A last alpine day

It’s just luck that we came to Pralognan-la-Vanoise in time for Le Weekend and thus the cable car was running. We were able to avail ourselves of it again on Sunday, this time each getting a €2 reduction, as we now have the ski pass on which the turnstile access charge is placed.

We therefore started the day at 2,000m rather than 1,400m which could be considered a cop-out. Well it was but it meant we could hike with earnest above Mt Bocher.

Down at the campsite there was a list of walks on the notice board and all were advised as ‘oui’ except two which were ‘non’, due to ‘beaucoup de neige’. Obviously we wanted to test the ‘non’ theory and so set off for Col Rosset at 2,570m.

The idea was that we would get a stupendous view down and across our route of the previous day and see La Grand Casse in all its splendour.

It was baking hot but we set off in a straight line direct to Cirque du Creux Noir, following the stony slope under a chairlift. Straight up.

This is where alpine walking differs from other ‘styles’. The vertical-ness far dwarfs the horizontal. I could just say “it’s steeper” but the point is that there are few routes that have any horizontal-ness in them.

We caught up with a French couple in front and blasted away because the cirque was inviting as there would be respite once over the lip.

It really is a small, classic corrie and we dropped in and discovered it’s a boulder-strewn area with plenty of winter snow melting. There was so much left though and we had to walk through it, before we got to the side of the back wall that leads up to the col.

This is really steep, as are all corries / cirques but at about 2,300m in the sun, it was a challenge.

We got to Col Noir and peered over to look for Col Rosset but we only saw a very dodgy snow bank and then a seriously narrow path above a very steep drop, before the Col proper.

Thus we couldn’t see down the next slope towards Chalet des Gardes, that would be the crux of the walk, if we wanted to get down to Lac des Vaches, the stepping stones of yesterday.

So we sat at Col Noir, opened our paper bag of pastries and drank our water. The desired views were tremendous, especially La Grande Casse.

A Dutch couple appeared from behind us and had just been checking the decent, deciding it was too dangerous, advising us accordingly. The information at the campsite was correct! Too dodgy to descend; maybe ok to ascend - but that didn’t help us.

We lounged around for as long as we wanted and then retraced our steps, back through the cirque to the top of the ski mechanicals. There we had lunch and then made our own steep descent over a scree slope, to Refuge des Barmettes and from there back to Mt Bocher, via The Balcony route, itself an airy path but across an acceptably angled slope.

It was a great final alpine day and this really is a superb high mountain walking area. I think we will be back but either with crampons and two poles each, or later in the season when those tricky snow ‘patches’ have gone.

The very top of La Grande Casse is visible from the campsite and holds the sun for a very long time during dusk in the valley. Camping Le Chamois is here