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Chapter 3

THE GRAIAN ALPS

Including the mountains of Beaufortain, Vanoise and Gran Paradiso

They cannot compete with the Dauphiné Alps for the favour of men in their prime who want to test their climbing powers,’ wrote R. L. G. Irving. ‘The Graians will be the choice of those who prefer beauty that is less invariably severe.’

From Col de la Seigne on the southern edge of the Mont Blanc massif, to the road pass of Col du Mont Cenis which links the Haute-Maurienne with the Valle di Susa, the Graian Alps spread across a complex region of high mountains coated here and there with glaciers and fields of permanent snow. Though its loftiest peaks are not as high as principal summits of either the neighbouring Écrins or Mont Blanc ranges, the quality of this Alpine landscape is of the very best. It’s all splendid country that will appeal to a wide variety of outdoor interests, from hard rock climbing to comparatively easy ascents of big snow peaks, and from downhill skiing with all the paraphernalia of mechanical hoists and cableways, to hut-to-hut trekking, the study of a rich alpine flora and, within the sanctuary of two national parks (Parc National de la Vanoise, and Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso), abundant opportunities for observing wildlife.

Until the mid-19th century Savoie was included in the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, but in 1860 the western part was ceded to France, and the following year the emerging nation of Italy annexed the eastern section, thereby splitting the Graians into separate political units. With the frontier between France and Italy now making an uneven divide, a frontier breached by no less than seven passes that may be crossed on foot, as well as the 2188 metre road pass of Col du Petit St Bernard (known to the Romans as Col Alpis Graia), the range is broken into two distinct regions, west and east.

The Western Graians

Two major rivers flow roughly westward through the French Graians, sub-dividing these mountains into the districts of Beaufortain and Vanoise. Separated only by a ridge crossed by the Col de l’Iseran, the rivers Isère and l’Arc rise just a few kilometres from each other, but bear different names to the valleys they water. The valley of l’Isère, for example, is uniformly known as the Tarentaise, while that of l’Arc is the Maurienne.

North of the general trend of l’Isère the modest heights of Beaufortain stretch off to outliers of the Mont Blanc massif, while to the south the best-known feature is the Vanoise National Park whose farthest boundary is drawn by the valley of l’Arc.

In the Tarentaise the towns of Moutiers, Landry and Bourg St Maurice are not only connected by the N90 via Albertville, but are also served by rail, thus providing ease of access to some of the best walking country in Beaufortain and the northern Vanoise. The valley itself has several important tributaries flowing into it, especially from the south where the mountains offer arguably the finest and most comprehensive opportunities for skiing in all France. By contrast with this winter playground, communities on the north flank of the Tarentaise bask in what’s become known as le Versant du Soleil, the ‘Hillside of the Sun’ – named from the sheltered, south-facing aspect that denies them long-lasting snow conditions.

Although it contains some wild and rocky peaks and several artificial lakes Beaufortain has no glaciers, but a distinctly pastoral character and forests that are among the finest in all Savoie. The Tour du Mont Blanc links Beaufortain with the range to the north whose gleaming snows tend to dominate almost every high view, while the GR5 (La Grande Traversée des Alpes) explores the central part of the district on its way south from Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. Despite the presence of these major routes and, to a certain extent, the Tour of the Beaufortain (outlined in J. W. Akitt’s guide to Walking in the Tarentaise & Beaufortain Alps), the hills and glens remain perhaps the least-known of all the Western Graians.

South of the Tarentaise, on the other hand, the bigger, more impressive mountains of the Vanoise provide a lure that is hard to resist. By contrast with Beaufortain the district has a plentiful covering of ice, especially in the Glaciers de la Vanoise which run in an extensive block between the Dent Parrachée and Col de la Vanoise. In effect the range consists of a high plateau cut by a few deep valleys, out of which rise rock crests capped with ice and snow. Many of its peaks rise well above 3500 metres in height. La Grande Casse (3855m), Mont Pourri (3779m) and La Grande Motte (3653m) are the three highest, but there are many others either with strikingly individual characteristics, or combined with neighbours in a tracery of glacier and snowfield, that demand attention, while south of the Maurienne the lofty Pointe de Charbonnel (3752m) signals another group of high mountains ranged along the border with Italy.

Parc National de la Vanoise

The Vanoise National Park was established in 1963 as the first in France, and was twinned with that of the nearby Gran Paradiso nine years later, thereby creating the largest nature reserve in western Europe. On its own the Vanoise park covers an area of 53,000 hectares, ranging in altitude from 1250 to 3855 metres. It boasts 107 summits above 3000 metres, and a network of around 500 kilometres of footpaths – many of which are snow-free from mid-June to late October. Catering for an influx of summer visitors the park contains some 42 mountain huts within the central and peripheral zones, while outlying villages supplement these with a variety of campsites, modest hotels and gîtes d’étape.

The establishment of the National Park not only provides protection for around 700 ibex (bouquetin) and 4500 chamois, but it has effectively saved some of the most spectacular mountain scenery from the worst excesses of the downhill ski industry. On its very rim the winter playgrounds of Courchevel, Méribel, Val Claret, Tignes and Val d’Isère have brutalised huge areas with their pylons, cableways and insensitive architecture, yet a relatively short stroll across an easy col will reveal nature in the raw; seemingly untouched glens where streams dance, wild flowers dazzle each early summer’s day, and chamois, marmot and ibex roam undisturbed. While a number of roads penetrate its outer limits, the heart of the Vanoise retains a semi-wild purity of immense appeal to the mountain walker.

The park’s western limits edge the vast Courchevel and Méribel ski grounds, with a short buffer zone of the Réserve Naturelle du Plan de Tueda running up to the summit of Mont du Borgne. A high ridge, nowhere dropping below 2989 metres, projects south from there to Aiguille de Péclet (3561m) which, with the neighbouring Aiguille de Polset (3531m), looms over the Chavière and Gébroulaz glaciers. A CAF hut (Refuge de Péclet-Polset) occupies a very wild landscape on the eastern side of this ridge, with Col de Chavière (2796m) a short distance to the south providing a link for walkers between the Tarentaise and Maurienne. Crossed by GR55, Col de Chavière is the highest point reached by any Grande Randonnée trail.

The Maurienne

A gentle glen, wild and rough in its upper reaches, but more homely lower down, drains the south side of Col de Chavière with the Ruisseau de St Bernard easing beyond the park’s southern boundary into steep forests that clothe hillsides walling the Maurienne above Modane. The Maurienne, or valley of l’Arc, effectively forms the southern limit of the Parc National de la Vanoise. It’s a fine valley, and one which provides rail access with the rest of France by way of Chambéry and, via a tunnel above Modane, with Turin. Modane, therefore, acts as a useful gateway to the southern Vanoise. It has a handful of modest hotels and a campsite. From it buses serve a string of villages further upstream; villages and hamlets like Aussois, Termignon, Bessans and Bonneval-sur-Arc that provide accommodation (including gîtes d’étape in some cases) and access to glens which form knuckle indents to the main Vanoise massif.

Refuge de l’Orgère

One such glen directly above Modane is that of Orgère which flows parallel with, and to the east of, the Ruisseau de St Bernard from which it is separated by the block of Tête Noire. At its the entrance is a comfortable refuge, or porte du parc, provided by the National Park authority. Overlooking Refuge de l’Orgère is the attractive Aiguille Doran (3041m), a towering rock peak that is a prominent feature of the view from Modane. The northern end of the glen is effectively blocked by this aiguille, but trails climb to either side; that which forces a route along the flank of Tête Noire heads for Col de Chavière, while the path which veers to the east of Aiguille Doran crosses Col de la Masse (2923m) as a challenging route across the mountains to Plan d’Amont in the next glen to the east.

Walkers based for a day or two at Refuge de l’Orgère have several options open to them. There’s a pleasant nature trail that eases along the eastern flank of the valley, beginning just below the hut where a track rises from the few stone chalets of l’Orgère hamlet, and heads north towards Aiguille Doran, crosses just below it and returns down the western side of the glen. A longer and more rewarding day’s outing could be won by climbing immediately above the hut on a steep forest trail that eventually shafts right and makes a splendid belvedere working north to a high plateau below Col de Chavière. From this plateau, with the little Lac de la Partie tucked in a basin to the right, another trail cuts off left. This is GR55 which is then followed southward, descending through the St Bernard glen to Polset where a narrow service road is joined. This leads directly back to Refuge de l’Orgère.

A third day’s outing is rather more demanding than those previously outlined, for it crosses Col de la Masse north-east of Aiguille Doran, descends very wild terrain to the next glen to the east, then returns to l’Orgère by way of the GR5 trail that crosses the grassy Col du Barbier (2287m) high above the Maurienne. This makes for a magnificent day’s mountain walking, with some very fine scenery to enjoy throughout.

Refuge de l’Orgère is not the only accommodation available here, for an alternative, privately-owned refuge exists on a shelf of meadowland just south of the Orgère chalets. Refuge de l’Aiguille Doran has forty places and, being situated just outside the National Park boundary, allows camping in its grounds (camping is forbidden by the park authorities, other than at selected huts where lightweight tents are permitted on a transitory overnight basis between 7.00pm and 7.00am).

Aussois

The village of Aussois is found, not astride the main N6 that links most of the Maurienne communities, but north of it and below a delightful glen containing two artificial lakes, Plan d’Amont and the lower Plan d’Aval overlooked by La Dent Parrachée (3697m). Aussois is a minor resort with modest opportunities for skiing in winter and, through road access to the two dammed lakes, popular for walking in summer. As for accommodation, an 18th-century fortress just outside the village, one of the five Forts de l’Esseillon, has been converted as another porte du parc. With a cobble-stone courtyard, double walls and surrounding moat, Fort Marie-Christine has an atmosphere all its own.

Within the Aussois glen three mountain huts provide lodgings for climbers and walkers in rather more remote settings than that of Fort Marie-Christine. Refuge du Fond d’Aussois and Refuge de la Dent Parrachée are both owned by the CAF. The first lies deep within the glen beside a stream, while the second is located on a spur of hillside at 2511 metres, and is patronised by climbers tackling the voie normale on the Dent Parrachée which ascends through the Vallon de Fournache. The third hut is a converted farm which, with outhouses turned into dormitory accommodation, is situated on a natural shelf on the east side of the glen overlooking the two lakes which lie several hundred metres below. Refuge du Plan Sec is privately-owned and popular with walkers tackling the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise, Tour of the Vanoise and the GR5.

Short day walks are available from the roadhead below the upper lake, while longer routes are possible from a base in one of the above-mentioned huts. At the head of the glen Col d’Aussois (2916m) offers a way over the mountains to the Chavière valley which flows down to Pralognan-la-Vanoise (this col is crossed in the opposite direction by one of the options on the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise), while the rocky little Pointe de l’Observatoire which juts above the col to the west, is a fine viewpoint reached in about 30 minutes.

A clockwise circuit of the glen is another option worth considering. When taken from Aussois a steep climb becomes inevitable from the start in order to gain the GR5 just north of Col du Barbier. The trail heading along the west flank is narrow and stony in places, but there are no major difficulties to contend with under normal summer conditions, and views are consistently fine. Midway along the glen the route climbs to a high point, then levels across an open moorland cut by numerous streams. Continuing northward the way climbs again to a junction with the path that heads west to Col de la Masse and Orgère. At this point GR5 swings to the right following a few low cairns where the path is thin on the ground, then descends among alpenroses to a track at the northern end of Plan d’Amont. Off to the left the glen continues towards its head, but to complete the circuit involves crossing a stream and following a narrow trail eastward. This eventually joins another track, or dirt road, which heads south past Refuge du Plan Sec to a few ski tows, then drops steeply to Plan d’Aval and Aussois.

Overlooking the Maurienne, Col du Barbier is on the route of the Tour of the Vanoise

Plan du Lac mirrors the Grande Casse in the heart of the Western Graians

Upvalley from Aussois the little village of Sardières is set among meadows below the 93 metre tooth of rock known as the Monolithe de Sardières, which juts from the forest and attracts both climbers and general tourists alike. A gîte d’étape in the village provides another accommodation option in this part of the Maurienne.

Valley of the Doron

Termignon sits in a loop of the Arc river by its confluence with the Doron. The Doron flows from the north, its valley having cut a deep trench in the main Vanoise massif – the most profound tributary valley carved in the southern flank of these mountains. Termignon has one or two modest hotels, a gîte d’étape and campsite and, of considerable use to walkers, a shuttle bus service (the navette) which maintains a daily schedule throughout the summer along the east flank of the valley between Termignon and Entre Deux Eaux, with stops at a large parking area (Bellecombe) from which a number of walks begin, and Refuge du Plan du Lac with its glorious panorama of high mountains, glaciers and snowfields. The road along which the navette journeys is closed to private vehicles beyond Bellecombe, thus preserving a certain aura of peace in the high pasturelands of Plan du Lac.

This is magnificent walking country. Trails explore both sides of the valley, but not the bed of the valley itself which, upstream of le Villard, is a wild and narrow gorge – the upper end with a brief track marked on the map as itinéraire dangereux.

