Alpe Adria Ultra Trail · training loops

The Val Alba loop: training in the wild heart of the Ultra 120

Fifteen and a half kilometres and almost 1,300 metres of climbing in the Val Alba Nature Reserve: Rifugio Vualt, Bivacco Bianchi, the traverse to Forcella Fonderiis. A loop with two souls, on the same trails the Alpe Adria Ultra 120 follows through its most remote stretch.

Val Alba loop – Vualt, Bianchi, Fonderiis

A wild loop, surprisingly well maintained, above Moggio Udinese, within the Val Alba Regional Nature Reserve.

CAI 450 / 428a / 428 / 425 / 450A Val Alba Moggio Udinese Rifugio Vualt Bivacco Bianchi Forcella Fonderiis Casera Crostis

Distance 15.5 km

Elevation difference 1,289 m+

Start Val Alba car park

Type Alpine loop

From the car park to Bivacco Bianchi

Start at the Val Alba car park, 1,065 metres, above Moggio Udinese. Follow CAI trail 450, join trails 428a and 428, and climb to Rifugio Vualt at 1,168 metres. From here CAI trail 428 continues to Bivacco Giuseppe Bianchi, at 1,712 metres.

This whole first section is in excellent condition: the trails of the Val Alba Regional Nature Reserve are kept beautifully maintained, and Bivacco Bianchi is one of the most visited spots in the area. The climb runs through woods, then along ledges cut into the rock and open slopes, with the valley walls rising all around.

From Bivacco Bianchi to Forcella Fonderiis: the traverse

From the bivouac, follow CAI trail 425 towards Forcella Fonderiis, at about 1,800 metres. This is the stretch you shouldn't underestimate: on the map it looks like a straightforward high-altitude traverse; on the ground it's a different story. Constant ups and downs that add up to roughly 300 metres of extra climbing before the pass.

The terrain turns properly alpine: loose ground, scree, stones, gully crossings and long traverses along the hillside. Some points are exposed, others affected by small slips or sections of landslide, especially around Tieris Rossis and the Rio Fonderiis gully.

Cross with care.
Higher up, the slope can release loose rock: it's best not to stop below the steepest sections, and to keep an eye out for any animals above you. In rain or on wet ground, the more unstable traverses call for extra caution.

The detour to Ricovero Sot Cretis

From the pass, a short detour also leads to the ruins of Ricovero Sot Cretis, a First World War military shelter. It's the same detour the race takes: there and back from the pass is about 4 km, with an extra 300 metres of climbing. The last stretch, along a narrow ledge, is equipped with a cable handrail.

Forcella Fonderiis, Casera Crostis and the descent

Once at the pass, continue on CAI trail 450A and then CAI trail 450, passing the ruins of Casera Crostis, at about 1,470 metres, where the long descent towards the Rio Fonderiis and the Rio Alba begins.

Here the route completely changes character. The whole lower section is kept in remarkable condition: a clean, well-defined path, with the grass cut back for long stretches — in places it looks as if a small mower had been through, hard to picture in such a remote setting. On these trails thePrealpi Giulie Regional Nature Park Authority schedules mowing, clearing and trail maintenance — and it shows: impressive work for such isolated places.

The landslide on the old CAI 450: follow the alternative.
On the final stretch, the old CAI 450 route is cut by a large landslide. At first it still looks passable, but a little further on it peters out on the collapsed slope, where there's no way through. The signposted alternative avoids the slide, crosses a lovely beech wood and rejoins the outbound route to close the loop — it adds about 300 metres. Follow it without hesitation.

The loop in six waypoints

1,065 mstart

Val Alba car park

Starts on CAI trail 450, joining trails 428a and 428. Well-kept ground, a pleasant rhythm from the first steps.

1,168 mRifugio Vualt

Rifugio Vualt

The climb flows through woods and along spectacular ledges. It's the most popular, fastest-flowing part of the loop.

1,712 mBivacco Bianchi

Bivacco Giuseppe Bianchi

Here the fast-flowing section ends and the mountain begins: ahead lies the CAI trail 425 traverse.

~1,800 mForcella Fonderiis

Forcella Fonderiis

Constant ups and downs, scree and hillside traverses: about 300 metres of climbing the profile doesn't show.

