Unstaffed hut · 2 973 m · Bionaz
The refuge-bivouac of Sassa (F.Ceresa) is an unguarded cabin located in the Valle d'Aosta. It is publicly owned and situated in the municipality of Bionaz.
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The access routes by road merge with those of the Crête Sèche refuge for part of the way and the Col Collon for another part. At Chamen (signpost), roughly halfway between Bionaz and the Place Moulin dam, a natural-surface alpine road (closed to non-residents!) branches off and climbs in switchbacks northward, passing by the Grand Chamen chalets (alpine pasture) at 2016 m and running northwest along the left bank of the torrent up to the Crottes alpine pasture (2211 m). A trail continues on the other bank, weaving through sparse grass and scree, crossing back to the opposite bank before the Plan de la Sassa (ruins), then turning northeast and returning to the right bank, finally climbing the large residual moraine of the glacier along its crest. Follow it to the end, where the shelter appears on a scree terrace reached by a detour to the left. The hike takes about 4 hours. It is likely that more effective signage than thirty years ago has been installed...You can use the Swiss 1:50,000 map "Valpelline" (sheet 293).
Cabin destroyed by an avalanche in 2020 and fully dismantled in 2021. Only the platform remains for a future reconstruction. Water is available from the nearby torrent. Starting point for the Col d'Otemma, Becca des Lacs, Blanchen, etc. A recent photo is available on this site. It shows that the Sassa glacier has significantly receded; however, it can still be approached from the bivouac by bypassing its snout along the right bank (left when ascending).
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