Refuge du Plan du Lac is a modern, comfortable hut built by the PNV (Parc National de la Vanoise). The view west across the Doron gorge is breathtaking, while to the north the great rock wall of the Grande Casse looks most impressive. A short walk south leads to the beautiful tarn which gives Plan du Lac its name, and trails north and north-east lead to other mountain huts; to the privately-owned Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux, and to Refuge de la Femma (PNV). Entre Deux Eaux is another converted dairy farm open in summer only, while La Femma is a three-storey timber building standing near the head of the pastoral Vallon de la Rocheure. This vallon, or glen, cuts back to the east of Entre Deux Eaux and offers good walking prospects; easy valley strolls with charming views, prospects of exploring cirques gouged from the south flank of the valley, and more demanding treks across the walling mountains – via Col de Pierre Blanche (2842m) to Refuge de la Leisse, or by way of Col de la Rocheure (2911m) for a choice of several distant and moderately challenging destinations. As with almost all other huts in the Vanoise region, a winter room is permanently open when the main accommodation at La Femma is closed.

High on the west bank, set upon a shelf of rock and grass below the Glacier de l’Arpont, Refuge de l’Arpont is a PNV hut with 95 dormitory places and a small space for camping. Nearby cascades shower from the Glaciers de la Vanoise. Ibex are often seen grazing near the hut and the shrill whistle of marmots pierces the stillness. A small tarn lodged on the mountainside about 350 metres above the hut, makes an interesting and scenic destination for a short walk. The Arpont hut is used by walkers on the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise, as well as by those tackling the longer Tour of the Vanoise and the classic GR5. But it makes a first-class destination in its own right when approached either directly from Termignon, or by way of Plan du Lac. A short hut-to-hut tour of the Doron valley would be worth considering by walkers with only limited time at their disposal, for the mountain scenery hereabouts is second to none, and trails linking each of these huts provide all the variety a walker needs.

Along the Maurienne’s North Flank

Continuing eastward from Termignon there are no more major glens flowing into the Maurienne from the Vanoise massif until you come to Bonneval-sur-Arc, some 20-odd kilometres upstream. However, there’s still plenty of good walking country on mid-height trails that make a steady traverse of the valley’s north wall, with three mountain huts (Refuges du Cuchet, Vallonbrun and Molard) that provide essential accommodation in comparatively remote country linked by those trails. Above, the mountains rise as stark, bony projections; below them forests and steep meadows of grass and flowers. Between Refuge du Cuchet and Refuge du Vallonbrun a minor path breaks away north of the GR5 at Pla de la Cha in a combe below the Grand Roc Noir, and climbs to a large block of schist known as the Pierre-aux-Pieds. This rock is something of a mystery, for carved in its east side are about 50 small feet thought to date back to Neolithic times.

Ciamarella looms above the Vallon de la Lenta

Refuge du Cuchet stands on a small hillside spur high above the valley; an unmanned hut belonging to the PNV, and with good views south across the valley to the Col du Mont Cenis, which is crossed by a road leading into Italy. Far below, in the bed of the valley where the Mont Cenis route breaks away from the main valley road, Lanslebourg-Mont-Cenis is a useful restocking point for long-distance walkers choosing the GR5E variant known as the Sentier du Petit Bonheur, which links a number of fine Haute-Maurienne villages noted for their vernacular architecture. A trail climbs steeply from Lanslebourg to Refuge du Cuchet, nearly 800 metres above the village, while the Chemin de la Ramasse breaks away to the south, climbs to Col du Mont Cenis and makes a circuit of the dammed lake which fills the valley south of the col, and offers further walking possibilities among the frontier mountains.

Refuge du Vallonbrun, by contrast with the rather exposed position of the Cuchet hut, is snug within a pastoral glen that runs parallel with the Maurienne (though high above it), from which it is hidden by a grassy bluff whose crown reveals the Glacier de l’Arcelle Neuve seen hanging from the face of Signal du Grand Mont Cenis and Pointe de Ronce opposite. A short distance upvalley stands the little Chapelle St-Antoine and a handful of chalets and farms at the hamlet of La Fesse d’en Haut. High above the hamlet Col du Vallonbrun is a climber’s (and ski-mountaineer’s) route over the walling mountains that separate the Maurienne from Vallon de la Rocheure.

Beside the Chapelle St-Antoine a footpath descends to the Col de la Madeleine, site of a major landslip that once completely blocked the valley of l’Arc midway between Lanslevillard (the next village upstream of Lanslebourg) and Bessans. This is the route chosen by the Tour of the Vanoise. Bessans, a short walk upvalley from Col de la Madeleine, offers accommodation, refreshments and opportunities for reprovisioning. There’s a campsite downstream, and a gîte d’étape about half an hour’s walk upstream at the charming hamlet of Le Villaron, tucked on the right bank of the Arc between the river and the steep forested hillside.

The south wall of the valley here is cut by two important tributaries, Vallée du Ribon and Vallée d’Avérole. The first is long and straight with a tempting trail that projects far into it for challenging routes by way of the Glacier de Rochemelon into Italy (Rifugio Tazzetti is lodged on the south side of the Col de la Resta), or via Glacier de Derriere le Clapier, a difficult route that leads into a remote upper glen feeding into Vallée d’Avérole. This latter valley is another wild and atmospheric place containing three tiny villages, a CAF hut (Refuge d’Avérole) and some rugged mountain scenery. Only mountain walkers experienced in scrambling, and with essential equipment and knowledge to deal with glacier travel, should attempt to tackle some of the high routes here. But there are some tremendous challenges to be won among these very fine but little-sung mountains, crossing and recrossing the international frontier.

Back along the Maurienne’s northern wall, a fine combe, or minor glen, is accessible from the small unmanned PNV hut, Refuge du Molard. Through the glen a stream drains the Glacier de Méan Martin, and in early summer the pastures are a-dazzle with countless alpine flowers. Across the mouth of this glen the GR5 invites walkers north-eastward to the charming Vallon de la Lenta, a superb little valley edged by the Iseran road. Happily that road makes little impact on the glen itself for it climbs high above it, leaving the pastures with their huddled chalets, waterfall and clear dancing streams to the natural peace of the mountains. At the upper end of the vallon a narrow rocky gorge has a wild impact, but stand on the rim of this gorge and gaze south and south-east and your heart will be lifted by a truly spectacular view of glacier-clad mountains that create part of the frontier with Italy – the Ciamarella group whose grace of form, and whose elegant waves of snow and ice tilted above dark walls holding shadow, are all a lover of grand mountain scenery could ask for. Between the glen and those mountains, but hidden from sight, lies the much-loved village of Bonneval-sur-Arc.

Bonneval-sur-Arc

Bonneval is the finest of all Haute-Maurienne villages, its handsome medieval stone houses huddling one against another as if for mutual protection at the foot of a steeply sloping hillside on the right bank of the Arc. Varnished balconies are bright with geraniums and petunias, the rooftops a puzzle of lichened stone slabs, the narrow alleyways full of charm. In neighbouring Tralenta, a modern hamlet ‘suburb’ where planning constrictions are not as evident as in preserved Bonneval, there are several hotels, and the CAF-owned Chalet-Refuge de Bonneval standing only a few paces from the Office de Tourisme. Another refuge, privately owned and situated on the hillside above and to the south-east of Tralenta, gives access to more walking possibilities on the slopes of Ouille du Midi below Pic Regaud and l’Albaron. Refuge du Criou is also linked by a belvedere trail with Refuge des Évettes, a CAF hut used by climbers tackling a number of those peaks on the international frontier noted above, the best of which is the lovely Ciamarella (3676m). This latter hut is also reached by a footpath that climbs from the recently-restored hamlet of l’Écot, highest in the Maurienne, from which more delightful country may be explored by walkers lured by the little-known. The scenery in this back-of-beyond is glorious, and a brief glance at the map is sufficient to have one reaching for the boots. One of several options here leads to Refuge du Carro (CAF owned) set in a grassy basin containing a pair of tarns, Lac Noir and the larger Lac Blanc. An alternative path leading to the same hut begins at a parking area on the Iseran road, and leads by way of the Sentier Balcon, a long traverse of wide appeal, almost always in full view of a vast panorama of high peaks heavily draped with snowfields, and the impressive Glacier des Sources de l’Arc.

The Tarentaise

North of Bonneval Col de l’Iseran provides vehicular access between the Haute-Maurienne and the upper valley of l’Isère. At 2764 metres it’s the highest major road pass in the Alps. Marked by a huge cairn, a chapel, and the inevitable bar/souvenir building described by Janet Adam Smith (in Mountain Holidays) as being ‘rather like a gaunt Highland shooting-lodge’, the col is not the place where lovers of wild mountain scenery will wish to linger, although evening views to the ‘pointed Albaron, the dark mass of the Charbonel, and the tent-shaped Ciamarella, startlingly white above the darkening valley of the Arc’ provide a sober contrast to the immediate surroundings. On the northern side of the col, despite designation as a nature reserve, the hillsides are laced with cables and ski tows. If one were able to visualize the mountains without these encumbrances, no doubt the landscape would hold appeal, but that’s not easy.

Descend to the valley proper and visual quality is restored in part. The upper Isère remains unmarked, and through the Gorge du Malpasset leads to lovely alpine meadows where marmots play. Under dying glaciers draped below the frontier ridge, which here briefly runs north to south, Refuge de Prariond sits at a junction of streams in a cirque at the very head of the valley. Col de la Galise (2987m) immediately above it offers a high crossing into Italy where a counterpart to the French hut is the Rifugio Plan della Ballotta above Lago Serru in the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso. But walkers who have no desire to cross into Italy here have an opportunity to gain the modest rounded summit of the Grand Cocor (3034m) just to the south of the col on the frontier ridge. Ibex are often seen between the hut and the ridge crest.

Val d’Isère

The valley flows roughly westward, and below the Gorge du Malpasset the Iseran road snakes along the right bank of the stream through Le Fornet as far as the outskirts of Val d’Isère. Val d’Isère has grown from a small mountain village into one of the most popular of all French ski resorts. Unlike many ski resorts, however, it does not die in summer, but continues to flourish with steady business, its hotels mostly remaining open. In 1939 Irving predicted many of the changes that have come to this once-peaceful backwater, when he wrote: ‘Now that the road runs through, and not only up to Val d’Isère, that village will develop rapidly the things that motorists require.’ But he went on to add: ‘At the same time it will continue to provide for the visitor who wants them, places where he can enjoy upland pastures and summits fairly easy to attain, without fear of disturbance from a tourist crowd.’ Of course, he didn’t imagine a plethora of cableways, but as J. W. Akitt points out in his guide to the area, there is still a great deal of unspoiled countryside where the mountain walker can find inspiration.

Due south of the resort, for example, a Y-shaped glen, sliced by the Ruisseau de la Calabourdane, leads to some interesting walking possibilities. By taking the road through the glen as far as Le Manchet at the upper stem of the Y, a trail can then be joined which leads through the south-eastern branch to Refuge du Fond des Fours, a PNV hut at 2537 metres overlooked from the south by Pointe de Méan Martin, the Glacier des Fours draped across its upper north face. Above the hut Col des Fours provides a way over the eastern ridge to Pont de la Neige on the Iseran road – from where one could join the GR5 and descend to Bonneval in the Haute-Maurienne, or instead follow the same path north to Col de l’Iseran and down to Val d’Isère. An alternative route from Refuge du Fond des Fours continues upvalley, crosses to the western side and up to a col with close views of cliff, glacier, moraine, and mountain peak, then over scree and sometimes snow, to Col de la Rocheure (2911m) with its small tarn and lovely views west to the dazzling Glaciers de la Vanoise at the far end of the Rocheure glen. Instead of crossing the col, descend north-west over more scree to a good path which heads back to Le Manchet to conclude a pleasant day’s circuit of between five and six hours.

For an easy three or four-day circuit from Val d’Isère it would be worth following the route outlined above by way of Refuge du Fond des Fours and Col de la Rocheure, from which you descend south-west to Refuge de la Femma, set on the right bank of the Torrent de la Rocheure, and there spend the night. Next day either cross Col de Pierre Blanche to Refuge de la Leisse, or have an easy day reaching that hut by way of a gentle down valley walk to Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux, where a good trail works north and north-east into the Vallon de la Leisse. Leaving the Leisse hut climb through the glen to cross Col de la Leisse on the route of GR55, go down to Lac de Tignes and continue over Pas de la Tovière in order to return to Val d’Isère.

North of Val d’Isère, and hidden from view by a steep mountain wall, the Réserve Naturelle de la Grande Sassière protects a corrie that’s popular with walkers. The normal access to this is by way of a road that writhes up from the eastern shore of the dammed Lac du Chevril, but there are two rather strenuous walkers’ routes that lead directly from Val d’Isère itself. The steepest and most direct of these is the crossing of Passage de Picheru in the ridge north-west of the Aiguille du Dôme. Demanding a climb of almost 1000 metres, the north side of the ridge drops to Lac de la Sassière. On the descent the big wall of the Grande Sassière opposite makes an imposing sight, the glaciers that flank the Tsanteleina clearly seen on the blocking wall of the cirque to the right.

