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Hike to Mont Vorassay

Last summer, I went on a hike to Mont Vorassay, near Mont Blanc.

Here is a map of the path I walked:

In the morning, I took a train from Annecy to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-le-Fayet. On the schedule, there was just a little time (5 min) for the connection with Tramway du Mont Blanc, which starts near the main SNCF train station so I was not sure if it would be OK (if I missed, my second option was to take the Bellevue cable car from Les Houches in the Chamonix valley). But I managed to buy a ticket on time and boarded the Tramway.  I rode it until Bellevue. Before then, there were not that many people on board but it got packed there with many mountaineers hitching a ride to the terminus at Nid d’Aigle and the start of the ascent to Mont Blanc.

At Bellevue, I started by going down to Torrent de Bionnassay. I had already walked that part in the other direction, when coming down from Cabane des Rognes. I crossed the torrent using a rope bridge then walked up to Col de Tricot, with Mont Vorassay on my right. At the Col, I took the trail to the summit of Mont Vorassay. The view was great from up there. I walked along the ridge at the top but, at some point, the trail stopped so I walked down off-trail though the grass. It was steep but pretty dry. I wanted to reach a trail marked on the IGN map: That trail sort of existed but it was very faint and not very good. I walked back to the main trail coming down from Col de Tricot towards Chalets de Miage. At the Chalets, I rested near the river for a bit then started on the final way down towards Val Montjoie. I waited there for a LIHSA bus (line 84) back to Gare de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet then boarded a train to Annecy.

▲ In the morning at the Annecy train station.

▲ Aboard Tramway du Mont Blanc.

▲ At the Bellevue station. Many people boarded there. I guess they were coming from the Chamonix valley through the Bellevue cable car.

▲ View of the Chamonix valley from the upper station of the Bellevue cable car.

▲ Le Prarion and Pointe de Platé.

▲ Aiguille du Midi.

▲ Rochers des Fiz.

▲ Rack railway of Tramway du Mont Blanc.

▲ Towards Aiguille de Bionnassay.

▲ Trail down to Torrent de Bionnassay.

▲ Mont Vorassay.

▲ Col du Tricot and Mont Vorassay.

▲ Moraine of Glacier de Bionnassay.

▲ Rope bridge across Torrent de Bionnassay.

▲ In Combe des Juments.

▲ Mont Vorassay.

▲ Glacier de Bionnassay.

▲ Désert de Pierre Ronde and Aiguille du Goûter.

▲ Looking back at Mont Lachat, the track of Tramway du Mont Blanc is visible.

▲ Col du Tricot.

▲ At Col de Tricot, looking towards Aiguille de Tricot.

▲ Mont Vorassay.

▲ Pâturages de Miage on the other side of the Col.

▲ On the way to the summit, looking down at the trail to Chalets de Miage.

▲ Arête des Rognes.

▲ Aiguille de Tricot.

▲ At the summit of Mont Vorassay, looking at the other side: Bellevue, Le Prarion, Rochers des Fiz, Aiguilles Rouges.

▲ Aravis.

▲ Val Montjoie below.

▲ Mont Lachat and the Aiguilles above Chamonix in the background.

▲ View of Mont Vorassay and the trail to Col de Tricot from Col du Mont Lachat, a few years ago.

▲ Apparently, there is a path up along the ridge.

▲ Aiguille du Goûter.

▲ Rochers des Fiz and Mont Buet.

▲ Continuing along the ridge. Mont Joly in the background.

▲ Col du Joly.

▲ Chalets de Miage.

▲ Vallée de l’Arve towards Sallanches.

▲ Dômes de Miage.

▲ Walking down off-trail through the grass.

▲ Steep.

▲ Les Contamines-Montjoie.

▲ Mont Joly.

▲ On the trail marked on the IGN map.

▲ Looking up.

▲ Aiguille de Tricot.

▲ Pâturages de Miage.

▲ Ruins of a chalet.

▲ Mont Truc (literally Mount Thingy in French…). In Franco-Provençal, a “truc” is a round summit.

▲ Col de Tricot.

▲ On the path to Chalets de Miage.

▲ Mont Truc.

▲ Dômes de Miage.

▲ Col de Tricot.

▲ Holy Virgin.

▲ Chalets de Miage.

▲ Mont Vorassay.

▲ On the way to Val Montjoie.

▲ Mont Joly.

▲ Val Montjoie, towards Les Contamines-Montjoie.

▲ LIHSA bus stop.

▲ Gare de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-le-Fayet.

▲ Léman Express train.

▲ On the train to Annecy.