Rating: Not recommended!
If you’re spending time in Aosta, you definitely shouldn’t waste it on this trail—unless you’ve really seen everything else. We know that trail preferences are extremely subjective. That’s why we’ll try to back this up with some “objective” criteria:
The climb: Simply boring. You pedal uphill on a mountain road 4 to 8 meters wide while taking in the full ski resort panorama: gondolas, safety nets, snow cannons, and construction sites. If you’re out here in the beautiful fall, you’ll also face the problem that the lift (not public transportation) no longer runs to Pila. A shuttle from the recommended tour operator costs 160 euros for a one-way trip, which we simply find extremely expensive. We drove up ourselves and took a taxi back up in the evening for 80 euros to retrieve the car. Still expensive, but half the price.
The highlight (on top of that): The view to the south and east is fantastic and at least somewhat makes up for the effort. The subsequent ridge traverse, with its three climbs, is also quite a challenge: on the south face, it allows absolutely zero margin for error and demands a bit of “pain,” but it’s really worth it. This section is absolutely top-notch.
The descent: One of the most boring we’ve experienced in a long time. Just steep (meaning: constantly on the brakes) and completely devoid of technical challenges or exciting key sections; even if you just go full throttle, it doesn’t get any more exciting. Hiking Trail No. 1 leads unspectacularly across the pastures. Over just a few kilometers, you’ll tackle a massive elevation gain with absolutely no fun factor. Obstacle note: On one section, the trees are lying around like Mikado sticks. But you can see it clearly at the intersection: Just continue briefly on the forest road; the trails merge again afterward.
Bottom line: Even if the mountain railway goes all the way to the top in the summer, skip this trail. The only real highlight for us was the view of Mont Blanc.

The description mentions an exposed ridgeline. However, there are several peaks before the actual descent begins. The ridgeline trail, with its ups and downs, isn’t particularly difficult technically; but there are frequent vertical drops to the left and right. If you value your life, you’d be better off getting off your bike—a riding mistake, like a pedal getting caught, can always happen. There are also several very steep climbing sections that I barely managed to get through on my e-bike—and I can usually climb anywhere without any trouble.
The downhill trail is really great; it has everything you could possibly want—alpine terrain, forest and meadows, hairpin turns, roots; sometimes steep, mostly flowing. The fallen trees are still there, though Trail No. 1 is officially rerouted.

Well, there are better things to do in Pila.
E.g. Punta Replan or down to Cogne. And from 2026, when the cable car rides all the way up, the trail will certainly suffer a bit due to the higher frequency. Lots of trees at the bottom. But you can see that things are slowly being tidied up.

I only did the tour in mid-July. The ridge path was very beautiful, but also involved a lot of pushing. After that, however, it got worse and worse. Trail #1 was completely washed out in many places and trampled by cows, and further on there were only fallen trees on the trail. I tried to get back on trail #1 at Turlin after I had to switch to a forest path, but the same thing there too, just fallen trees... The same was also the case on other trails such as #21B. Outside the Pila bike park, everything was very disappointing.
Maybe some of it has been cleared in the meantime, but in July hardly any of the descents described here were feasible.

The Couis 1 chairlift will not be in operation in summer 2024 because the lift is being rebuilt. It will be accessible again from 2025.

We climbed from the Alpe Grimondet up to the Pointe de la pierre. Great dreamy forest trail. Afterwards we pushed up to the Pointe.
Down also just to Alpe Grimondet via the super forest trail and then the hiking trail 21 D down to Aosta....very fun. It can certainly be ridden comfortably, but at high speed it was simply very cool. There are a few steep walls discreetly built in. A few steps in between. The upper section is rather damp.

Highly recommended! Have spare brake pads ready for the next tour 😁

Rode the tour today, just endless trail fun, brilliant!

I can only partially agree with mathisdaniel's comment. The ascent over the ski slope is a challenge, even with an e-bike, but it is doable. Once you reach the ridge, you are rewarded with a breathtaking view.
The first few meters on the ridge can be ridden with appropriate caution. However, this is followed by sections where the slightest mistake can lead to a fatal fall and are almost impossible to negotiate (especially with a heavy e-bike).
Once you reach the Point de la Pierre, the trail fun begins. And in comparison to the previous comment, I have to say it is pure downhill fun and includes every trail variant you can imagine. Absolutely first class with no ifs and buts.
Provided you enjoy riding on S2 trails.

Did the tour this week. The ascent from Chamolé was very steep and the gravel road is currently closed due to roadworks. The bike has to be carried up the ski slope in this area. Once you reach the ridge at Couis 1, the panorama is really impressive. Half of the ridge path is then unrideable (partly out of caution) and very exposed in places. Normally I would recommend good hiking boots, but this is still difficult on a bike. Perhaps the ascent from the top station of the Grimondet chairlift (closed in summer) would be the better option. The view from the Pointe de la Pierre is again excellent.
The first few meters are brilliant & flowy, after that the trail unfortunately gets worse and worse. From around 1800m above sea level, the brakes are under a lot of strain and can practically no longer be released.
All in all, it's the strenuous ascent and the first few Elevation losses on the descent that I'll remember :)