December 5, 2014

Hike to Lac des Chambres, Pointe de Bellegarde & Lac de la Vogealle (part 1)

Lac des Chambres @ Hike to Lac des Chambres, Pointe de Bellegarde & Lac de la Vogealle

The Lac des Chambres, Pointe de Bellegarde and Lac de la Vogealle are located next to the Cirque du Fer à Cheval in the Massif du Giffre, in Haute-Savoie. They are points of interest on the Tour des Dents Blanches, which takes multiple days. For myself, I just went there for a day-hike walking a loop around the Pointe Rousse des Chambres, starting and ending in the village of Samoëns. The itinerary I followed was like this one (although in the other direction as the one described). Here is a map. Here is more detailed description of the trail until Lac de la Vogealle and some instructions to go up to Combe aux Puaires from there. In this post, I am posting photos from the part from Samoëns to the summit of Pointe de Bellegarde. I will post the rest in Part 2.

December 1, 2014

Hike from Plan de la Lai to Col des Fours & Ville des Glaciers

The hike from Plan de la Lai to Ville des Glaciers was one of the best hikes I did this summer. It starts at the Refuge du Plan de la Lai, between Beaufort and Bourg Saint-Maurice, in the Beaufortain. It then goes through the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme, a usual stop on the Tour du Beaufourtain, then continues to Col des Fours, before finally going down to the Vallée des Glaciers. I basically followed this itinerary (with map), with a detour to Rocher du Vent and the Roches Merles at the beginning and through the Têtes Nord and Sud des Fours near Col des Fours.

November 28, 2014

Hike to La Jonction des Glaciers (Mont Blanc)

La Jonction (The Junction) is a rocky area below the Mont Blanc where the Glacier des Bossons and the Glacier de Taconnaz meet. The first successful ascent of the Mont Blanc by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard in 1786 was made through there: The hiking trail goes past the rock formation (known as Gîte à Balmat) where the 2 men stayed at some point during that ascent. I followed this itinerary.

November 25, 2014

Hike on Plateau du Semnoz

During the summer, I took my bike on the SIBRA summer shuttle to the top of the Semnoz. My goal was go down to Lake Annecy using the paved road (there are tracks for downhill mountain bikes as well): It is an almost uninterrupted downward slope until the lake with relatively little car traffic. Before going down, I spent some time on the plateau, which serves as cross country skiing tracks during winter. I also went to the summit (Crêt de Châtillon). There was a good view on the Mont Blanc from up there. Finally, I took the road to Leschaux, then went down the Route du Col de Leschaux until I reached the lake at Sévrier.

November 24, 2014

Hike to Pointe Percée

At 2750m, Pointe Percée (Pierced Peak, so named because of this hole) is the highest peak in the Aravis range. It is also a very popular hike in the area, although it can be challenging. I followed this itinerary (Cheminées de Sallanches on the way up, standard trail on the way down).

November 20, 2014

Hike to Croix du Nivolet

The Croix du Nivolet is a giant christian cross (22 meters high) at the summit of the Dent du Nivolet, in the Bauges Massif. Its size and location make it highly visible from Chambéry and the surrounding towns. It offers a great view on the valley below, as well as the Lac du Bourget. The path to get there is pretty easy (although sometimes muddy) and is therefore very popular. This itinerary was the inspiration for the path I followed.

November 18, 2014

Hike to Tête Pelouse & Trou de la Mouche

A few weeks after my hike to Pointe de Tardevant, I came back to La Clusaz to walk another 2 of the 5 Combes des Aravis: Combe de Bella Cha and Combe du Grand Crêt. On the way, I also reached the summit of Tête Pelouse, between the two combes, as well as the Trou de la Mouche (Flyhole), an arch formed by rocks, located between the Combe du Grand Crêt and Combe de Paccaly. Unfortunately, there was a lot of fog at the higher altitudes so there was not much of a view… Here is a description of an itinerary similar to the one I followed.

November 17, 2014

Hike to Tête de la Mandallaz

The Mandallaz is a small mountain located at the north-west of Lac d’Annecy, between Annecy and Geneva. This page has an itinerary (although not the one that I followed) that starts in the village of Balme de Sillingy. It gives a good view of the fault mirror at the base of the mountain.

November 15, 2014

Hike to Chalets de l'Eau Froide

The Chalets de l’Eau Froide are huts in the Bauges mountains. They are rumoured to have one of the best views on the Lac d’Annecy from the southern direction. However, there was a thick fog when I arrived there so I could not verify it… I basically followed these directions, with the map here (except at the end, where I continued a bit further).

November 14, 2014

Hike to Dent du Chat & Molard Noir

The Dent du Chat (Cat’s Tooth) is a peak on the south-west side of Lac du Bourget, near Chambéry (Savoie). It has a great view on the lake. I mostly followed those instructions but, after the Dent, I continued to Molard Noir and the Relais TV du Mont du Chat before looping back to Bourdeau.