Weismatten (2055m), trail 2

from Biel to Weismatten

Capriata House, the Carlo Mollino Refuge

Trail 2 starts in Biel, a hamlet of Gressoney-Saint-Jean at the end of the Castel Savoia road, and arrives at the top station of the Weismatten chairlift (2055 m). It is 2777m long and the total positive elevation gain is 590m.
The approximate time for the climb is 1h46. The trail is rated of difficulty E.

Simple trail, more than half of which follows a dirt road that is a ski slope (of blue difficulty) in winter. The most panoramic point is shortly after the start, when it cuts across the wall of the black ski slope dedicated to the Gressoney champion Leonardo David and offers a remarkable view of the Gressoney-Saint-Jean plain.

The main attraction is undoubtedly the Carlo Mollino Refuge/Casa Capriata. Inaugurated on December 5, 2014, the refuge was named after Carlo Mollino, an important architect, designer, and photographer, professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Turin, and was built according to his “casa capriata” project, a reinterpretation of traditional Walser houses. Here is the Turin Polytechnic website dedicated to the project, and this document, “Il progetto in sintesi” (The project in summary), which contains photos of the construction, is also interesting. The shelter now offers bar/restaurant services and charming tented overnight stays; here is the website where you can find more information.

The Queen’s Tea Pavilion

Next to the refuge stands an ancient building, currently inaccessible, which tends to be underestimated: the wooden part above the stone base is none other than Queen Margherita of Savoy’s tea pavilion, which was originally located at Villa Margherita (now the town hall) and was moved up here in the 1950s, first as a hunting lodge and then as a bar/restaurant, which remained in operation until the opening of the Mollino refuge. We hope it will soon be restored and enhanced as it deserves.

At this point (which can also be reached via a convenient 15-minute chairlift ride), two trails begin: the challenging 1A, which leads to the Frudière lakes, and the more accessible 3A, which leads to Punta della Regina , undoubtedly the most popular destination for hikers in this area.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks

Photo Gallery

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The view of Gressoney-Saint-Jean from the slope

David's lodges in winter, as seen from the pole

The Queen's Tea Pavilion in 2006, open to customers

1. Start and finish

Trail 2 starts from the hamlet of Biel, the elevation is 1480m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.7610181625, 7.82892503363

The arrival location is the arrival station of the Weismatten chairlift. The altitude is 2055m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.7483138513, 7.82499961266

You follow the signs for Savoy Castle: once you reach it, you pass it, continuing along the road for another 500 meters or so, until shortly after a garbage shed you come to a small public parking lot.

the parking lot

2. The route

Trail 2, after a short section in the woods, cuts halfway up the final wall to the black ski slope named after Leonardo David, an unforgettable Gressonese ski champion. It then continues for a long stretch on a dirt road, cuts through the forest to join the initial section of the red ski slope, which ascends until it rejoins the dirt road that leads up to the Weismatten chairlift arrival station.

The route

After parking, follow the paved road for about 400 meters until you first cross the ski lift track and then a wide grassy slope.

The first marker indicates trail 3. The 2 starts at the bottom corner

As soon as you reach the first bend to the left, you will find the beginning of Trail 2 on the right (you can see a yellow marker on a boulder).

The start of trail 2

The section in the forest is very short, and the trail is very wide with gentle turns, being also a mountain bike trail: after passing a little more than 100m of elevation gain, going up to the left, you come out at the height of a small house that is halfway up the final wall of the black ski slope, which you cross by continuing horizontally.

The wall of the black track is cut

You climb a short distance up the slope until you reach the middle station of the chairlift.

The middle station of the chairlift

We then continue along the dirt road (in winter itself a ski slope, blue). You will find after a very short time on the left the signs for La Cialvrina hotel/restaurant (about 1656m), which can also be reached by car. You pass it, and when you meet a paved hairpin bend you stay on the dirt road.

After Cialvrina continue on the dirt road to the right

The section on the dirt road always has a fairly constant gradient, except at one point where it becomes particularly steep.

Steep section of the dirt road

Continue for about 600 meters more, neglecting a marker on the right-hand side that indicates a detour to Trail 1W…

The pole indicating the direction for the 1W to the right

…and you will come to a point, at about 1776m, where you will find on the left a road leading to some isolated huts ( David’s Huts)…

David’s cabins at the junction for Trail 2

…while instead on the right is a snow cannon with a yellow “2” stamp painted on it and on the base.

The 2 turns right at this cannon

The trail cuts right, passing behind the cannon.

Trail 2 can be seen behind the cannon

This image shows the final section of the trail, from David’s huts onward.

The final section of the route

In the final section, the trail cuts upward for a short distance and returns to the red ski slope, which it crosses and skirts going up the right…

You skirt the red runway going up

…until it reaches a dirt road that in 400 meters leads to the arrival of the Weismatten chairlift (2055m)…

The arrival at the chairlift station

…and to the adjacent Casa Capriata – Rifugio Carlo Mollino, 2040m . The tea pavilion is located between the station and the refuge.

Capriata House, the Carlo Mollino Refuge

Possible continuations

Two main routes depart from Weismatten:

1. the challenging 1A, which leads up to the beautiful Frudière Lakes.

Lake Superior Frudière

2. the more affordable 3A that leads up to Punta Regina, surely the most popular destination for hikers in this area.

Punta della Regina

Furthermore, following the 3A trail, you can reach Colle della Garda (at the base of Punta della Regina), and from there take the detour to the left, the starting point of the challenging 1B trail that touches the peaks of Rena, Taille, and Taf mountains in sequence, then descends to meet the 1A trail near Colletto Taf. Thanks to this trail, you can return directly to Weismatten without passing through the peaks of the three mountains again.

Finally, still following trail 3A (which is in common with trail 3B), at Lake Gombetta you can continue straight ahead, without climbing to Punta della Regina, and thus arrive at Colle Ranzola, from where you can return directly to the valley following trail 3.

The Ranzola Pass and the chapel

3. The GPX track

This is the map of the trail, according to the SCT Trail Cadastre of the Aosta Valley.

Download the trail in GPX format

4. A recent hike

20/8/2021

This is the GPX track for trail 2 alone, which I followed during the beautiful hike I did on August 18, 2021, first climbing to Weismatten along (precisely) trail 2, reaching the Garda Pass with 3A, linking Mount Rena, Mount Taille, and Mount Taf following 1B, and returning to Weismatten along 1A, from where I then descended again along 2.

Download the trail in GPX format