The alternative walkers’ route into the Sassière corrie first makes an eastward hillside traverse from Val d’Isère to beyond Le Fornet, before climbing sharply to the little Lac de la Bailletta and the col above that which makes an obvious crossing point just east of Pointe de la Bailletta. The descent to Lac de la Sassière is a slanting north-west trend joining the Picheru trail above the barrage at the end of the lake.

To the west of Val d’Isère hillsides have been systematically developed for the downhill ski industry, a usage which proves incompatible with those landscapes of natural harmony most often sought by mountain walkers. It’s not impossible, however, to escape the mechanical hoists and piste scars, even though one may be compelled to spend a morning wearing metaphorical blinkers. The route of GR5 links Val d’Isère with ugly Lac de Tignes, but in between explores the green and gentle Vallon de la Tovière whose north- western end is crossed at an easy flower-starred col, from which a lovely view reveals the south side of Mont Blanc far off at the end of a long tunnel-like valley.

Lac de Tignes and neighbouring Val Claret are visual eyesores, yet escape can be found quite easily by following walkers’ routes that return to the unscarred sanctuary of the National Park; routes that cross Col du Palet (GR5) to a PNV hut and a charming valley draining north to Landry in the Tarentaise; or by way of Col de la Leisse (GR55) in the shadow of La Grande Motte, and down into the Vallon de la Leisse which leads to the wonderful Doron gorge, to a choice of fine huts, or by way of Col de la Vanoise to Pralognan on the route of the Tour of the Vanoise. On such routes stimulating scenery and an all-embracing peace can once more be found. In the heartland of the Vanoise there is no shortage of either.

Below Val d’Isère

Below Val d’Isère the Isère river enters the dammed Lac du Chevril, then continues roughly northward as the eastern moat of Dôme de la Sache and Mont Pourri, whose long glacial fingers are valley-bound between dividing spurs and ribs, the National Park boundary tracing just below them. The eastern, or right-hand walling mountains, form the border with Italy in an extensive north-south ridge system topped by a number of fine peaks culminating in the ‘beautiful gleaming sickle’ of the Aiguille de la Grande Sassière (3747m). Trails lead up to these frontier mountains, to the glaciers of the Grande Sassière, to Col du Rocher Blanc and nearby Col du Lac Noir (both of which cross to Rifugio Mario Bezzi high in the Val Grisenche), to Col du Mont and Col de la Sassière (the last a long way north of the peak of the same name), both of which again provide crossing points into Italy.

There are few villages of any noteworthy size in this stretch of the Isère, but Ste-Foy-Tarentaise sits at a junction of roads, one of which provides access to a cluster of glens worthy of exploration between the main valley and the frontier ridge, where projecting spurs create magnificent cirques, some of which have tempting trails that link huts in neighbouring glens. Refuge du Ruitor in the Sassière glen, and Refuge de l’Archeboc (or la Motte) in the Vallon de Mercuel, for example, are joined by a trail that crosses the Arête de Montseti. The CAF’s Refuge du Ruitor is particularly well situated for routes onto the crusty frontier ridge, on the eastern side of which the extensive Glacier du Ruitor makes an impressive sight. Avoiding this glacier a choice of crossings (some trackless and requiring good visibility) may be made into Italy from a base at the Ruitor hut, via such cols as du Tachuy (2673m) and de la Louie Blanche (2567m), where continuing routes descend over wild country to Rifugio A. Deffeyes and a series of spectacular cascades that drain the Ruitor glacier above La Thuile.

Tour du Mont Pourri

On the west side of the Tarentaise Mont Pourri dominates the lower valley with its ponderous mass of snow and ice. In 1829 William Brockedon travelled from Bourg St-Maurice to Val d’Isère, describing the mountain thus: ‘Towering over this sombre valley, rises one of the grandest mountains in the Alps from its magnitude, and one of the most beautiful from its form – its vast mass of snow and glaciers surmounted by a triangular pyramid of pure white.’ Walkers understandably drawn to this mountain will find local publicity for a three-day tour that is growing in popularity. Two nights are spent in mountain huts (Refuge du Mont Pourri and Refuge de la Martin), but since the Martin hut has no meals provision, food will need to be carried for at least one night. The recommended start and finish of this tour is the purpose-built ski resort of Arc 2000, reached by a tortuous road from the Isère valley near Villaroger, or more directly from Bourg St-Maurice.

From Arc 2000 the way leads south initially among ski lifts to Plan de l’Homme and Col de la Chal (2457m) and continues below Aiguille du St-Esprit to the CAF-owned Refuge du Mont Pourri situated just inside the boundary of the Vanoise National Park at 2370 metres, and reached in little more than three hours from Arc 2000. An alternative approach comes from Les Lanches in the valley of the Ponturin through which GR5 makes its way from Landry.

The second stage continues southward along the west flank of Mont Pourri towards the head of the Ponturin valley, but then slants left at the Chalets de la Plagne to begin the ascent to Col de la Sachette (2713m). The upper part of the climb goes through a wild and rocky landscape, and the terrain on the initial descent is every bit as rough as that on the ascent. The col is situated on a ridge carrying the PNV boundary south from Dôme de la Sache, and just below and to the north of Rochers Rouges (3002m). The view east shows the Aiguille de la Grande Sassière and other frontier mountains across the depths of the Isère valley, and the first part of the descent is a little exposed and demanding care. However, although the route maintains its rough character and is steep for quite some way, the path itself improves and eases through the Vallon de la Sachette where there are several little tarns. Veering left below the Vallon de la Sache where the path forks, the way passes below glaciers that drape unseen down the face of Dôme de la Sache, and eventually reaches the PNV-owned Refuge de la Martin. At the end of this stage there should still be time, energy permitting, to wander up a good trail from the hut to gain a close view of the Glacier de la Savinaz in an austere setting.

For the final stage of the Tour du Mont Pourri follow a trail that descends northwards to la Gurraz, then rise on a track that becomes a footpath leading to another PNV hut, the unguarded Refuge de Turia which takes its name from Mont Turia, a summit just to the north of Mont Pourri to which it is joined by a splendid crest. The Arc 2000 trail continues beyond the hut and crosses a ravine, passes below the Aiguille Rouge and Signal de l’Aiguille Rouge, then descends steeply to a junction of paths. The way now veers left along the mountainside with Mont Blanc in view ahead to the north, and joins a track leading to a chairlift. Rounding the northern flank of Aiguille Rouge the buildings of Arc 2000 are soon visible and completion of the tour in sight.

Day 1:	Arc 2000 – Col de la Chal – Refuge du Mont Pourri
Day 2:	Refuge du Mont Pourri – Col de la Sachette – Refuge de la Martin
Day 3:	Refuge de la Martin – Refuge de Turia – Arc 2000

Vallée du Ponturin

Flanked by the Sommet (or Dôme) de Bellecôte (3417m) on the west, and Mont Pourri to the east, the Ponturin flows from just below Col du Palet to Landry where it joins l’Isère. In its upper reaches the valley’s glacial origins are obvious, but lower down it is river cut, the steep hillsides clothed with mixed forests. Landry is an obvious point of entry, for it has a railway station on the line which goes to Bourg St-Maurice, and a bus service to Peisey-Nancroix a few kilometres inside the Ponturin valley. Landry village, for a village is what it remains, has hotel accommodation and a campsite. The GR5 passes through after having crossed the Beaufortain Alps from Mont Blanc, and then strikes southward along the Ponturin valley on its way to the Vanoise massif. The GR5 therefore gives the valley the mountain walker’s seal of approval. The small but sophisticated resort of Peisey-Nancroix, noted for its slender, handsome church, sits on the right flank and provides some winter appeal with cross-country ski facilities, while three huts (four if you count Refuge du Mont Pourri) effectively underline the opportunities that abound here for the exploration of some fine mountain country. Apart from Landry, Peisey-Nancroix and these huts, overnight facilities are available in the hamlets of Le Moulin and Nancroix. The valley also has a campsite and gîte d’étape.

As for the huts, these are the PNV’s porte du parc, Chalet-Refuge de Rosuel which is accessible by road; the privately-owned Refuge d’Entre le Lac above the Lac de la Plagne; and Refuge du Col du Palet situated, as its name implies, just below Col du Palet across which GR5 briefly leaves the National Park to descend to Lac de Tignes. Refuge du Mont Pourri has already been mentioned, and is accessible from the valley by a trail which climbs from Les Lanches.

Walking routes abound, and with accessible cols providing opportunities to cross the walling ridges to east and west, a variety of hut-to-hut tours are possible. Beginning in the lower part of the Ponturin, one such option sets out from Le Moulin and enters the tributary glen of the Nant Benin which flows from the south. Sections of this glen have been sacrificed to the ski industry, but there’s still some worthwhile country to wander through. At its head Col de Frête (2492m) is a dip in the ridge linking Roche de Mio and the Sommet de Bellecôte, and from it a way leads down the south side to Champagny-le-Haut and another porte du parc, Refuge du Bois.

Upvalley from Le Moulin, Chalet-Refuge de Rosuel has an unusual appearance in that its turfed roof has a wave-like shape designed to reduce the impact of avalanches. Situated near the roadhead, and with parking facilities, it is obviously very busy throughout the summer. Refuge du Mont Pourri is easily accessible from Rosuel either by the trail from Les Lanches a short way downstream, or from another path which cuts back from the GR5 upvalley towards the Chalets de la Plagne. Another route breaking away left (east) from the chalets is that which was adopted by the Tour du Mont Pourri and which climbs to Col de la Sachette on the way to Refuge de la Martin.

But the most popular walk from Rosuel leads in around three hours to Lac de la Plagne and Refuge d’Entre le Lac. It’s a fine, scenically interesting route that crosses meadows with grand views left to Mont Pourri and a series of cliffs down which a cascade and numerous streams drain the glaciers. From Entre le Lac a trail continues south-west and climbs, quite steeply in places, to Col du Plan Séry. Descent on the western side of the col passes eroded limestone pillars, crosses high meadowland, then drops in zig-zags to Refuge de Plaisance, about 600 metres above the Vallée du Doron de Champagny. The continuing route descends into that valley, where there’s a gîte d’étape at Laisonnay d’en Haut, or breaks away upstream to the small, privately-owned Refuge de la Glière.

On the way to Col du Plan Séry from Refuge d’Entre le Lac the trail forks. The left-hand option here is an alternative route to Refuge du Col du Palet, which joins the main GR5 near another trail junction at the upper end of Plan de la Grassaz. The south-west option at this junction leads to what may be regarded as one of the finest of all mountain panoramas enjoyed by walkers in the Graian Alps, but in order to gain that you have to climb to Col de la Grassaz (2637m). The path is not too demanding though, for it ascends gradually through a broad glen, wild yet enchanting with the little Lac Verdet tucked below the austere Aiguille des Aimes. But on emerging at the col a scene of astonishing beauty is the reward. Dominating the view to the south is the north wall of the Grande Casse flanked by numerous glaciers, the largest being a vast sheet of white plastered on the face of La Grande Motte. It’s a wonderful scene, and the descent through pastures prolongs the enjoyment. Halfway down the trail is joined by another which comes from Col du Palet, and a little over two hours from the col reaches Refuge de la Glière, a small, atmospheric hut settled at the foot of the Aiguille de l’Epéna.

Back in the Ponturin valley the main route of approach to Refuge du Col du Palet is the GR5 trail which leads in about four hours from Chalet-Refuge de Rosuel. Although it’s a fairly long approach, there’s plenty of interest for the valley is full of charm and the surrounding mountains have lots of scenic appeal. The way passes the Chalets de la Plagne, follows a rocky crest and looks down on the Lac de la Plagne, crosses the depression of Plan de la Grassaz where an ancient lake long ago silted up, and enjoys views ahead to La Grande Motte’s snow dome. Shortly after passing Lac de Grattaleu a trail breaks away left from the main GR5 to reach Refuge du Col du Palet, set in undulating grassland with screes and grey slabs in view just 10 minutes below the actual col.

The National Park boundary traces the ridge crossed by Col du Palet (2652m). To the east the ski grounds of Lac de Tignes and Val Claret make a stark contrast to the unspoiled grandeur of the Ponturin side, grandeur signified by the sprawling Bellecôte massif and its spiky neighbour, l’Aliet. Views east from the ‘spacious level of white stone’ (as Martin Collins described the col) are extensive, and a short way along the descent trail includes the distant range of the Gran Paradiso. Instead of crossing Col du Palet, walkers who follow a trail heading south-west will soon come to Col de la Croix des Frêtes from which La Grande Casse is clearly seen ahead. Crossing this col the trail descends to Refuge de la Glière at the head of the Champagny valley, joining the route described above from Col de la Grassaz. Another pass to the north of Col du Palet is the 2656 metre Col de la Tourne which provides an alternative route down the eastern side of the ridge to Lac de Tignes. This route is joined about 10 minutes below the hut, is much more wild on the western side and considerably less trodden than that of Palet.

