Hiking (mountain trail, in places narrow and exposed)
Alpine route (equipped or very exposed section, snow field, blocks)
R109
Cabane de Susanfe » Refuge Tornay-Bostan
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7h40 |
18.9 km
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1249 m
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1581 m
Leave the Susanfe hut via the Encel pass, shortly afterwards turning onto the northern side of the Dent de Bonavau peak. Pass Bonavau to reach Barme, from where the trail heads via Croix d'Incrène to the Cou pass. The trail crosses the French border and descends through the pastureland towards the Golèse pass along the GR 5 before climbing back uphill to the Tornay-Bostan hut.
From the Susanfe hut, head westward on the trail to the lowest point of the valley basin. Below the little reservoir, cross its outlet. An exposed path leads from the Encel pass close to the edge of the imposing ravine over the Saufla to Bonavau. Handrails and chains make the passage easier. This walk gives you a lovely view over Champéry and the Illiez valley. Until reaching Bonavau, you must be particularly careful. From Bonavau, the trail climbs below the Signal de Bonavau up to a little pass crossing. After this crossing, the trail leads through sparse woodland down to the Alp Soul la Dent. From here, take a level course to reach the centre of the plateau, Barme, the lowest town in the Illiez valley. Head northward from the Barme houses through the wood and up in a few sharp bends to the Sex Blanc. On coming out of the wood, you will see the Croix d’Increne. The trail heads over this mountain ridge and continues to the national border with France at the Cou pass. (Schweizer Wanderwege).
Natural and cultural heritage
Brétolet Pass Ringing Centre The Cou, Berte and Brétolet passes are situated at almost 2,000m above sea level and are ideal for the study of bird migration over the Alps in autumn. For most migratory birds avoid the high alpine ridge, with one main exception, the Brétolet pass at 1,923m, which lies at the national border with France. After the construction of the first hut in 1958, the Swiss Ornithological Institute began to carry out systematic research into bird migration. A second hut has since been built (1988). Between August and October, 4-10 employees of the Swiss Ornithological Institute man this station regularly, working all around the clock. In addition to the local species that can observed (nutcracker, chauk-daw, pilgrim falcon, ring ouzel, black redstart, royal eagle, etc.), there are also a great many migratory birds on the pass: common buzzard, western marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, red kite, swallows or other swifts. Catching the birds in migrating season makes it possible to gain a extensive information: the age and sex of the birds is identified. The wing span allows conclusions to be drawn as to the origin of the birds. Weight and subcutaneous fat measurements make it possible to appraise the fat reserves of a bird. Thanks to feedback from the public on these ringed birds, it is possible to research their migratory movements. In total, around 5 billion birds migrate twice yearly between Eurasia and Africa. The old chapel in Le Bérouze, Samoëns with its bulbous bell-tower used to stand at the Coux pass. After suffering major damage during the invasion of Swiss troops in 1476, it was moved down mountain four years later to be installed on the public square of Le Bérouze in Samoëns. Descending onto French territory, the trail passes close to the Fréterolles chalets, where delicious farm snacks are served. And the Mines d’Or (silver mines) lake, which can be seen further below, reminds us of the history of how this mineral was exploited in the Dents Blanches massif: but even though there was a quarry in France, only a thin vein of silver was found on the Swiss side. Further up from the Chardonnière gîte overlooked by the trail are situated the Terres Maudites (cursed land), thus named because the cows grazing there always went too far in their quest for grass and fell over the promontory formed by the cliffs. Next, climb up towards the Golèse pass, historically much used by shepherds and pedlars for trading between the Morzine and Giffre valleys, and then walk down to the little Bostan valley, the vast, traditional pastureland of Samoëns where the Tornay-Bostan hut is situated. (Schweizer Wanderwege / Nicolas Aubertin, Gilles Chappaz, Grande Traversée des Alpes)
Unterwallis / Waeber/Steinbichler ~ Bergverlag Rudolf Rother GmbH (ISBN 3-7633-4128-5)
Du Léman à Sion / André Beerli ~ Editions Ketty & Alexandre (ISBN 2-88114-026-2)
Du Léman au Mont Blanc ~ Fédération Française de Randonnée (ISBN 2-85699-807-0)
Picture gallery
Comments
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.
Via Alpina International Secretariat - 2011-08-15
@Janek: Thanks for your note, we'll check the data. As regards the detailed description, unfortunately none of the texts for the French stages has been released, due to intellectual property issues which should hopefully be resolved soon... Nathalie, Via Alpina International Co-ordinator
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Janek - 2011-07-21
THe time to cover the distance between Croix d'Increne and Col de Coux is around 35 minutes - it's only 2km and 100 of ascent.
Also the detailed description ends near Col de Coux. Some of the missing text can be found at the "natural and cultural heritage" text
It's possible to make the trip from Auberge de Salanfe to Rif. Bostan-Torney in one day.
The omlette at Bonavau was really good. Try it! :-)
In case that you ask yourself about the meaning of the red line crossed by a white one when hiking in France, don't make the mistake as I did! The meaning is that there's NO HIKING PATH!!! :-)
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Daniel - 2010-10-17
I was warned that Susanfe was full -it often is. Heading east, I tried Bonaveau. A very pleasant place run by Chistine and her entirely female crew. The place is very tidy and the a la carte meals well prepared. Have a look at their natural refrigerator.
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Daniel - 2010-10-17
Refuge de Bostan has a very friendly warden. He let me try a local Edelweiss-liquor while the marmots were crawling around the house in the evening.
|
7h40 |
18.9 km
|
1249 m
|
1581 m
Favourites, criticisms ? Make your personal comments on this stage. For more general notes please use the comments section of the page Over to the Via Alpinists.