Ru Courtod
Description
The extraordinary tour to Ru Courtod in the village of Extrepieraz near Brusson in the Valle d'Ayas begins. The first section of the tour rides along the main road up to Corbet and from here always parallel to the road on gravel paths, single trails or side roads to Frachey. The route follows the main road again for a short distance to Saint-Jacques-des-Allemands, then continues on sometimes steep gravel roads past Alp Gavine to Ru Courtod. The Ru Courtod is a 600-year-old water pipeline that carries glacier water from the very back of the Val d'Ayas to the southern flanks of the Aosta Valley - and a silky-fine singletrail right next to it. You follow this for 12 kilometers until the water pipeline drops a few meters at a small power station. A single trail leads down the steep mountain flank, after which the water pipeline disappears under the gravel road. This leads impressively through a total of 13 tunnels through the rocky eastern flank of Monte Zerbion - an experience of a special kind! As soon as the path becomes flatter, you reach the trail branching off to the left back to Extrepieraz - a fast and fun final section. If you want to extend the tour, follow the gravel road to the Col de Joux instead of the trail to Extrepieraz and from there the 1300-metre descent down to Verrès (see tour: Testa Comagna, webcode 1575). The ideal way to get back to Extrepieraz from Verrès is by shuttle or public bus.
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Details of the tour
34 km
855 m
855 m
1373 above sea level
2088 above sea level
1 day
Brusson
Brusson
1717
well suited
More information
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User comments (2)
About the author: Thomas Giger
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.
A very beautiful tour with a great panorama. We were probably lucky as there wasn't much traffic on the road for the first 3 km (of course, it's not lonely). You have to deviate from the original tour again and again, which is not a bad thing, but takes a little more time. There is a nice trail next to the alpacas, but with lots of walkers. In Champoluc, the route goes through the village, as it is closed to bikes along the stream. The "Fior di Roccia" is a good place to stop for refreshments before the ascent. Otherwise, save your hunger for Alpe Mezzan: a great place! The Ru Coutod is closed where there are galleries, i.e. the first few kilometers must be bypassed. You are also not allowed to ride from the waterworks onwards. However, there are a few paths down beforehand. After the tour: you can have a good meal in the somewhat hidden restaurant/hotel on the main road in Tilly (free parking a little further down).
We did the tour on August 13. Right from the start, you have the head of the valley with the glaciers of the Monte Rosag massif in view - unfortunately the first few kilometers are on the road, which is no fun with the traffic, but probably unavoidable.
Shortly before Champoluc, we had to deviate from the route as it rides across an alpaca pasture. Just take the turn-off to the right here. After a few hundred meters, we return to the original route.
All in all, a wonderful ride despite the many hikers on the Ru Cortod (weekend before Ferragosto). If we had had a little more time, we would have added a detour from Alpe Giardin / Alpe Nana to the Refugio Grand Tournalin (approx. 500 m and 9 km). Unfortunately, we lost too much time with the fantastic panoramic views that keep presenting themselves.
We recommend the Alpe Mezan for a break. This can be reached approx. 3 km after the start of Ru Cortod on the right-hand side with a small detour.
Only the "single trail through the steep mountain flank" after the waterworks was not rideable - at least for us. What the heck .... We just managed to overcome the almost 90 Elevation loss by pushing.
All in all, a really recommendable tour.