Mount Zerbion

Mount Zerbion

The Zerbion (2719 meters) is not only a beautiful mountain to be climbed, or an excpetional panoramic point which stands over Ayas; in my case, it’s something more: I’ve been “baptized” at mountain there, in farway 1991. From then on I’ve been nearly 10 times: Zerbion, for me, represents an intransgressible dating. Every summer is like coming back to an old friend. Apart of sentimentalism, let’s see the most remarkable aspects of this mount.

The Zerbion is the big dark green pyramid which closes the upper part of Ayas southwards, pratically standing in front of the glacier: sometimes it’s almost wrapped by a blue light; this aspect is so peculiar that in patois, Ayas’ slang, it’s called Mont Pers, which means “Mount Azure”. Behind it, here you are the wide St. Vincent’s plan; from there starts the long rocky ridge which divides Ayas from Valtournenche, ridge which will end with the Grand Tournalin. Its top is surmounted by a magnificent Lady’s statue, built up during the Fascist era. Every year, at its feet, there are unfortunately new little photos of alpinists who lost their lives on their loved mountains. How do we reach the mount? First, we have to start from Barmasc, a big meadow reachable from Antagnod. Precisely, we start from Lady’s Plan; the run takes from two hours (for fit trekker) to three hours. Notwithstanding the bad impression Zerbion could give, this mount isn’t a difficult walk at all. The worst part ends at 2410 meters, when we reach Portola Pass, where there’s Christ statueby Gabriel Girardi. From there on the path runs on a ridge, climbing progressivly until reaching and overtaking 2600 meters of altitude: the last path could look slippery and a little steep, but it’s really short. Walking towards the peak you also have the occasion to see a beautiful “Via Crucis”, which starts at Lady’s Plan and end at the top; the first steps have been placed in 1995, and the last only in 2004. Finally, Zerbion’s panorama is rightly famous: the mount stands over the whole St. Vincent’s Valley, Ayas and allows to admire Rosa’s massif in its beautifulness. Just a suggestion: you better take with you a map, a camera and binoculars to look at best the glacier!

A last regard is dutifully addressed to the possibility of excursions made to admire the sunrise: it’s a sight impossible to be forgotten. In the end, here you are the chronicle of the run made by Varasc.it on August 10^th, 2004. We left Barmasc at 8.09 AM, arriving at Portola, in a foggy atmosphere, at 9.20. We met a lot of steinbocks, so I lost a little time looking for them, arriving at the end on the top at 10.10 AM.