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
