses to Rifugio Vittorio Sella:  Walk 17.4k: 8hrs 15 mins: 8.30am to 4.45pm: 2 x 20 mins stops

Ascent/Descent:  Ascent 1,949m, Descent 767m: Total up and Down 2,716m

Accommodation: Rifugio Vittorio Sella

Day 6 highlight was ascending the highest col (pass)  of the Tor des Geants, Col Lauson at 3,299 metres, an ascent from Eaux Rousses of almost 2,000 metres - ouch! The first part of the climb up was amazing with perfect weather, and after coffee we saw our first Ibex and Chamois on the mountain sides.  But it was tough going up the last 200 metres ascent to the Col - very rocky, shaly and unstable.  We’re both looking at each other and wondered what we were doing here. The descent was just as bad, but once down off the col,the gradient was better and all teh way to Rifugio Vittorio Sella we saw many chamois prancing around the spartan valley. 

Our day starts early with a cup of Jet Boiled tea in the bathroom for safety.  Then time to collect our washing strung around the room, except someone forgot my PJ bottoms still hanging on a water pipe, then down to a wonderful buffet breakfast.  We were full after meusli and yoghurt, but there was still croissants, cake, meats and cheeses to go.  We leave at 8.30am and start the long climb up to Col Lauson through the pine forests. It’s not as cold as yesterday and soon we emerge from the trees at around 2,000 metres, to brilliant sunshine. After three hours, we need a break, and sit on a rocky perch watching our first group of Ibex lazing in the sun. There’s also a mountain biker coming up behind us, and later when it was steeper we saw him carrying his bike. Ugh!

Onward up to the col which is getting steeper with every step. It starts to get rocky then shaly, then the path narrows, then it’s steeper and we’re pulling ourselves to the top with poles dug into the shale.  Finally we’re at the top after a five and a half hour slog up 1,900 metres.  It’s 2.30pm and we’re afraid to eat lunch at the top because we do not want lunch legs down the other side which looks just as treacherous as it was on the way up.  A drink of water and a one minute stop and we start down the other side, inching our way down the slippery shale, packs tight on our back, digging the poles into the sides to stabilise our descent.  After one hour of steep wobbly descent , the track levels out and we reach the plateau below to have a very belated lunch at 3.00pm.

We can see the Rifugio Vittorio Sella way down on the lower part of the valley.  There’;s sheep like maggots on the hillside and chamois prancing back and forward across the path. We arrive at the refugio at 4.45pm and are greeted by the warden who checks us in and recites the menu for us to choose from - risotto, then veal, then dessert. We also buy a shower token as the shower operates like a slot machine.   We’re in room 7 - all to ourselves - and first of all have a 2 minute hot shower before unpacking.  Then time to make the beds with our sleeping sheet sandwiched between the mattress and doona. 

At 6pm we’re downstairs and Ian has a beer while I have some kind of sweet spritzig sweet drink while blogging.  We’re soon joined by two Dutch ladies who have hiked up from Valnontey and plan to spend a few days in Bivouacs.  They do a lot of hiking all over Europe so we have a lot in common and chat about hiking here there and everywhere.  Dinner is served at 7pm, a better time for us rather then the usual 7.30pm which is common in Italy.  We have cheesy risotto, followed by two thin slices of veal with potatoes and carrots, then dessert of cake with streaks of raspberry. We chat some more than off to bed at 9pm.