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Mont
Facciabella and Mont Vascotchaz
Located
at 2570 meters of altitude, the Facciabella (Beautiful Face in Italian)
is that mountain – part of the chain starting from Portola and ending
to Gran Tournalin – charaterised by the thin antiavalanches located
just down its peak. You can easily see it from the churchyard, in
Champoluc. Actually, it’s standing over the village. The
way to get there it’s quite serious, but it hasn’t got particular
difficulties, and offers a sensational panorama. I recommend it to the
parents who want to make their children know how the mountain look like.
But don’t forget to carry extra water, ‘cause there aren’t springs
up there: the noise you’ll here isn’t the water, but the wind which
seems to like that place very much. Anyway,
how can you reach the Facciabella?
Here
you are the chronicle of our excursion, made Thursday 26th
August 2004.
We
left Mandrou at 9:30 AM, arriving at 10.25 at the little Vascoccia’s
chapel.From there you go rightwards for a while and then you cross the
beautiful Pian Pera (2327 meters).
Now,
you need to find the path number 3, which will take you toward Colle
Vascotchaz. The path will take you in a wide and sunny grassy canyon,
just a littlw exposed to blows coming from the Colle.
At
11.30 we reached the Colle, without a problem: the path is a real
pleasure, without a single rock.
The
Colle Vascotchaz is a narrow grassy plan lying at 2558 meters, often
shady, offering a good visual of the glacier and of Grand Tournalin,
northwards. Besides, in the Colle’s area, you’ll find a wall on the
left where it’s easy to see marmots. The
path would keep towards to Col de Nanaz (2773 meters), and then to Bec
Trecare (3031 meters) with 3C path. To the Facciabella, instead, you
just have to look eastward, that’s to say your right; you’ll see a
wide rocky arm which points at the heart of the valley floor, towards
Champoluc. This
ridge is really easy to be done, counts some not necessary totems,
and reminds me the run which lays between Portola and Zerbion’s peak.
We’ve arrived at 12.15, over the big red antiavalanches. Finally, I’d
like to remind the presence of a short, but steep, slope where maybe
it’s better to accompany your children. Briefly,
it’s a pleasanta and beautiful excursion, the best way to try two
important ascents. Besides, the emotion to eat looking the whole Rosa’s
massif, snugly sitting and repared from wind, is to be proved at all
costs.
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