1991) provides an up-to-date view of selected valleys in the Queyras and Écrins.
The Alps by R. L. G. Irving (Batsford, 1939) contains a brief sample of the region.
Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper (John Murray – various editions) for a pioneer’s perspective.
Outline Sketches in the High Alps of Dauphiné by T. G. Bonney (Longmans, 1865). Illustrated by his own sketches, in this book Bonney provides an interesting historical view of the region in the mid-nineteenth century.
Mountaineering Holiday by F. S. Smythe (Hodder & Stoughton, 1940) describes a number of pre-war climbs in the Dauphiné.
Classic Walks in Europe edited by Walt Unsworth (Oxford Illustrated Press, 1987) has a chapter by Andrew Harper on the Tour de l’Oisans, and another by Brian Evans which describes a traverse of the Vercors by the Balcon Est.
Classic Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, 1991) contains a chapter on a winter traverse of the Vercors high plateau, also written by Brian Evans.
Walking & Climbing in the Alps by Stefano Ardito (Swan Hill Press, 1995) describes a traverse of the Vercors similar to the Evans route mentioned above.
The Mountains of Europe by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, 1990) contains a good background chapter by John Brailsford.
Alpine Points of View by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press) has a number of full-colour photographs of the Écrins region, plus descriptive text.
Cascade de la Sarenne on the outskirts of Bourg d’Oisans
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;
