Via Alpina Stage 81: Champex-Lac - Bourg St. Pierre
MODERATE (2.5/10)Bourg-Saint-Pierre → Champex-Lac
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Route briefing
What comes next
Climbs, descents and decisive places in route order. Not listed does not mean absent: it may not be mapped.
Start
0 m
Bourg-Saint-Pierre
Start
Route geometry · source 2026-04-10
About 0 min in
16.2 km remaining
+813 m remaining
Route note
500 m
Crêt de Pro
Peak
OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-10
About 10 min in
15.7 km remaining
+805 m remaining
Descent
1.1 km
241 m descent
2.7 km at 9.1% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10
About 22 min in
15.1 km remaining
+800 m remaining
Descent
4.7 km
130 m descent
1.9 km at 6.8% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10
About 1h 35m in
11.5 km remaining
+777 m remaining
Descent
9.2 km
324 m descent
3.1 km at 10.5% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10
About 3h 05m in
7.0 km remaining
+685 m remaining
Climb
12.3 km
588 m climb
3.0 km at 19.5% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-10
About 4h 07m in
4.0 km remaining
+679 m remaining
Finish
16.2 km
Champex-Lac
Finish
Route geometry · source 2026-04-10
About 5h 27m in
0 m remaining
Trail route lab
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Via Alpina Stage 81: Champex-Lac - Bourg St. Pierre is a 16.2 km point-to-point moderate hiking route in Switzerland, running from Bourg-Saint-Pierre to Champex-Lac. The route covers 813m of ascent and 971m of descent, with elevations ranging from 898m to 1,632m. Allow approximately 5h 26m for the full route.
The route is divided into 2 segments. The toughest stretch is the 9.4 km from Roc de Cornet to Champex-Lac, climbing 733m.
About 77% of the trail is runnable, but the remaining steep sections will push most people into power-hiking mode. The steepest pitches reach 43% gradient.
Budget roughly 2,907 kcal of energy expenditure and 3.3 L of water.
Mid-altitude route up to 1633m. Accessible May–October.
Trail Splits
Waypoint-to-waypoint breakdown with estimated hiking times (Naismith's Rule).
| Segment | Dist | ↑ Ascent | ↓ Descent | Time | Cum. km |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
📍 Bourg-Saint-Pierre → Roc de Cornet | 7.0 km | +80m | -454m | 1h 54m | 7.0 |
⛰️ Roc de Cornet → Champex-Lac | 9.4 km | +733m | -516m | 3h 32m | 16.4 |
| Total | 16.2 km | +813m | -971m | 5h 26m | 16.2 |
Pace & Fuel Calculator
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Terrain Analysis
Surface & Technicality
Gradient describes steepness, not exposure, scrambling, footing or current conditions. Technical difficulty is unknown where no mapped rating is available.
Tree cover and UV
🌲 Largely under trees. Good canopy at lower elevations, so the open sections are the ones to plan for.
Canopy is inferred from elevation against a 2000 m Alpine treeline and from gradient below it, not from observed tree data — treat it as an estimate. It is a different question from the terrain shade above, which is about whether a mountain is between you and the sun at a given time.
Current Conditions
Based on 1991–2020 climate averages, the weather on Via Alpina Stage 81: Champex-Lac - Bourg St. Pierre is usually best from May to October. Snow is likely at the high point (1634 m) in January to March.
Weather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (898 m) and high point (1,634 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (898 m) and the highest point (1,634 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Poor | Poor | Poor | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 2°/-6° | 1°/-6° | 3°/-4° | 6°/-2° | 11°/3° | 15°/7° | 17°/9° | 18°/10° | 14°/7° | 11°/5° | 6°/0° | 3°/-4° |
| Low point, day / night | 5°/-4° | 5°/-4° | 9°/0° | 13°/3° | 18°/8° | 22°/11° | 23°/12° | 23°/12° | 19°/9° | 15°/6° | 9°/1° | 6°/-2° |
| Rain, mm | 146 | 117 | 131 | 124 | 150 | 113 | 97 | 103 | 102 | 127 | 165 | 155 |
| Snow at high point | Likely | Likely | Likely | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | Possible | Possible |
| Daylight | 9 h 01 | 10 h 20 | 11 h 49 | 13 h 30 | 14 h 55 | 15 h 43 | 15 h 26 | 14 h 13 | 12 h 37 | 11 h 01 | 9 h 30 | 8 h 41 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. These values describe the whole trail's lowest and highest points. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Averages cannot establish current trail conditions. Check recent local reports, the forecast and restrictions before departure. Snow and ice can persist on shaded sections or arrive outside the usual season.
Current snow conditions
Insufficient evidence
Enable “Current snow map” in the route map’s Map layers to see the surrounding snow evidence. Current conditions do not describe a future departure date.
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Safety & Bailouts
We do not have a verified emergency exit plan for this route. A nearby settlement, hut or route endpoint is not necessarily reachable or open. Do not leave the trail based on a straight-line distance or compass direction.
Review possible exits against current local information before your trip. In an emergency, contact local rescue services; this page is not live rescue guidance.
Suggested Gear List
Auto-generated based on 16.2 km, 813m ascent, max altitude 1632.8m, ~5h duration.
- 👟 Trail running shoes / hiking bootsRequired for any trail
- 📱 Phone (charged) + offline mapNavigation & emergency contact
- 💧 3L hydration vestWater source information is incomplete; plan supplies before departure
- 🍫 Trail mix, bars & sandwichEst. 2907 kcal burn
- 🧴 Sunscreen SPF 50+UV intensifies above 1500m
- 🧢 Sun hat / capExposed alpine terrain
- 🕶️ Sunglasses (cat 3+)Snow & rock glare at altitude
- 🧥 Light rain jacketWeather changes fast in the mountains
- 🩹 Mini first aid kitBlister plasters, tape, antiseptic
- 🧊 Microspikes / light cramponsSnow risk in Jan, Feb, Mar
- 🥢 Trekking poles (optional)813m ascent — helps on descents
- 🦵 GaitersKeep snow out of boots
Logistics
This route runs from Bourg-Saint-Pierre to Champex-Lac (16.2 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.
Nearby Points of Interest
⛰️ Peaks
- Crêt de Pro km 0.5 · 604m off trail
- Roc de Cornet km 7 · 877m off trail
📍 Nearby Places
- La Tsinte 154m off trail
- Le Château 186m off trail
- La Condémine km 0.2 · 298m off trail
- Le Plan du Pey 440m off trail
- La Tade 617m off trail
Route Details
- Network
- International Trail Network
- Sport
- hiking
- Start
- Bourg-Saint-Pierre
- End
- Champex-Lac
- Start Coordinates
- 45.94912, 7.20837
- OpenStreetMap
- View on OSM →
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Route resources
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