Vallée du Doron de Champagny

South of the Vallée du Ponturin the Doron de Champagny cuts a major east-west valley through the Tarentaise mountains from its headwaters below the north face of La Grande Casse, to Moutiers where it swells the Isère. From Bozel, however, having already been joined by the Doron de Pralognan at Le Villard, the river is known as the Doron de Bozel. (Doron, incidentally, is the Savoie dialect word for stream, or river.) Spreading to the south of Bozel the ski grounds of Courchevel not unnaturally deflect the walker’s attention elsewhere, while at Le Villard another road breaks away to the south-east towards Pralognan where there is much to concentrate the mind. We will return to this particular valley shortly. But east of the small resort of Champagny-en-Vanoise the D91 road squeezes through the Gorges de la Pontille to enter the upper Champagny valley where there are several attractive hamlets and increasingly dramatic scenery that will repay a visit by all who are inspired by nature in its raw, untamed state. La Grande Motte looks especially fine at the head of the valley. Accommodation is limited, but there are modest bases to be had at Champagny-en-Vanoise, Champagny-le-Haut where there’s another PNV porte du parc (Refuge du Bois) and a campsite, and at the roadhead and National Park boundary at Laisonnay d’en Haut with a gîte d’étape (Refuge du Laisonnay) from where the lovely Cascade du Py is seen above to the left. Another mountain hut exists to the south of, and about 900 metres higher than, Champagny-le-Haut. Here Refuge du Plan des Gouilles (2350m) provides climbers with a base for routes on the north flank of the Grand Bec (Refuge du Grand Bec on the west flank is accessible from Pralognan). Refuge de Plaisance occupies a glen to the north of Laisonnay d’en Haut (visited earlier by a route from Entre le Lac in the Vallée du Ponturin), and the little Refuge de la Glière nestles at the head of the valley. La Glière is owned by the Commune de Champagny and has only 21 beds. But there is a guardian in summer who serves meals, and self-catering facilities are provided as in most CAF and PNV huts. In a stone building nearby locally made cheese is usually for sale, as are drinks for passing walkers.

Hut-to-Hut from the Champagny Valley

Hut-to-hut routes from the Vallée du Doron de Champagny mostly cross cols to the north leading into the Ponturin valley, routes that were outlined in the reverse direction within the Vallée du Ponturin section above. By linking several of these huts enjoyable two- or three-day circuits could be achieved. With the Sommet de Bellecôte as the hub, for example, a tour beginning at Champagny-le-Haut would lead north across Col de Frête and through the Nant Benin glen to Nancroix, then along the route of GR5 to Rosuel and Refuge d’Entre le Lac, or as far as the hut on the west side of Col du Palet. From both Entre le Lac and Col du Palet there are return routes to the Champagny valley via Col du Plan Séry, Col de la Grassaz or Col de la Croix des Frêtes. Depending which crossing is made you’ll reach the bed of the valley either at Refuge de la Glière, or Laisonnay d’en Haut.

A shorter, and in many ways a better tour, could be made by simply crossing Col du Plan Séry and Col de la Grassaz, using the Refuge du Laisonnay gîte as the starting point. Two days should be sufficient for this, spending the intervening night at Refuge d’Entre le Lac. The first stage climbs north of Laisonnay d’en Haut on a good path, passing in view of the Cascade du Py, and goes to Refuge de Plaisance. The trail then swings to the right and switchbacks up to the meadows of Plan Séry before climbing again in order to cross the col at 2609 metres. The descent begins quite steeply, the trail partially eroded, but it improves lower down. About 20 minutes before gaining the hut a junction of trails is reached; the right-hand option being the one to take on the next stage to Col de la Grassaz (it also offers a way to Refuge du Col du Palet). There’s a third option here where a path heads left up to the Lacs du Plan Richard in a hanging valley below the aiguille of l’Aliet. The return stage from Refuge d’Entre le Lac has already been outlined under the Vallée du Ponturin section, and has as its highlight those tremendous mountain views from Col de la Grassaz, views that continue all the way down to La Glière. A two-day outing such as this is immensely rewarding, and would make a first-rate introduction to the delights of hut-to-hut trekking for newcomers to the Alps.

Vallée du Doron de Pralognan

Long respected as a mountaineering centre, Pralognan-la-Vanoise is one of the best-known resorts in the Western Graians, although it remains quite modest in size as its growth is naturally restricted by the geography of the valley. Hemmed in by abrupt crowding mountains that define the western extent of the Vanoise massif, it makes some claim to be a minor ski resort, yet has managed to retain a traditional village atmosphere with far greater success than many of its rivals by banning all high-rise development. It has just one cableway (the Mont Bochor téléphérique) and a limited number of ski tows and chairlifts. Reached by bus from Moutiers, Pralognan sits at the junction of three valleys and has much to offer as a base for a walking holiday with several modest hotels, gîtes d’étape and campsites, and access to a variety of mountain huts. Trails abound, and in the height of summer they can be very busy indeed, with accommodation at a premium in Pralognan and the surrounding huts.

The main valley flows roughly northward downstream of the resort to Le Villard and the Doron de Champagny, its upper reaches leading to wild country headed by Col de Chavière, while a steep tributary glen enters Pralognan from the east over which the Grande Casse reigns supreme. The National Park boundary crosses the summit of the Grand Bec, a mountain that effectively separates Pralognan’s valley from that of Champagny, chooses a serpentine course around the east of Pralognan itself and, working southward, edges the right flank of the Chavière valley whose upper reaches it encloses by veering west and north to include Aiguille du Fruit, thereby setting a limit to the outlying Courchevel-Méribel ski playgrounds.

Col de la Vanoise

Of all walks from Pralognan perhaps the most popular is that which climbs steeply to Refuge du Col de la Vanoise (2517m), otherwise known as Refuge Félix Faure after the French president who visited the site in 1897. As its name suggests, the hut is situated at the col, a long trough in full glorious view of the Grande Casse and a choice selection of aiguilles and blank slab walls nearby. With a difference in altitude of some 1100 metres between Pralognan and the col, it is surprising the amount (and shape, size and age) of tourists who make the climb. Admitted, it’s possible to drive as far as Les Fontanettes, thereby saving 200 metres of height-gain, and there’s the téléphérique too (use of this involves descent from the top station in order to get onto the trail), but even so there remains a lot of fairly steep uphill to contend with. Red faces in early summer invariably match the brilliant alpenroses that grow beside the trail.

As a destination in its own right, the Col de la Vanoise is well worth devoting a day of one’s holiday to; never mind the crowds – although, of course, it’s better if you can avoid them by setting out early. The standard route from the roadhead car park at Les Fontanettes follows a dirt track/broad trail through forest, then past Refuge les Barmettes and across the Glière torrent to enter the National Park. Now the way steepens again in many footpath braidings among low-growing shrubs and marmot burrows, mountains growing in stature all around. The shallow Lac des Vaches is traditionally crossed on stepping stones with the great slab face of Aiguille de la Vanoise soaring above to the right, and as the trail continues from the north-eastern end of the tarn, so a close view is given of climbers at work on that face. As the way curves towards the south so the Glacier de la Grande Casse is seen hanging above to the left. The way becomes increasingly stony as it switchbacks up to Lac Long, seen below to the left shortly before gaining Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, about three hours from Les Fontanettes. High above the lake soars the Grande Casse, which looks impressive from the hut, as do the Aiguille and Pointes de l’Epéna, and Pointe de la Grande Glière to the north. The refuge, which consists of more than just one single building, is owned by the CAF, has over 150 places and a guardian in residence from mid-June to the middle of September when meals are provided. Needless to say, it’s well patronised by the crowds who toil up the track during the day, but who go no farther. Those walkers in search of tranquillity will do better by continuing south-eastward through the long, fairly level trough of the col where more lakes, screes, meandering streams, alpine flowers and marmots, and magnificent views, abound.

There are fine cross-country routes to tackle which continue to the Vallon de la Leisse (on GR55), or south of that to Entre Deux Eaux and the Vallon de la Rocheure, or to Plan du Lac; or even down the west flank of the Doron gorge to Refuge de l’Arpont, thereby reversing a section of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise. Each of these will give a magnificent and full day’s walking from Pralognan. But should a return be planned to Pralognan, rather than reverse the route of ascent there’s a circuit to be made by heading south-west from the hut to Lac des Assiettes (by mid-summer this is often almost dry), then down through a hanging valley below the Glacier de l’Arcin. The descent is rough and more challenging than the standard route. It is also a little longer, taking almost three hours to reach Les Fontanettes.

Other Options from Pralognan

South of Pralognan, Refuge de la Vallette sits high on the right flank of the Chavière valley on a hillside shelf below the long rock wall that supports the Glaciers de la Vanoise ice sheet. A trail climbs to it from Pralognan by way of the Isertan forest, while linking trails lead to Col de la Vanoise by way of the Col du Grand Marchet (2490m) and the Fontanettes-Lac des Assiettes path. Another walkers’ route heads south from the Vallette hut on a strenuous crossing of Col d’Aussois (2916m), and descends from there to Refuge du Fond d’Aussois in the Aussois glen that drains into the Maurienne. This latter route forms part of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise outlined below. Incidentally, there are three further routes by which the Col and Refuge du Fond d’Aussois may be gained from the Chavière valley. The first leaves the valley road near Les Prioux and climbs to the Chalet des Nants where the Vallette trail is joined. Next is a track coming from the roadhead at Pont de la Pêche, with a path that continues above Montaimont, while the third breaks away from the GR55 trail upstream from La Motte, crosses the Chavière to the Ritort alp, and climbs in zig-zags from there to join the main Vallette-Col d’Aussois route on the right bank of the Rosoire stream.

When crossing Col de la Vanoise, trekkers gain a direct view of the Pointe de la Glière and Aiguille de la Epena

Opposite Refuge de la Vallette, on the west side of the Chavière, rises the Petit Mont Blanc (2677m), a popular modest peak that attracts walkers by a choice of footpaths starting from the Chavière valley, as well as via other routes of ascent beginning in a glen on the west side of the mountain made accessible from Courchevel. One of the Chavière routes begins downstream of Pont de Gerlan; one leaves the GR55 path upstream of that bridge, another from Les Prioux hamlet, and yet a fourth from a track between Pont de la Pêche and La Motte. Petit Mont Blanc (or Petit Mont Blanc de Pralognan to give its full title) is so-named for the exposed white gypsum deposits from which it is made. The summit is reached by way of a series of strange craters, and from the crown extensive views include the Vanoise glaciers seen across the valley to the east.

From the summit it’s possible to link with a ridge-walk along the Crête du Mont Charvet, gained by way of the Col des Saulces (2456m) and a trail along the west flank of the Dents de la Portetta, or return to Pralognan via Col de la Grande Pierre. Alternatively descend west from Petit Mont Blanc to the little unguarded PNV hut, Refuge des Lacs Merlet in a corrie below Aiguille du Fruit, and spend the remainder of the day exploring that corrie, then make a circuit of the aiguille next day, passing Refuge du Saut where the trail divides. By heading south-east, cross Col Rouge (2731m) and descend to the GR55 at a point midway between Pont de la Pêche and Refuge de Péclet-Polset in the upper Chavière valley. From there either head upvalley to Péclet-Polset, or turn left and wander downstream to Pralognan. Those who go up to Refuge de Péclet-Polset will find it very busy by day with walkers making a visit from the roadhead at Pont de la Pêche. Above the hut a low ridge gives lovely views onto the milky-blue waters of Lac Blanc, while to the south an uncompromisingly wild patch of country encloses the valley-head in a stony amphitheatre with the dipping Col de Chavière offering an escape route to the Maurienne.

It will be seen, then, that Pralognan is not short of walking routes, and a holiday based there will serve well those who prefer their mountains tempered with comfortable sociability of an evening. The map is liberally outlined with blue-traced possibilities, while refuge symbols indicate a range of multi-day tours available for those with a taste for this kind of walking holiday. Of these, the best of all outings to be made in and around the Vanoise National Park is the 10-to-12-day Tour of the Vanoise described below from Modane, and the shorter version, the four-day Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise which is publicised as starting from Pralognan. There is also a traverse of the massif to be made which begins at Landry in the Tarentaise, follows GR5 to Col du Palet, descends to Val Claret and joins GR55 across the mountains to Pralognan, then continues through the Chavière to Péclet-Polset, crosses Col de Chavière and descends to Modane in the Maurienne; a five-day crossing.

Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise

Apart from the start and finish, this fine circuit remains above the 2000 metre contour, has two real passes to cross and numerous ridge spurs to negotiate, three nights to be spent in mountain huts and splendid views to enjoy throughout. Apart from the route over the first col (Col d’Aussois), which you may have to yourself, trails are likely to be well used during the main summer season. Snow will no doubt be lying in places until the middle of July, or even later in some years following a late spring, but while caution is naturally required, there should be no technical difficulties to face.

On the southern outskirts of Pralognan a path is taken which climbs steeply from the edge of a campsite through the Isertan forest, followed by a rough scramble to the so-called Pas de l’Âne, reached by way of an impressive open gully. The path continues up to Roc du Tambour with the Petit Marchet rising above to the left, then swings right and eases below rock walls supporting ice cliffs edging the Glaciers de la Vanoise, and about five hours from Pralognan arrives at the Refuge de la Vallette.

