ZEGNA OASIS TRAIL
Trail running
The route of the Zegna Oasis Trail takes place entirely in Alta Valsessera. Departure and arrival on Piazzale 1 in Bielmonte: the trail winds through wide pastures, ridge trails and beautiful forests of silver fir, beech and birch trees. The route is a ring totally on mountain paths. You will reach 25 alpine pastures, ponds and alpine bivouacs, following the tracks of deer and roe deer and reaching a wild and uncontaminated valley:
- 60 Km and 3,700 meters of positive and negative height difference
- 25 Km and 1,700 meters of positive and negative height difference
All trails are marked with C.A.I. signs.
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
The start is on the grassy square of Bielmonte ski resort.
Ready to go, immediately uphill, short (100 m D+) but intense 300 m stretch of light descent for about 2 km, runnable, first 500 meters on a path and the last 1500 meters on a forest road. Arrival at Bocchetto Sessera, 1443 m. From here you take an uphill path, you don't follow the ridge but after the first steep stretch you turn right on the C.A.I. F3
path (first variation compared to 2011).
The path continues with several ups and downs until reaching Alpe Montuccia 1430m, you turn left and on a beautiful path Cai F3b you take altitude quickly up to 1663m, re-entering the path of the 2011 edition near the Pera Fura' (pierced stone) 1638m. On the edge of the ridge pass on the Cima del Bonom 1878m, and then descend on a wide meadow Bassa Del Cugnolo 1844m.
Second deviation compared to the 2011 edition, continue on the path F3 on the right on an evident path downhill until you reach the "tegge dell'Artignaga" 1375 m, from here the path continues to the left passing through the archaeological site Fonderia Piloni and the suspension bridge at 1366 on the Sessera river.
Now you take the last stretch of forest road about 2 km until you reach Alpe Piovale 1500m (1st Refreshment Point).
Take the path again on a quite steep climb up to the Alpe Gias Croso 1810 m.
The path now flattens out, becoming more runnable up to the Colma Del Balmello 1900m.
We return on the path of the last edition150 m lower than Cima Asna, descent on wide meadows highlighted by coloured flags. The slope branches off into three ridges; we keep the central one until we reach the edge of a birch forest that we cross for 50m, before entering a forest road. We follow this for 2.5 km passing from Alpe Briolo 1289m up to cross the forest road in Sessera at an altitude of 1200m.
We enter immediately in the path, always in descent, we cross numerous brooks and woods of beech tree up to reach after that the path is made almost road the lowest point of the run to 1026m near alpine refuge, we cross the stone bridge Sessera stream, and we touch the Alpe Baraccone 1061m.
The path from this clearing starts to climb on a wide road, slightly covered with leaves but after a few hundred meters turn right and leads to a beautiful path immersed in the beech forest among whose branches filter numerous rays of light making it very clear and wide-ranging.
The climb continues until Bocchetto Sessera, 1382m. You cross the square and take the path that with less than 50m of overall gradient leads to Bielmonte square 2. From there, you reach the arrival area following a flat stretch along the walk that connects Bielmonte square 2, to square 1 Arrival area, on Bielmonte square 1, after a short final flight of stairs.
Means of transport: On foot
Length(km): 25
Uphill height difference(m): 1700
KML (Google Earth, Google Maps)