Bivouac du col de sommeiller

The place

Italian bivouac at 2995 m on the former site of the Refuge du Col Sommeiller (3009 m), one of the most cyclable and wildest passes in the Alps. Accessible by car and by bike via 20 km of track from Rochemolles then the Souchera valley. The site includes a documentation center on high-mountain culture, a museum on the history of the Sommeiller Glacier, and self-managed dormitories for a total of 14 beds. The original site was devastated by an avalanche in 1968-1969 that destroyed the former refuge-hotel; operations stopped in 1980. In August 2001, clean-up by an Italian company with Mountain Wilderness, the municipality of Bramans and the Vanoise National Park. Bivouac rebuilt and reopened since August 2024.