The second stage is longer and more arduous than the first, taking about seven and a half hours (plus rests) to gain Refuge du Fond d’Aussois over the Col d’Aussois, highest point of the tour. However, the day begins with a steady descent of about 400 metres to the Chalet des Nants where an alternative trail rises from Les Prioux. From the chalet the way then makes a traverse of hill slopes below the little Glacier des Nants until a point is reached just above Montaimont. Here the trail rises into the Cirque du Génépy topped by the Dôme de l’Arpont and with the Glacier du Génépy draped below it. The way continues to climb, then eases along a belvedere trail known as the Sentier Balcon d’Ariande. Joined by the trail from the alp of Ritort, the continuing route heads south-east up the glen of the Rosoire stream before veering south for the final steep climb to Col d’Aussois, the final part of which is often over old snow on scree. The col is surprisingly broad and level, but the way down to the Aussois glen can be tiring as it descends a series of rock terraces before more comfortable slopes of grass lead eventually to the hut set beside a pleasant stream.

Early summer, and snow still lies on sections of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise

Next day is less strenuous, albeit almost as long as the last, demanding perhaps six hours or so for the route to Refuge de l’Arpont. But there are no real passes to negotiate, the trails are good and mostly clear and, since the way is shared by both the longer Tour of the Vanoise and the GR5, there should be no navigational skills called upon.

Leaving Refuge du Fond d’Aussois continue downvalley through the lovely glen to a bridge over a stream that falls into the Plan d’Amont reservoir. At this point a crossing trail (GR5) is joined, bearing left (east) below Refuge de la Dent Parrachée, then on a track heading south-east to pass the privately-owned Refuge du Plan Sec. A short distance beyond this hut a footpath breaks away from the track near ski tows, crosses pastureland and makes a traverse of hillside high above the Maurienne. At a junction of trails near the ruined hutments of La Turra, the way climbs the flank of Roc des Corneilles in steep switchbacks to gain a well-made path cutting round a bare cirque formed by curving ridges of the Pointe de Bellecôte. Rounding a ridge spur projecting east of the same mountain, the trail then goes north-west and north along the GR5 into the Doron valley. As the way progresses, so views toward the head of the valley become more and more impressive; streams spill down from the Vanoise glaciers above to the left and ibex are often seen among pastures and stream-cut gullies on the approach to the hut. The Arpont hut enjoys lovely views south with the Doron gorge below to the east, but for the full bounty of northward views it is necessary to climb a short slope behind the hut.

These views are gained next morning on stage four which leads to the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise and down to Pralognan – a demanding day’s trekking. In the early part of the season snow slopes often lie just beyond Refuge de l’Arpont, and caution will be required in crossing them. However, the slope soon eases with the trail crossing gentle grasslands below the eastern extent of the Vanoise glaciers. A little under three hours from Arpont the main GR5 trail descends steeply eastward into a glen below Entre Deux Eaux, while the route to the Col de la Vanoise is signed to the left, a trail that cuts along the east face of Point de la Réchasse. This eventually joins a major route (GR55) climbing from Pont de Croé-Vie. Near this junction stands a large triangular memorial stone erected in memory of two army officers who perished in the mountains. The route to Col de la Vanoise climbs left and soon enters the long windy trough leading to Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, beyond which the well-marked but tiring mule-track descends to Pralognan.

Day 1:	Pralognan – Pas de l’Âne – Refuge de la Vallette
Day 2:	Refuge de la Vallette – Col d’Aussois – Refuge du Fond d’Aussois
Day 3:	Refuge du Fond d’Aussois – Refuge de l’Arpont
Day 4:	Refuge de l’Arpont – Refuge du Col de la Vanoise – Pralognan

Tour of the Vanoise

This longer route, which extends that of the Vanoise glaciers tour outlined above, makes an excellent circuit of the massif in 10 to 12 days, providing a series of magnificent experiences and a first-class overview of the National Park, and is arguably the finest expedition open to walkers in the western Graian Alps. In some respects it stands comparison with the much better-known Tour du Mont Blanc, while being not so demanding as the Tour de l’Oisans in the neighbouring Dauphiné Alps. Accommodation with meals provision is available every night in mountain huts or valley hotels and gîtes d’étape. Backpacking is therefore unnecessary, and in summer walkers should be able to tackle the circuit in a two-week holiday without the burden of a heavy rucksack.

Modane to Refuge du Plan Sec

Modane makes an obvious starting point. Access is straightforward, and a short but steep approach on the first day leads to Refuge de l’Orgère. It is a steep approach too, in forest for much of the way on a trail with numerous junctions, but signposts and waymarks are sufficient to ensure the correct trail is taken. On occasion momentary views are allowed through the trees down to the bed of the valley, while the upward view is almost always concealed by dense forest cover. When rare open meadows are crossed (meadows extravagant with alpine flowers in early summer), the long trench of the Maurienne is revealed off to the right, its southern walling mountains of modest appeal except towards the east where they grow in stature. Those higher peaks will be seen to good effect later on the tour. Half an hour from Orgère a track is crossed near the Pierre Brune chalet. If this is followed to the right it will lead to an alternative hut, the privately-owned Refuge de l’Aiguille Doran.

From the National Park’s Orgère refuge the Tour of the Vanoise crosses the mouth of the Orgère glen and follows the route of GR5 heading north-east along an undulating trail, at first through forest, then rising over steep hillsides of grass where sheep graze high above the Maurienne, passing one or two isolated stone buildings before descending a little to the grass saddle of Col du Barbier. The col is more a shallow grass scoop than a proper col, with a gentle grass dome nearby overlooking the valley, and a clear hint ahead that the glen soon to be entered will provide good things to enjoy.

The Aussois glen is a rewarding place to wander. The trail picks its way along the western slopes some way above the Plan d’Aval man-made lake, with its thunderous roar of water floating on the breeze. The cascade seen far below is part of a hydro-electric scheme, the fall bursting from a 17 kilometre pipe used to divert water from streams near the head of the Doron gorge. The trail climbs over a rocky bluff, then crosses a broad, open, moorland-like stretch running with streams in the early season, and fine views across the glen to the Dent Parrachée and Pointe de Bellecôte. Beyond this moorland the way veers to the right and eventually drops steeply to a shelf bright with alpenroses, below which a bridge crosses a stream draining the upper glen. There follows a short exposed section of footpath, but this soon gives way to easier terrain and a dirt road that makes a traverse of the eastern hillside. This dirt road passes just below Refuge du Plan Sec, with a narrow trail climbing in a few moments up to it.

Draining the Glaciers de la Vanoise, waterfalls spray down crags above the path that leads to Refuge de l’Arpont

Refuge du Plan Sec to Refuge de l’Arpont

On the third stage the route enters the Doron valley which later provides some of the loveliest of all Vanoise scenery. In order to gain that valley from Plan Sec, GR5 is once again adopted as the best route of access; the same trail as that used by the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise on the way to Refuge de l’Arpont. From Plan Sec the dirt road is followed a short way downvalley, then a narrow trail forks across meadows and teeters along the steeply plunging hillside quite 1100 metres above the ribbon of l’Arc. A short gully is climbed by a tightly twisting path, then a wide and easy trail breaks away on a rising traverse followed by switchbacks to an open grass saddle near the ruins of La Turra above the unseen Monolithe de Sardières. Another twisting uphill trail leads to a comfortingly easy traverse of a combe, beyond which one further saddle is crossed by more chalet ruins at La Loza. By straying a few paces from the trail onto a nearby hillock, an extensive panorama may be enjoyed which includes both La Grande Casse and La Grande Motte to the north of the Doron gorge, while north-east across the valley the continuing trail of the Tour of the Vanoise can just be seen, as can Termignon nestling at a junction of streams 1000 metres and more below.

After rounding a spur at La Loza the trail cuts across another large combe (snow patches early in the summer) and tops a bluff marked on the map as Montafia. Just beyond this the route curves into the Combe d’Enfer, a charming corrie wild above and vegetated below. On its north-eastern side there’s a small farm advertising home-made cheese, drinks and couchettes – a remote lodging reminiscent of that experienced by the Victorian pioneers. Now heading north-west the trail lines the mountainside walling the Doron gorge, and on the final approach to the hut crosses numerous streams draining the Glaciers de la Vanoise – streams that have cut deep channels in the natural hillside shelf. Cascades pour their silver over a line of cliffs above to the left, while Refuge de l’Arpont sits perched on a narrow levelling hillside spur projecting from the Dôme de Chasseforêt, gazing south to the far boundary of the Maurienne.

Refuge de l’Arpont to Refuge du Vallonbrun

Above Arpont high mountain views increase in grandeur on one of the best of all stages of this ever-delightful tour. Continuing north along the western wall of the Doron gorge, the way hiccups over a series of bluffs and open pastures with the hint of glaciers above, and the dark face of the Pointe de la Réchasse disguising the full extent of the much bigger Grande Casse rising behind it. Glacial torrents dash through the pastures and glens rough with old moraines, while other glens off to the right entice with their own mystique. La Grande Motte shows itself above shadows that tell of the Vallon de la Leisse through which the route will return in four or five days’ time, then a sudden descent is made to the head of the Doron gorge and a confluence of streams – that which drains the Vallon de la Leisse itself, and the Torrent de la Rocheure coming from the east. An old dairy farm sprawling on the hillside above to the north houses the Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux. Described as being ‘long and low, rising at one end to a second storey,’ the refuge seems hardly to have changed since Janet Adam Smith first stayed there in 1935. Full of character and surrounded by the calm of remote mountain country, ‘the way to the south lies wide open, letting the sun in at all seasons.’ (Mountain Holidays) But the Tour of the Vanoise chooses to ignore Entre Deux Eaux on this occasion, and instead rises to the south over hillsides thick with shrubs until a more open pastureland is reached which leads easily to the PNV’s Refuge du Plan du Lac with its memorable outlook west to the Glaciers de la Vanoise across the depths of the unseen gorge.

Stage five leads to another PNV hut, Refuge du Vallonbrun. It’s a varied day’s walking of about six hours, heading south from the start and soon passing alongside the sparkling lake of Plan du Lac (spectacular reflected views looking north), then down to Bellecombe at the limit of access for private vehicles on the road from Termignon. At this point a trail cuts off to the east, crossing rolling pastures and soon leading round a huge open pastoral cirque sparsely dotted with simple farms below the Crête de Côte Chaude. The southern end of this cirque comes at the Turra de Termignon, a fine viewpoint on a spur of the Crête de la Turra (an extension of the Côte Chaude crest), which overlooks the deep valley of l’Arc. A small summer-only farmhouse nestles here under the ridge in a dramatic situation. The trail drops past it and continues to descend steeply through natural rock gardens and dense forest. Coming to a forest track the way eases on what becomes a long eastward traverse; the track eventually giving way to a footpath that climbs to the unmanned Refuge du Cuchet, then resumes its belvedere course below the Grand Roc Noir all the way to Vallonbrun.

Refuge du Vallonbrun to Val d’Isère

From Vallonbrun to Bonneval-sur-Arc is an undemanding stage in which the Tour of the Vanoise explores flower-rich meadows in the bed of the Haute-Maurienne. A short distance upvalley from Refuge du Vallonbrun, by the side of a small chapel, a path descends through pastures, creeps alongside yet more ruined buildings, and continues in a series of steep zig-zags to Le Collet, a small hamlet crowded on the Col de la Madeleine. From here to Bonneval the trail remains on the north bank of l’Arc. It passes through meadows, visits Bessans and Le Villaron (both of which have accommodation), followed by a gentle walk to Bonneval for a night’s lodging. There are hotels in Bonneval and nearby Tralenta, a CAF chalet-refuge, and another privately-owned hut (Refuge du Criou) which stands on the mountainside to the south-east.

Bonneval is linked with Val d’Isère by a road that crosses Col de l’Iseran. The Tour of the Vanoise also uses the Iseran, but fortunately manages to avoid the road for all but a very short stretch, in so doing wanders through the charming Vallon de la Lenta and a narrow rocky gorge crossed in one place by a more or less permanent snow bridge. In order to gain the Vallon de la Lenta a sharp ascent is made of the hillside above and behind Bonneval. There follows a brief stretch along the Iseran road, then a gentle amble through the Lenta glen where a few stone chalets enjoy a vision of great beauty, gazing back as they do across the Maurienne to the Albaron and Ciamarella group of mountains. A footbridge spanning the Lenta stream brings another trail in from the left – an alternative high-level route used by a variant of the GR5 from near Bessans by way of the unmanned Refuge du Molard and the Vallon amphitheatre.

Soft pastures in Vallon de la Lenta are soon exchanged for the narrow gorge, emerging at its northern end by the road bridge of Pont de la Neige. The road is ignored as a trail continues along the left-hand hillside, rising steadily to the Col de l’Iseran. Here the road is crossed and a narrow trail followed down through the scoop of Vallon de l’Iseran, unhappily littered with ski machinery. However, all this is soon left behind and Val d’Isère reached by a fragrant forest trail; the best way to enter this bustling resort.

