Via Ferrata Bethaz Bovard

Introduction:

The Ferrata Bethaz Bovard is a beautiful itinerary, long and demanding even though it does not present single passages of high difficulty. It is a via ferrata with 4 sections, the last of which is in a ridge area.

Starting location:

The starting point of the itinerary is Valgrisenche. It is reached along the SR25. You park in the village. Directions for Google Maps available here.

Approach:

We pass along the inhabited center in the direction of the obvious dam. Pass the church going up along the road towards a warehouse originally a military building. On the left side of this building you can see the first rocky steps with the metal equipment and the sign of the beginning of the ferrata (10 'from the parking lot).

Via Ferrata:

The Bethaz Bovard Ferrata consists of 4 sections with escape routes at the end of each section. For a quickview of the route, here the image.

1. The beginning is easy and show right away most of the route features: nice rock, many brackets. We climb on the wood the first brackets very easy to then undertake a vertical wall with many brackets. You turn right on a short traverse and then we climb to the left helped by some brackets towards a rocky pulpit which we pass coming on the left side and we proceed then with a vertical strech gaining altitude quickly. We proceed on a connecting path. We then proceed on a traverse with the feet on the brackets then a vertical wall leading us on a leaned section next to aprotection net prior to begin a vertical wall with 3 overhanging meters that tend to push out in the change of the carabiner. The metallic equipment ends momentarily, we continue on a well marked path up to a stretch of easy lying rocks to which follows a traverse to the left. At the end of the traverse we attach a leaning wall that leads under a wall with a more marked overhang at the end of which ends the first stretch of the Bethaz Bovard Ferrata.
2. Go up a path to the start of the second section of the ferrata. After an easy inclined wall, a long vertical slab with with brackets for the feet. Continue on a succession of rocks, inclined walls and small vertical ledges without ever having considerable difficulty levels. Continue on a path between the bilberry trees. Start another stretch of ferrata with a slightly overhanging wall followed by a traverse to the left and a wall of about 7 meters and ending the second stretch of the ferrata. Follow the path to the right, slightly downhill to the north. Continue on this thin path and reach the third stretch.
3. We face a non-steep wall to the left up to meet an impressive and exposed vertical wall above us on which we will proceed on a series of brackets for some tens of meters. Then we face some rocks and another vertical wall that is less long than the previous one. This vertical section ends and a horizontal traverse on the right is first followed by a slight descent to the end of the third and penultimate stretch.
4. Follow the path to the right and then towards the last obvious vertical wall. It starts with a leaned wall and then a vertical wall in a dihedral. We face some vertical and supported walls and slowly we take ourselves to an aided ridge path. This stretch is definitely aerial and exposed but not technically difficult. Continue through ridge strands, stones to be scraped, rocky jumps and small dihedrals and chimneys along the fine ridge with beautiful view on the valley. Then we reach the top of the last vertical wall and then at the end of the route (4h from the start -4h 15 'from the parking lot). It is possible to also reach the antenna visible along the climb.

Descent:

Ci sono un paio di opzioni per il rientro. Quella più agevole è di proseguire in leggera salita lungo il sentiero 18 fino al Rifugio degli Angeli (2916 m) e seguire alle sue spalle la salita fino al colle da cui si scende (sentiero 16) fino a l'Arp Vieille e poi seguire la mulattiera militare (sentiero 17) che riporta in paese (2h 30' dal termine della ferrata - ca 7h totali).

In alternativa si attraversa una pietraia (scivolosa) e cercando di orientarsi in assenza di segni si intercetta il sentiero 18 verso destra col quale rientreremo alla macchina col quale raggiungeremo in circa 2 ore il villaggio di La Bethaz. Dal villaggio si segue il sentiero 22 parallelo alla strada verso destra che condurrà in poco più di 2 Km al parcheggio dove abbiamo lasciato l'auto.

Notes:

The Bethaz Bovard Ferrata is a challenging itinerary, without exaggerated technical difficulties but exposed, tiring and long. So it should not be underestimated even in the light of the altitude in where it develops.

Attenzione ai tratti di collegamento e al termine dell'escursione sul sentiero di rientro dove la segnaletica del sentiero è scarsa o assente. Lungo la cresta, a un certo punto, termineranno le attrezzature. Seguire a vista in direzione del ricevitore. La attrezzature inizieranno nuovamente. Non è raro incontrare a inizio stazione lunghi tratti coperti da neve quindi essere preparati con l'attrezzatura necessaria.

Along the climb we find the exit routes: one about 1930 m reaching the 17 path, one at about 2200 again towads the path 17 and one at 2350 towards the 18 path.

Ultima nota sulla discesa: dalla vetta della Becca dell'Aouille occorre seguire le frecca gialle che indicano di percorrere la parte alta del vallone fino a raggiungere il sentiero n.18 da dove si può poi scendere verso il villaggio della Bethaz o proseguire in salita verso i laghi del Morion o il Rifugio degli Angeli. Scendere subito nel vallone e non seguire le frecce gialle crea problemi a valle per via di salti di roccia rendendo impossibile la discesa.

Opportunities:

A little less than an hour's drive in the valley parallel to the southeast is the Via Ferrata Casimiro. Among the other ferratas in the western part of the Aosta Valley we also report the Via Ferrata Marguerettaz, the Aided path to the Dalmazzi Hut, the Ferrata at the Gran Paradiso and the Ferrata to the Borelli Shelter.