La Promenade, the Valle d'Aosta ski mountaineering traverse by Shanty Cipolli and Simon Croix

A year ago, in spring 2017, the two young freeriders Shanty Cipolli and Simon Croux decided to do something rather unusual and traversed across the entire Valle d'Aosta with skis. Starting from Courmayeur, the two spent 22 days hugging close to the "Four Giants of the Alps", namely Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso, following in the footsteps of those who, in 1970, had made the first round ski mountaineering traverse of the Aosta Valley mountains.

The 22 days with heavy backpacks were marked by fatigue, but as Shanty told planetmountain.com to "when we got used to this condition, the fatigue transformed into pure enjoyment! Immersed in these valleys, lost up in the high mountains, surrounded by lines envied by all the best freeriders! In our backyard we have a freeride heaven, and we went to check it out." This is their story, click the subtitles for the English version.

1st ski mountaineering traverse of the Valle d’Aosta
On 1 May 1970 Ruggero Busa, Guido Fournier, Carlo Vettorato completed the first ski mountaineering traverse of the Aosta mountains.

The 2017 traverse
Courmayeur, Arp la Balme, La Thuile con il Rutor, Valgrisenche with amazing bivouac on the glacier Ghiacciaio di Goletta below Granta Parei, Val di Rhemes, Col Bassac Derè, Valsavaranche per i Piani del Nivolet, Cogne, Lago di Miserin, Champorcher, Gressoney Colle Bettaforca, Champoluc, Colle di Nana, Torgnon, Saint-Denis, Colle Vessonaz, then Valle del Gran San Bernardo, Col de Malatrà, Courmayeur.

Info
Throughout the journey the two slept mostly in tents and in some small bivouacs and huts. They ate the supplies they bought in small shops in the villages they passes when returning into the valleys, as well as food they had stashed in strategic points before embarking on the journey.

Link: FB Shanty Cipolli, FB Simon Croux, Mammut