Val d’Isère to Entre Deux Eaux

Although lacking the kind of tranquillity experienced in mountain refuges adopted for overnight accommodation elsewhere on this tour, it has to be said that for such a busy resort Val d’Isère is not entirely without grace, and it provides an ideal opportunity to restock with provisions for the next stage or two which return the route to the confines of the National Park across Col de la Leisse. However, before the delights of the Vallon de la Leisse may be won, a cross-country trail is taken to the ski grounds of Lac de Tignes and Val Claret. Headed by an easy saddle, Vallon de la Tovière makes an innocent link, but all who love wild places will scurry past Tignes and Val Claret as fast as their rucksacks allow, in order to regain uncluttered landscapes. Col de la Leisse provides that renewal, although on the slopes of La Grande Motte, soaring high overhead, a string of cableways can be seen, and even in summer skiers, tiny in the distance, weave patterns on snowfields gleaming in the sunshine. Descent into Vallon de la Leisse allows spiritual refreshment through the harsh colours of nature’s raw artistry. Bare rock walls, boulders patterned with green and khaki lichen, dusty screes, meandering streams and grey marsh, plus a tarn or two, black when cloud-shadows drift across, take the trail to the tent-shaped Refuge de la Leisse; three buildings, in fact, overlooking the lower western end of the glen that curves out of sight to the left. Edelweiss star the slopes around the hut, and chamois and marmot inhabit the grasslands lower down.

Stage nine of our circuit crosses Col de la Vanoise on the way to Pralognan, but walkers with sufficient days in hand may be seduced into diverting from the main tour in order to explore the delights of the Rocheure glen that runs east to west on the far side of the Vallon de la Leisse’s southern wall of mountains. There are two overnight options to consider. The first is Refuge de la Femma, a PNV hut charmingly situated deep inside the Vallon de la Rocheure; the second is Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux already described on the stage from Arpont to Plan du Lac. If the latter is chosen, the following day’s walk to Pralognan will not be quite so demanding, and it also means that the Rocheure glen can be wandered without a rucksack – or at least, with an even lighter ‘sack than normal. Assuming this to be the case, leave Refuge de la Leisse and walk downvalley on a good path that remains on the left bank of the stream as far as the humpbacked Pont de Croé-Vie, a stone bridge that takes the main trail to Col de la Vanoise. Ignore the bridge and continue down the left bank as far as Entre Deux Eaux, and there book a bed for the night and leave any non-essential baggage, before continuing beyond the hut to cross the Rocheure torrent a short distance below. Over the stream bear left through the glen to Refuge de la Femma, reached in a little over two hours from Entre Deux Eaux. It’s a fine, undemanding walk, with gentle views upvalley, and more challenging views back to the west to be enjoyed on the return. And the hut itself is both comfortable and welcoming, providing an enjoyable interlude.

Entre Deux Eaux to Modane

The continuing tour across Col de la Vanoise, resumes its uphill course on the west side of the Pont de Croé-Vie, twisting among alpenroses, then easing a little among boulders before entering the high, bleak trough that runs between Pointe de la Réchasse and La Grande Casse. This trough can be quite a wind-funnel, but on calm days the almost level trail may be enjoyed at leisure, while mountain walls rising on either side add an air of wild grandeur. Cushion plants do their best to brighten the way, and once they’ve lost the ice flows of spring, a couple of small tarns near the col itself cast reflections of sharp aiguilles. In three and a half hours from Refuge de la Leisse (a little less from Entre Deux Eaux) you should arrive at the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, then decide whether to take the main trail down to Pralognan via the north side of the Aiguille de la Vanoise and Lac des Vaches, or follow a longer and less-trodden way past Lac des Assiettes and below the Glacier and Grande Aiguille de l’Arcelin.

It would be possible for fit walkers to reach Modane in a single day from Pralognan by way of Col de Chavière. In certain cases it may be necessary to do so, but it would be a shame to rush this final crossing for there’s still plenty on the tour to absorb and enjoy. The alternatives are to either plan a short day’s walk as far as Refuge de Péclet-Polset, or continue over the Chavière, but instead of going all the way down to Modane, spend a last night in Refuge de l’Orgère. Should you have a train to catch next morning, it would still be feasible to do so after breakfast at Orgère, for it’ll only take a couple of hours to reach the station from there.

Leaving Pralognan the trail to Péclet-Polset goes through forest for a while on the east bank of the river, then crosses to the other side at Pont de Gerlan. A track is then followed to Les Prioux, a small hamlet with accommodation in the Chalet-Refuge le Repoju. Immediately beyond Les Prioux it becomes necessary to walk for a short distance along the valley road as far as an unsurfaced parking area near Pont de la Pêche. Back on the west bank once more the route follows a track for some way through pastures with bare mountains on either side, but with growing views of snowfield and glacier towards the head of the valley. The track narrows to footpath which rises steadily from one natural step to the next until rolling grassland gives way to more savage terrain. And there, above the trail to the right, stands Refuge de Péclet-Polset.

South of the refuge stony mounds and scree-runnels, hollows and boulder tips make an uncompromising scene. But there are also poor patches of grass and a few small pools to brighten an otherwise drab landscape. Col de Chavière is reached in less than an hour and a half from the hut. A narrow saddle in a sharp crest of stone, it is without question the finest true col on the Tour of the Vanoise. Marked by a large cairn, both sides plunge steeply to scree and rock, and on the proverbial clear day views are impressive. To the north-east Mont Blanc can be seen, while to the south-west Mont Thabor and major summits of the Écrins massif swell against the horizon.

Descending scree at first, the southern side of the col soon leads to a choice of routes. One leads down the right-hand side of the Tête Noir’s dividing bluff into the glen drained by the Ruisseau de St Bernard, the other traces the east flank of Tête Noir before dropping steeply to Refuge de l’Orgère. Both routes combine in forest to the south and descend directly to Modane in the Maurienne.

To summarise, the Tour of the Vanoise makes a very fine circuit; not too demanding but scenically delightful throughout. Accommodation is plentiful, trails good, waymarks sufficient without being intrusive. But as the Vanoise National Park is extremely popular during the main summer season, walkers intending to tackle this route, especially from mid-July to mid-August, are advised at least to telephone ahead to reserve places in mountain huts. Note that snow often lies across some of the higher trails well into July, and caution is then advised.

Day 1:	Modane – Refuge de l’Orgère
Day 2:	Refuge de l’Orgère – Col du Barbier – Refuge du Plan Sec
Day 3:	Refuge du Plan Sec – Refuge de l’Arpont
Day 4:	Refuge de l’Arpont – Refuge du Plan du Lac
Day 5:	Refuge du Plan du Lac – Turra de Termignon – Refuge du Vallonbrun
Day 6:	Refuge du Vallonbrun – Bessans – Le Villaron – Bonneval-sur-Arc
Day 7:	Bonneval-sur-Arc – Col de l’Iseran – Val d’Isère
Day 8:	Val d’Isère – Pas de la Tovière – Col de la Leisse – Refuge de la Leisse
Day 9:	Refuge de la Leisse – Col de la Vanoise – Pralognan
or:	Refuge de la Leisse – Refuge de la Femma – Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux
Day 9a:	Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux – Col de la Vanoise – Pralognan
Day 10:	Pralognan – Refuge de Péclet-Polset
or:	Pralognan – Col de Chavière – Refuge de l’Orgère
Day 11:	Refuge de Péclet-Polset – Col de Chavière – Modane

The Eastern Graians

To all intents and purposes the Eastern Graians mean the Gran Paradiso and its national park, a rewarding area that comprises a substantial block of crystalline mountains lying south of the Valle d’Aosta across which glorious visions of Mont Blanc, Grand Combin and assorted giants of the Pennine Alps are revealed to the fortunate wanderer.

The Gran Paradiso National Park boasts no less than 57 glaciers and dozens of peaks in excess of 3000 metres, while the mountain after which it is named is, at 4061 metres, the highest entirely in Italy and, incidentally, generally reckoned to be the easiest to climb of all Alpine 4000ers. Created in 1922 the Gran Paradiso was the country’s first national park, a landmark in the protection of wildlife in general and the ibex in particular. Formerly a royal hunting ground for Vittorio Emanuel II, some 2000 hectares were ceded to the State in 1919 by one of the hunter king’s successors, and since the park’s inception three years later the area has expanded to include some 70,000 hectares, or more than 700 square kilometres. Within the park’s boundaries roam 5000 ibex, around 8000 chamois and 10,000 marmots, so it will be a rare summer day’s walking here that fails to conjure sightings of wildlife.

The range spreads eastward from the French border to the southern curve of Valle d’Aosta where the Dora Baltea sweeps out of the mountains toward the Po, its northern limit being defined by the Valle d’Aosta itself where French has been the official language since 1561, its southern by the Valle di Susa dominated by Turin. This is a sizeable chunk of country, but so far as this chapter is concerned we will concentrate only on the central block, and the four main valleys on the northern side. Naming from west to east these are Val Grisenche, Val di Rhêmes, Val Savarenche and the Valle di Cogne with its lovely tributary glen, Valnontey. Of these, only Val Grisenche lies outside the national park’s boundary. The southern valleys may be less popular, the scenery not quite so dramatic as on the northern side, but the landscape is somewhat wilder and with trails that one could enjoy in peaceful isolation from the crowds.

Naturally Valle d’Aosta holds the key to all vehicular approach from the northern side of the mountains, with public transport focused on the old Roman town of Aosta itself, athough it must be said that some of the bus services to more remote areas are either greatly reduced or suspended outside the high summer months of July and August. Mid-summer is exceedingly popular in the honeypot areas, and trails and huts can be uncomfortably crowded. However, in June and September it’s easy enough to find routes to wander in solitude, when the true delights of the area can be properly absorbed, although as in most regions of the high Alps snow conditions may prevent some of the loftier routes from being tackled until late June or early July.

Hotels, campsites, mountain huts and a number of bivouac shelters on the northern side of the ridge that divides the autonomous region of Valle d’Aosta from Piedmont, provide a range of accommodation to suit most tastes. With some 450 kilometres of footpaths to choose from it will be seen that countless permutations of walks exist to suit activists of every persuasion. Trails are in the main clearly defined with waymarks and occasional signposts, including a number of old mule-tracks created for Vittorio Emanuel’s hunting parties, and two multi-day routes marked on the map suggest ways of exploring the region in the best possible manner. The first of these is the Grande Traversata del Gran Paradiso (GTGP) which, after crossing dividing ridges on the northern side, then makes a high-level traverse of the southern flanks; the second is the Alta Via della Valle d’Aosta No 2, making an eastbound traverse from La Thuile below the Col du Petit St Bernard to Champorcher. (Alta Via No 1, the so-called ‘Giants’ Trail’, makes a traverse of the mountains north of Valle d’Aosta and is mentioned in the Pennine Alps chapter.)

In the following pages an outline of both long routes will be provided, following a study of walking prospects in the four north-flowing valleys, beginning first with Val Grisenche.

Val Grisenche

Flowing roughly parallel with the Franco– Italian border, this is the least-visited of the four valleys; partly because it lies outside the national park’s boundary and therefore receives less publicity than the others, partly because it is farther away from Aosta than any of its neighbours and partly, no doubt, because it has the least amount of accommodation available to the visitor. Among its scattered hamlets not one amounts to anything resembling a resort, and the road that climbs into the glen is rather tortuous and narrow, managing to veil its true nature until the traveller has made his commitment to enter. However, Val Grisenche is not without its charms, either in scenic values or walking possibilities, and prospective visitors attracted by unsung corners of the Alps will accept these reasons as being sufficient in themselves to go there, while those coming under their own steam from France will see it as the first valley to explore when travelling down Valle d’Aosta from Courmayeur and the Mont Blanc tunnel. With no obvious display of its appeal from the insignificant entrance at Leverogne, Val Grisenche nevertheless leads to much quiet beauty, and few who appreciate nature in the raw will be disappointed by what they find there.

In its lower reaches the valley is narrow and heavily wooded, but as you head south-westward so it widens to a few rough pastures and small, huddled hamlets, stone-built and little changed by the centuries. Planaval lies below a tributary glen through which a trail visits a ruined hamlet, with a side-path climbing to the blue-green Lago di Fondo, while the main trail continues alongside the Château Blanc glacier before crossing a glacier pass traversed by both Alta Via 2 and the GTGP long-distance routes. On the far side of the col, and some way below it, stands Rifugio Deffeyes with several tarns nearby, and another trail cutting back over Passo Alto into the Sopra glen by which a two-day circuit could be achieved.

Another major trail leading from Planaval strikes upvalley, rising on a long slant across the left-hand mountainside to Lago di San Grato which has a small stone chapel at its southern end. Several trails break away from this tarn; one of these leads to a crossing of the frontier ridge at Col du Mont, on the French side of which lies the privately-owned Refuge la Motte. Returning from this col to Val Grisenche a good path descends to a service road and the bed of the valley, passing on the way a memorial that recalls the death by avalanche during the last war, of German officers and their prisoners who were being forced to carry supplies up to the col.