+4 kmthere and back from the pass

Ricovero Sot Cretis

A short detour to the ruins of the military shelter: the same route as the race, with one stretch fitted with a cable.

~1,470 mCasera Crostis

Ruins of Casera Crostis

From the ruins, the long descent towards the Rio Fonderiis and the Rio Alba begins, on a mown, clean trail.

Photos from the route

The Val Alba loop on 30 August 2026: from Vualt to Bianchi, the traverse to Forcella Fonderiis, the detour to Ricovero Sot Cretis, the ruins of Casera Crostis and the beech wood on the alternative route.

The stone-built Rifugio Vualt, with the Reserve's information sign — **Rifugio Vualt** Just after starting, in the light of dawn.

The Vualt plateau in the light of dawn — **The Vualt** The plateau at dawn, 1,168 m.

The Vualt seen from above, climbing towards the Bianchi hut — **Looking back** The Vualt seen from above, on the way up to the Bianchi hut.

The ledge on the first section of the Val Alba loop, with the trail cut into the rock — **First section** The ledge cut into the rock above the valley.

Bivacco Giuseppe Bianchi, a small timber shelter at 1,712 metres — **Bivacco Bianchi** The timber shelter at 1,712 m.

The trail cuts across grassy slopes at altitude, beyond Bivacco Bianchi — **Beyond the Bianchi hut** The trail cuts across grassy slopes, towards the pass.

The gully with timber steps, beyond Bivacco Bianchi — **The gully** Timber steps: the setting turns alpine.

A steep passage on the traverse, with timber steps — **Take care** A steep passage on the traverse: this is where you slow down.

Rock walls and scree between the Bianchi hut and the pass, the tough stretch — **Real mountain** From the Bianchi hut to the pass: this is where the hard section starts.

The Bianchi valley seen from the Forcella Fonderiis area — **Looking back** The Bianchi valley, seen from near the pass.

Ricovero Sot Cretis seen from the pass, among the trees — **Ricovero Sot Cretis** Seen from the pass, among the trees.

The cable-handrail stretch on the detour to Ricovero Sot Cretis — **The cable stretch** On the detour to Ricovero Sot Cretis.

View from the pass towards the ruins of Ricovero Sot Cretis — **The ruins** From the pass, the view over Ricovero Sot Cretis.

The ruins of Casera Crostis at about 1,470 metres — **Casera Crostis** The ruins of the mountain hut, at about 1,470 m.

Trail with mown grass on the descent towards the Rio Alba — **The descent** Mown grass for long stretches, in a remote setting.

A runner and dog in the beech wood on the alternative route that closes the Val Alba loop — **The beech wood** The alternative route that avoids the landslide and closes the loop.

Map Val Alba loop – Vualt · Bivacco Bianchi · Forcella Fonderiis Download the track on Trace de Trail →

A beautiful loop, wild and surprisingly well kept: the Vualt section flows fast, the 425 traverse is real mountain terrain.

The terrain of the Ultra 120

Between Bivacco Bianchi and Forcella Fonderiis, the loop follows the same trail the Alpe Adria Ultra 120 runs between the Val Aupa and Dogna life bases, through the most remote heart of the course.

Training here means getting a real taste of that terrain: the altitude, the scree, the traverses, the silence. And feeling in your legs why this stretch of the race demands respect — and rewards it with an environment few people know.

Download the GPS track and save it for offline use: you'll need it on the landslide alternative.
Start with enough water for the whole loop.
Bring gear suited to alpine terrain: you'll go above 1,800 metres.

If the weather is uncertain or visibility poor, postpone.
Don't stop below the steepest sections, where the slope can release rock.
After rain, the traverses between the Bianchi hut and the pass become far more treacherous.

Try the loop, then tell us about it

The two souls of Val Alba — the fast running of the Vualt and the tough mountain terrain of the 425 — are a genuine taste of the Alpe Adria Ultra 120. Try the loop, send us your photos and share your impressions: these places deserve to be experienced and shared.

These trails are part of the race courses

Between Bivacco Bianchi and Forcella Fonderiis you run on the Alpe Adria Ultra 120 course: train here and then find it again on race day.