At the foot of Monte Rosa, where the Ayas Valley unfolds in all its beauty, a landscape that has inspired alpinists, poets, and travellers reveals itself to you. It is in these places that alpinism found one of its first cradles: amidst ridges, glaciers, and profound silences, the human desire to ascend, discover, and contemplate was ignited.
Here, adventure meets your deepest harmony.
A landscape that welcomes you
The municipality of Ayas embraces this land of contrasts and wonders, carved by the Evançon stream and framed by pastures, forests, rocks, and vertical walls.
It is a valley where nature has sculpted a varied and powerful landscape, where every village is a small world unto itself, with its own rhythm, its face, its soul, ready to unveil itself to you.
The villages, the soul of the valley
At 1568 meters, Champoluc is the living heart of your experience: the starting point for exploration, the place where hospitality meets your authenticity.
A little higher up, Antagnod overlooks the valley like a suspended balcony at 1710 meters, while the villages of Frachey, Saint-Jacques, Crest, Cuneaz, Pilaz, and Mascognaz preserve the intact architecture of the rascard, ancient wooden and stone barns that tell you centuries of rural life and constructive wisdom.
Everywhere, you will perceive the influences of the Walser, a population of Germanic origin who left profound marks on the architecture, traditions, and culture of the valley.
Living traditions and shared memories
Ayas is not just natural beauty: it is also know-how, living tradition, shared memory awaiting you.
Wood carving, animal husbandry, and cheese production are gestures that speak of a people tied to their land but capable of embracing the new.
Always a crossroads for travelers, pilgrims, and merchants, this valley is a bridge between past and future, a bridge you too can cross.
Winter: your clear silence
When the snow arrives, everything becomes clearer for you.
In the Monterosa Ski area, over 150 km of perfectly snow-covered slopes await you, connecting the Ayas Valley, the Gressoney Valley, and Valsesia.
If you love ski mountaineering, you’ll find legendary routes to explore here. If you prefer a slower pace, there’s a splendid cross-country ski track immersed in nature, where you can rediscover your silence, your rhythm, and your breath.
Or put on your snowshoes and venture into the woods: walking in fresh snow is a simple yet powerful gesture.
It brings you back to the pace of the mountain, making you feel a living part of the landscape.
This is how you rediscover winter, far from noise, close to your truth.
Summer: your explosion of life
When the snow retreats, the mountain opens up for you. It’s your time to walk, explore, run, climb.
In Champoluc, nature transforms into an open-air gym: you can choose between trekking, mountain biking, trail running, climbing, mountaineering, or dedicate yourself to your well-being with yoga and other regenerating activities.
As the paths wind through woods and valleys, nature explodes in unexpected colors: rhododendrons, gentians, edelweiss, and a thousand other flowers embroider the slopes with vibrant, almost pictorial hues.
The air smells of resin, grass, silence.