Upvalley beyond Planaval there are more hamlets and clusters of simple buildings. Valgrisenche itself boasts a foodstore and a post office, and from it a walking route that heads up the true right bank of the valley before climbing to Rifugio de l’Épée. Above this hut Col de la Finestra (or Col Fenêtre) provides a high route into Val di Rhêmes. Continuing beyond Valgrisenche village you come to Bonne, set on a ledge overlooking the dammed Lago di Beauregard, the only unfortunate scar in the valley. This long ribbon of reservoir was unwanted and deeply resented by the local population when it was created in the 1960s, because it drowned the hamlet of Fornet. Resentment lingers on as, apparently, it has not yet been used to capacity.

After Bonne a service road climbs high above the lake through scarlet masses of rosebay willowherb, then descends to the main Dora di Valgrisenche below the buildings of Grand Alpe and the trail junction for Col du Mont. A farm building nearby has been adapted to serve as a simple bar/restaurant. Vehicles are not allowed beyond this point, and only footpaths and farm tracks score into the wild, upper region that entices from the south.

Here Val Grisenche rises under a glacial cirque topped by the Grande Sassière, where the Ghiacciaio di Gliairetta sweeps across the cirque’s header wall which carries the international frontier in an eastward kink – ghiacciaio, incidentally, being the Italian word for glacier. This upper part of the valley is an untamed delight. Laced with numerous streams and waterfalls, and with the Italian Alpine Club’s (CAI) Rifugio Mario Bezzi set at 2284 metres on the right bank of the Dora di Valgrisenche at Alp Vaudet, the lonely uplands may be explored at leisure. Apart from glacier crossings and summit routes that lie outside the scope of this book, more walking trails entice across both of the valley’s limiting walls. On the western side Col du Lac Noir and Col du Rocher Blanc, the two separated by Point du Rocher Blanc, offer ways over the frontier to the valley of Isère below Tignes, while the east wall has a crossing point at Col le Bassac Derè leading to the upper Val di Rhêmes and Rifugio Benevolo. Another worthwhile outing from the Bezzi hut, a local there-and-back route but on a poorly defined footpath, takes you across the meadows of Piano di Vaudet and up to the tarn of Lago di San Martino north-east of the hut.

The foregoing paragraphs offered just a few suggestions of walking possibilities in the valley. There are, of course, many others, including a circular tour made by adopting existing paths, or yet more ridge crossings to west or east. By linking two or more cols demanding circuits show themselves as distinct possibilities, while activists with scrambling experience will never run short of ideas for collecting summits with outstanding panoramas.

Val di Rhêmes

Gained by road from Villeneuve, which has a useful tourist office, the next valley to the east of Val Grisenche is Val di Rhêmes, a broader, more open glen than its neighbour, whose river more or less defines the national park’s western boundary. A little longer than Val Grisenche, there are clear signs that outside money is being spent on the renovation of several hamlets in a tasteful way. There’s camping to be had in Rhêmes St Georges, and modest hotel accommodation in Rhêmes Notre-Dame, a small but pretty village with a foodstore, while set upon a grassy bluff near the head of the valley Rifugio Benevolo attracts plenty of day visitors by virtue of a short and easy (and extremely attractive) approach from the roadhead at Thumel.

This waterfall is seen on the way to Rifugio Benevolo in Val di Rhêmes

Whilst there are walks to be had in the valley’s lower and middle sections, the main concentration here should be focused on the Benevolo hut. Around it green pastures are buckled into hillocks and hollows backed in the south by jutting cliffs and crags, and dominated by the impressive rock tower of Granta Parei (3387m). The actual head of the valley is blocked by a low amphitheatre – a scene of ice and snow, small peaks, big rubble-strewn moraines, and level pastures pitted with marmot burrows. The French border traces the cirque crest, beyond which lies the Vanoise National Park, while to east and west projecting ridges have their own appeal.

One highly recommended day walk from the Benevolo hut makes a circuit of Truc Santa Elena, a rocky hill rising a short distance away to the south. On tackling this circuit one has an evolving variety of scenery to enjoy, from gentle pastures to rough scree bowls, from a close view of glaciers and churning moraines to big rock walls and waterfalls, boulder tips and small tarns with alpine flowers at their edges. On a beautiful September day under perfect walking conditions I had this circuit to myself, other than the marmots, that is, while around the hut dozens of visitors sat blinking in the sunlight.

Other possibilities inevitably involve the traverse of walling ridges. Although Alta Via 2 avoids the higher crossings (it tackles cols on either side of Rhêmes Notre-Dame farther downstream), the true mountain wanderer will surely not be deterred by a rich selection of cols above the 3000 metre mark, most of which are clearly defined and in all but unseasonal weather should be easy enough to follow, whilst still being demanding enough to provide a sense of achievement at the end of the day. To the east of Rifugio Benevolo the walling ridge divides Val di Rhêmes from the upper Val Savarenche. Three high cols here offer linking routes, and since two huts lie on the far side of the ridge, on the Nivolet plateau, scattered with lakes and astride the borders of Aosta and Piedmont, more circular tours become obvious temptations.

Traditional buildings in the Val Savarenche, Eastern Graians

Val Savarenche

Road access to this valley from Valle d’Aosta is the same as that for Val di Rhêmes until Introd, from which handsome village superb westward views show the Italian face of Mont Blanc shining in the morning light. Val di Rhêmes and Val Savarenche are similar in their lower reaches, both being narrow, heavily wooded V-clefts that open to green pastures. Val Savarenche is a little wilder than its neighbour, though, and with the Gran Paradiso itself forming the main attraction, shared equally with the next glen to the east, Valnontey. This dividing ridge is, however, not solely of mountain interest on account of Gran Paradiso, for the northern end proudly boasts the shapely Grivola (3969m), and there’s also the Gran Serra, Herbetet and other notable peaks that draw the eye with their graceful forms. Several hamlets are spaced along the bed of the valley, all of which have some form of accommodation. There’s camping to be had just south of Creton, a wooded campsite (Camping Gran Paradiso) a little further upstream on the true right bank of the river, and another more open site at the roadhead at Pont, while no less than four huts provide accommodation on the walling mountains: Albergo Savoia and neighbouring Rifugio Citta di Chivasso set upon the Nivolet plateau at the extreme south-west end of the valley, and Rifugio Chabod and the ever busy Vittorio Emanuel rifugio on the east flank below the glaciers of the Gran Paradiso.

Not surprisingly this is one of the busiest of all valleys in the national park, but since there are no cableways or other forms of mechanical aid, the only way to see the best on offer is to leave the road and take to the footpaths, a number of which date back to the days of King Vittorio Emanuel II who kept a good part of the valley as a hunting reserve, and many of whose mule-trails remain to this day.

The Chabod & Vittorio Emanuel huts

Once again walkers’ passes on both flanks of the valley provide opportunities to move from one side of the walling ridges to the next, but there are also some fine walks to be achieved at mid-height along the steep hillsides. Probably the very best is that which links the Chabod and Vittorio Emanuel huts. It leads through some rough country, with rocks and boulders and glacial slabs, and with the tongues of glaciers hanging just above, their streams dashing down in long ribbons. Ibex can often be spied from this trail, and in early summer alpine flowers add much to the walk. The Chabod hut is reached in two and a half hours from the road by a fine walk through larchwoods and a green upper corrie backed by the Herbetet–Gran Paradiso ridge, followed by a more stony landscape with a final pull up a spur that provides a magnificent viewpoint. Above the hut a path climbs to the Col Gran Neyron below the Herbetet – this has a via ferrata descent before linking with another trail to cross Col Lauson into the Valnontey. The route to Rifugio Vittorio Emanuel, however, breaks away from the Chabod path below the hut and makes a roughly south-bound traverse, remaining about 800 metres or more above the valley.

The most popular route for climbers on the Gran Paradiso begins at the Vittorio Emanuel hut, and this voie normale follows more or less the route taken by the team that made the first ascent in 1860 (J. J. Cowell and W. Dundas, with the Chamonix guides, Michel Payot and Jean Tairraz). The hut itself is an incongruous building once described as ‘reminiscent of an aircraft hangar with its ugly aluminium roof’. Janet Adam Smith called it ‘a gigantic aluminium dog-kennel stridently out of keeping with the setting of pasture, rock and snow.’ With a guardian in residence between late April and the end of September, it can sleep almost 150, while the old hut nearby can take another 40. In 1924 Dorothy Pilley and her husband, I. A. Richards, spent a night there prior to making an ascent of Gran Paradiso, but they were not happy with what they found on arrival: ‘The hut ... was a disgrace to humanity’, she wrote. ‘Only the most confirmed of Alpine Romanticism could overlook the polluted state of the environs. A slope of garbage tippings fell from the doorstep into a rancid little lake ... With all nature in their favour, with sun and wind and water to keep the site clean, it is sad that people should mark their presence with filth and stench.’ (Climbing Days) A decade later and Janet Adam Smith also complained of a dump of tins and rubbish, but happily the hut and its surroundings were soon improved, for in 1939 R. L. G. Irving was able to describe it as ‘a delectable place’. Irving of course was an Alpine romantic, but he was not blind to the squalor created by men in the mountains. Yet the Vittorio Emanuel clearly charmed him. This is what he says about it in The Alps.

Rifugio Vittorio Emanuel is backed by the highest peaks of the Gran Paradiso region

This hut is perfectly situated at the upper end of the pastures, above the Moncorvé Glacier. [The glacier has since shrunk considerably, and now lies some way above the hut.] Here the chuckling of hens and the tinkling of cow-bells remind one pleasantly of food which has never been inside a rucksack; across the glacier are four peaks, of which the two furthest to the right are irresistably attractive, one, the Becca di Monciair from the loveliness of its form, the other, the Punta di Broglio because it makes one long to find out if its highest point is accessible at all.

Both these huts are busily occupied in summer, and the paths to them will invariably be heavily trodden when the weather is fine. But despite this popularity they must be recommended on account of the full glory of the mountains in view. To spend time in the Gran Paradiso National Park and to see some of the finest scenery it has to offer, one must put solitude aside for a while and absorb the delights of nature so generously displayed.

Valle di Cogne

‘There is no place which more persuasively calls back the visitor who wants what the Alps themselves have to offer, rather than what has been imported into them by modern life,’ wrote Irving about Cogne before the Second World War. Lately Cogne has absorbed some of what he called ‘modern life’, yet it remains a very modest and attractive resort by comparison with many in the Western Alps; a true mountain village, not a mongrel or hybrid.

The Valle di Cogne is a long valley at the very eastern end of the national park, curving in an exaggerated sweep to the south-east and carrying the park’s boundary with it. Cogne is the only place of any size, and located at the widest part of the valley, ‘in a fair open basin of meadows with the Paradis gleaming occasionally out of a chaos of cloud’, and with the tributary glen of Valnontey draining from the south-west. Looking along the full length of this glen from Cogne, one sees the central block of an amphitheatre of ice-bound peaks cleft by the Col de Grand Crou, ‘a real depression approached by a glacier that does not let you forget its hidden depths and confronts you at the end with a wall which you prefer to be decorated in snow white rather than ice blue.’

This amphitheatre, or cirque, is a wildly impressive piece of mountain architecture on a par with the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees, the skyline in places some 2000 metres above the valley floor, and with a tremendous frozen cascade of an icefall held in suspension from the Gran Paradiso’s lofty ridge. Seen from the valley floor it’s an astonishing sight. But better still there’s a trail that runs along the midriff of the western mountainside, from which one gains an even better perspective. That trail begins at another of the hunter king’s former lodges, the Rifugio Vittorio Sella.

Named after the distinguished mountain photographer and founder of the Italian Alpine Club, the Sella hut is easily reached in a little over two hours from Valnontey village. Just above the hut the largest herd of ibex in all the Alps may be seen during the early morning and evening, but at almost any time of day small groups or individuals may be spied grazing on the nearby hillsides.

The path which provides the fine view of the Valnontey cirque mentioned above, strikes away from the Sella refuge and heads roughly southward along a shelf of pasture containing a small tarn or two, then over boulder slopes before narrowing as a tight and occasionally exposed ledge, high above the valley. After digging into a knuckle indent, the way then rises to a high point about 15 minutes above l’Herbetet (two hours from Rifugio Sella). It is from this high point that the classic view is enjoyed. It is, quite simply, one of the great Alpine views; an astonishing collection of hanging glaciers whose numerous torrents fall in ribbon cascades down the walls of the cirque just to the south. A similar view, but from a slightly different perspective, may be enjoyed from Alpe Money (pronounced Monay) on the opposite side of the valley. This pasture shelf, it has been said, provides a most satisfying point from which to contemplate the whole ridge from the Grivola to Gran Paradiso, while at the same time giving a climber sufficient excuse to spend a week’s holiday based there without exhausting the range of routes available.

The village of Valnontey makes a good valley base for explorations in this glen. There’s a huge car park that is almost empty overnight, a foodstore, small hotels and a couple of campsites, and at the foot of the trail to Rifugio Sella, an alpine garden with some 1500 plant species, worth an hour of anyone’s time to visit.

Above the barrack-like Sella hut a one-time mule-trail heads up to Col Lauson (3296m) for a connection with Val Savarenche. Another climbs behind the hut to Col di Vermia, while a third leads to Col della Rossa (3195m) for yet more incredible views, this time including some of the giants of the Pennine Alps beyond the deep and sunny Valle d’Aosta.

