|
[E-Mail]
Click on the map
|
 |
Climbing the Puy Gris makes for a superb long walk in the wildest of the Villards valleys. It goes all the way up Vallon des Roches starting from the village of the same name and visits the small Puy Gris glacier. Up to l'Orselle, there is a good path, then you are on your own. The altitude difference is considerable: 1620m if you stop at the col (Selle du Puy Gris) and 150m more to the top of Puy Gris. Count 5 to 6 hours. You feel lonely and isolated up there. The final slopes to the col are often in hard snow and might justify the use of an axe and crampons, depending on the period. The climb from the Selle to the summit is up an easy rocky ridge but requires a degree of mountaineering experience and sure feet. So, experienced walkers only! The view from the top is superb. Best period: the end of spring, the snow making it easier to negotiate the upper section of the valley.
Les Roches (1138m), halfway between St Colomban and Valmaure. Leave the car near the bridge over Torrent des Roches. The path runs along its right bank (left as you go up).
Route
Walk up the
path for about 20 minutes until you enter the coomb itself, towards 1350m.
Leave a small bridge
to your right and stay on the right bank of the stream up to the ruins of l'Orselle
(1720m, 1h30). The path then veers right towards col du Villonet (Arvan-Villards
GR path). Leave it and trend left towards the steep slopes that give access
to the small Puy Gris Glacier. Between 1950m and 2100m, the slope gets much
steeper and the going fairly sustained. You can climb the right part of the
coomb on grass and boulder-strewn slopes or straight up the middle on grass.
Towards 2100m, the steepness relents a bit. Pick your way among boulders
and
moraine ground to reach the end of the glacier. Walk up the snow, which may
be hard and require caution. The end of the coomb gives access to three cols:
Col de Comberousse on the right (traverse to Gleyzin and Allevard), col de
la
Valloire in the centre (Fond de France), and to the left, Selle du Puy Gris
(2758m), reached after a steepish climb on snow. From the col, it is possible
to traverse towards the Tepey coomb (very steep first slope).
Puy Gris (2908m)
Access to the top of Puy Gris is achieved via its west ridge. Start on the edge and then climb right. Easy rock-climbing passages and boulder-strewn ledges lead to the top, 150m above the col (1/2h). This ascent does not really require a rope, but being unperturbed by heights definitely helps. It is not recommended to the inexperienced walker. The view from the top is breathtaking. Make sure you go down the same way (cairns everywhere).
Pointe
de L'Aup du Pont (2713m)
Long walk. Definitely the one for you if
you want to be alone in very wild and isolated surroundings. Best done at the
end of Spring to walk on snow rather than scree on the upper slopes. An axe
and crampons may be useful. 1600m of ascent, 5h. It is not an easy walk and
some mountaineering experience is recommended. Pathless and sustained above
2000m.
Use the previous route to reach l'Orselle. Cross the streams that come down
from Combe des Roches (not easy, sometimes) and head for a very visible patch
of alders. You will come upon what is left of this section of the Arvan-Villards
GR path. Find a passage left of the alders; do not try to follow the path or
you are in for some street-fighting to escape from the trees. The yellow/red-marked
path is better above the trees. It snakes up the grass slopes to the north of
l'Orselle and comes out on a plateau (map point 2023m). Leave the GR to your
right; it goes towards Comberousse and Col de Montfossé.
On the plateau, locate two diverging slopes to the north: the one on the left
goes to Col des Fontaines and the one on the right to the upper slopes of Villonet.
Climb the latter until you reach the upper coomb. From there on, nothing but
very austere rock and snow. Walk up the coomb, drawing slowly left and up steep
scree slopes to reach a hollow at map point 2500m. Traverse west to arrive at
the last steep slopes under the summit. Walk all the way across the slopes without
trying to reach the obvious col up above, then up a subsidiary ridge until you
reach a gap on the ridge west of l'Aup du Pont. The summit itself requires some
cautious scrambling on the south-west ridge (easy but loose rock). It is possible
to descend the north ridge towards Brêches
de la Passoire.
Pointe 2479 (Pointe des Balmettes?)
One of the rare summits in the Villards area that are within easy reach of any walker. It also enjoys a central position that provides fine views on the adjacent valleys, particularly Combe des Roches and Puy Gris.
From St Colomban, take the Fremezan forest road to its terminus (1840m, parking space, ONF hut). Walk up the very good path that winds its way up recent avalanche protections above St Colomban. Just after the fourth bend to the right (you will have to count there, four to the right, seven in all!), turn left on to a barely visible path (cairn). Start an upward traverse across a pine plantation and pass on to the south-east side of Fremezan where the path is more visible. Go straight up the grassy slope in the middle of a little coomb to come out on Planard de Comberousse, a vast plateau where the views open up on the surrounding summits and valleys. Pointe 2479 is easy to see at the end of a subsidiary valley in the north-west direction. Using the Comberousse traverse path, reach a small col (2270m). Leave the path then and walk up the ridge to the right. It leads easily to the summit (path). From the summit (cairn), impressive views on the Balmettes lake down under. 640m of ascent, 2h, very easy and recommended.