Flowing parallel to, and east of, Valnontey is another tributary of the Valle di Cogne. With Lillaz at its entrance, Valle di Valeille is wild and uninhabited, as is the glen to the east of that, Vallone di Bardoney; the two connected by a walker’s route over Col dell’Arolla, and by another at the northern end of the dividing ridge.

Grande Traversata del Gran Paradiso

Of the two main multi-day walking routes across the Gran Paradiso National Park, the GTGP crosses higher passes and remains closer to the watershed ridge than does the Alta Via 2. It also makes a traverse of a lengthy section of the Piedmont flank east of the Nivolet plateau. Until the route crosses to the south side of the range, overnights are spent in manned rifugios or village inns, but the Piedmont flank has a few bivouac huts where, if used, walkers will need to be self-sufficient with regard to food. The walk begins, as does the Alta Via, at La Thuile, a crowded little village on the road between Courmayeur and the Col du Petit St Bernard. The first crossing, however, could cause problems for inexperienced (or unequipped) mountain walkers, so the route should be joined at Planaval in Val Grisenche.

Heading south from La Thuile the trail wanders through the Rutor glen before climbing to Rifugio Deffeyes in four hours. Above the hut the way edges the Ghiacciaio del Rutor and crosses the Pas de Planaval (3010m). This is a glacier crossing, and local information urges the use of rope, ice axe and crampons. But once off ice the route eases down through a hanging valley to reach the hamlet of Planaval in Val Grisenche.

It is at Planaval that the GTGP and Alta Via 2 part company. Our route strikes south-westward along the left-hand mountainside, and after dropping to the valley bed at Surier, heads upvalley to Rifugio Bezzi, and from there crosses Col le Bassac Derè, before descending through the Goletta glen to reach Rifugio Benevolo at the head of Val di Rhêmes.

Continuing the eastward trend the next pass crossing is that of Col di Nivoletta, which brings the trail down to the Savoia and Chivasso huts in that lovely lake-adorned plateau at the head of Val Savarenche, with views to the Gran Paradiso’s glaciers. A minor road twists its way from the south, but the onward route ignores this and, entering Piedmont, makes a long eastward traverse linking numerous alp clusters above the Valle dell’Orco (sometimes known as Valle di Locana) which carries the southernmost limit of the national park. Along this section of the GTGP there are four bivouac huts (Giraudo, Ivrea, Revelli and Davito), and two rifugios (Pontese and Pocchiola-Menghello) – the last-named of which lies just south of the trail by a dammed lake. The trail eventually descends into the Valle di Campiglia, a tributary glen that spills into the larger Valle Soana, itself a tributary of the Orco.

Day 1:	La Thuile – Rifugio A. Deffeyes
Day 2:	Rifugio A. Deffeyes – Pas de Planaval – Planaval
Day 3:	Planaval – Surier – Rifugio M. Bezzi
Day 4:	Rifugio M. Bezzi – Col le Bassac Derè – Rifugio Benevolo
Day 5:	Rifugio Benevolo – Col di Nivoletta – Albergo Savoia (or Rif Citta di Chivasso)
Day 6:	Albergo Savoia – Col della Terra – Col della Porta – Rifugio Pontese
Day 7:	Rifugio Pontese – Bocchetta di Valsoera – Col le Valletta – Campiglia

Alta Via della Valle d’Aosta No 2

Unlike the GTGP, Alta Via 2 remains on the Valle d’Aosta flank of the mountains and links one valley after another by way of cols that are mostly situated halfway along the transverse ridges. These crossings actually reveal a better perspective than is sometimes shown from the higher cols, for one can view the larger mountains to the south at a distance, and thereby gain the full visual contrast of summit snows and deep valley greenery without the foreshortening effect occasionally experienced on GTGP crossings. It’s a fine week-long route, with overnights spent in a combination of mountain huts and village hotels. Camping is also a possibility, but it should be borne in mind that within the national park wild camping is forbidden. There are campsites in several villages on the route, and it’s possible to restock with food supplies once or twice along the way.

The first two stages from La Thuile to Planaval are the same as that taken by the GTGP, thereafter the two routes go their separate ways. Alta Via 2 has two options; one follows the valley road south to Valgrisenche village, and is better suited to walkers who arrived in Planaval with plenty of time and energy left and who choose the latter village for their second overnight stay, while the alternative traces a route along the upper forest line on the east side of the valley. The two options merge a little north of the Épée hut where the route then climbs to the narrow Col de la Finestra at 2840 metres. The descent to Rhêmes Notre-Dame is a steep one of about two hours.

Leaving Val di Rhêmes the Alta Via adopts a pleasant route over wooded hillsides and open pastures to gain Col de l’Entrelor (3007m) in about three and a half hours. From this point glaciers of the Herbetet-Paradiso ridge shine across the depths of Val Savarenche, while a few blue tarns sparkle in the Nampio glen just below. An undemanding descent leads to Eaux Rousses (Eau Rousse) on the left bank of the Savara stream, with the next col on the route being visible virtually every step of the way.

At 3296 metres, Col Lauson is the highest crossing by far on this traverse, and with five hours needed for the 1600 metre climb from Eaux Rousses. At the col the landscape changes dramatically and the initial descent is safeguarded with fixed cables and chains. It then eases for the walk down to Rifugio Vittorio Sella which is in view for much of the descent. The alternative is to continue down to Valnontey, but it is better to stay at the hut in order to watch the great herds of ibex at dusk and the following dawn.

There follows a long valley stretch, descending from the Sella hut to Valnontey and Cogne, then on to Lillaz. Beyond this last village the path climbs through the Vallone di Urtier, then after crossing a brow it levels in a fertile upper alp area before climbing again to the final col, the Finestra di Champorcher (2826m). On the east side of this pass and about 250 metres below, stands Rifugio Miserin by the lake of the same name. Champorcher, the end of the route, is a morning’s walk away.

Day 1:	La Thuile – Rifugio A. Deffeyes
Day 2:	Rifugio A. Deffeyes – Pas de Planaval – Planaval (or Valgrisenche)
Day 3:	Planaval (or Valgrisenche) – Col de la Finestra – Rhêmes Notre-Dame
Day 4:	Rhêmes Notre-Dame – Col de l’Entrelor – Eaux Rousses
Day 5:	Eaux Rousses – Col Lauson – Rifugio V. Sella (or Valnontey)
Day 6:	Rifugio V. Sella – Cogne – Finestra di Champorcher – Rifugio Miserin
Day 7:	Rifugio Miserin – Champorcher

Finally, before leaving the Graians, mention should be made of an eight- or nine-day route for experienced mountain walkers which links Pralognan in the Vanoise National Park with Cogne at the foot of the Gran Paradiso. This route, described in reverse in Stefano Ardito’s Walking & Climbing in the Alps, has one small glacier section to contend with on the crossing of 3109 metre Col du Carro, and uses huts on all stages bar one, when a village hotel provides overnight accommodation in Eaux Rousses in Val Savarenche. The basic route outline is given on the following page.

A Traverse of the Graian Alps – Route Summary

Day 1:	Pralognan – Col de la Vanoise – Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux
Day 2:	Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux – Refuge du Plan du Lac – Refuge du Cuchet
Day 3:	Refuge du Cuchet – Refuge du Vallonbrun – Bessans – Bonneval-sur-Arc
Day 4:	Bonneval-sur-Arc – l’Écot – Refuge du Carro
Day 5:	Refuge du Carro – Col du Carro – Col di Nivolet – Rifugio Citta di Chivasso
Day 6:	Rifugio Citta di Chivasso – Pont – Eaux Rousses
Day 7:	Eaux Rousses – Col Lauson – Rifugio V. Sella
Day 8:	Rifugio V. Sella – Valnontey – Cogne

The Graian Alps

Location:

Straddling the Franco–Italian border south of Mont Blanc. The Western Graians, which include the mountains of Beaufortain and Vanoise, are in the département of Savoie, while the Eastern Graians, including the Gran Paradiso, fall within Piedmont and the autonomous region of Aosta.

Principal valleys:

The Tarentaise (valley of l’Isère), with the tributaries of Ponturin, Champagny, Pralognan and Chavière, and the Maurienne (l’Arc) whose main tributaries are the Doron, Ribon and Avérole, are the main valleys of the Western Graians. In the Eastern (Italian) Graians, Valle d’Aosta, Val Grisenche, Val di Rhêmes, Val Savarenche, Valnontey, Valle di Cogne, Valle Soana, and Valle di Locana (also known as the Valle dell’Orco).

Principal peaks:

Gran Paradiso (4061m), La Grivola (3969m), La Grande Casse (3855m), Mont Pourri (3779m), Herbetet (3778m), Pointe de Charbonnel (3752m), La Grande Motte (3653m)

Centres:

Pralognan-la-Vanoise, Val d’Isère and Bonneval-sur-Arc are, perhaps, the most useful in the French Graians, while Cogne is a small resort well-placed for walks in the shadow of the highest peaks in the Gran Paradiso National Park. Rhêmes Notre-Dame and Valnontey are even smaller and with limited accommodation, but with fine walking country close at hand.

Huts:

In excess of 60 huts or bivouacs cover the range, with 42 alone within the area of the Vanoise National Park, and more than 20 in the Eastern Graians. Most huts belong to the French or Italian Alpine Clubs, or to the National Park authorities.

Access:

The Western Graians are accessible by train (via Chambéry) with stations at Moutier, Landry, Bourg St-Maurice and Modane. Nearest useful airport is at Lyon.

As for the Italian side, rail access with Turin (via Chambéry and Modane), Lanzo and Cuorgne for the southern valleys, and Aosta for the northern side. Nearest international airport is Turin.

Maps:

The 1:50,000 Carte de Randonnées hiking map A3 Vanoise published by Rando Éditions, is useful for most of the Western Graians, while IGN covers much the same area with Serie Bleu sheets at 1:25,000. The Italian valleys are adequately covered by a series of 1:25,000 sheets published by IGC (Instituto Geografico Centrale). The Austrian publishing house, Kompass, also produces a series covering the Italian Graians at 1:50,000. Studio FMB of Bologna has published a good 1:50,000 sheet covering the Gran Paradiso National Park, complete with walking routes and rifugios prominently marked. This is entitled Gran Paradiso.

Guidebooks:

Walking in the Tarentaise & Beaufortain Alps by J. W. Akitt (Cicerone Press) gives a good selection of day and multi-day walks in these two regions of the Western Graians.

Walking the Alpine Parks of France & Northwest Italy by Marcia R. Lieberman (Cordee/The Mountaineers) details a number of walks, including multi-day treks, in both the Vanoise and Gran Paradiso National Parks.

Tour of the Vanoise by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press) describes the 10–12 day circuit outlined above, and also provides details of other multi-day tours and traverses within the vicinity of the Vanoise National Park.

The Gran Paradiso by Gillian Price (Cicerone Press) describes the Alta Via 2 trek, and a range of other walks in the Eastern Graians.

Through the Italian Alps by Gillian Price (Cicerone Press); the GTA, described in this guide, cuts right through the Eastern Graians.

The GR5 Trail by Paddy Dillon (Cicerone Press) includes a traverse of the Vanoise region.

Other reading:

Trekking & Climbing in the Western Alps by Hilary Sharp (New Holland Publishers) describes a traverse of the Vanoise region from Landry to Modane, and the Alta Via 4, the spectacular high route across the Gran Paradiso National Park between Cogne and Valgrisenche.

Classic Walks of the World by Walt Unsworth (Oxford Illustrated Press) has a chapter by Martin Collins that describes a crossing of the Vanoise region from Landry to Modane, the same as Hilary Sharp’s route in the above guide.

Classic Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press) includes a chapter by Andrew Harper describing a 7–8 day walk along the north flank of the Gran Paradiso from Ste Foy-Tarentaise to Champorcher. Much of this route follows Alta Via 2.

Walking & Climbing in the Alps by Stefano Ardito (Swan Hill Press 1995) contains a chapter describing an east-west traverse route between Cogne and Pralognan.

The Outdoor Traveler’s Guide to The Alps by Marcia R. Lieberman (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York) naturally includes detail of selected valleys and centres in the Graian Alps.

The Alps by R. L. G. Irving (Batsford, 1939) provides a romantic view of the Graians.

Mountain Holidays by Janet Adam Smith (Dent, 1946/The Ernest Press, 1997) is a charming account of pre-war holidays in Scotland and the Alps, which includes large sections devoted to the Graians. Evocative of an era long-gone, but with the surprise that some places have barely changed.

Climbing Days by Dorothy Pilley (Bell and Sons, 1935) is devoted to mountain adventures in assorted ranges, including the Graians.

Journals of Excursions in the Alps by W. Brockedon (James Duncan, 1833). Principally a painter, Brockedon traversed the Alps no less than 58 times on research, and crossed more than 40 passes. This book is an account of his travels in 1824 and 1825, which included the Graians.

Scrambles in the Eastern Graians, 1878–1897 by George Yeld (Fisher Unwin, 1900) – a pioneer’s view of the range. One-time editor of the Alpine Journal, Yeld became something of an authority on the Graians.

Refuge d’Entre Deux Eaux, a converted dairy farm in the heart of the Vanoise range