On leaving Pont-de-Sales, the climb is made easier by the prospect of the view of the Rouget waterfall, the “Queen of the Alps” and one of the biggest in the French Alps, which at 90m in height is very impressive. Follow the course of the Giffre-des-Fonts stream, during which you can also go and admire the no less spectacular Fonts cirque, leaning against the Fer-à-Cheval cirque and likewise forming part of the Sixt-Passy nature reserve. As the climb continues, the trail passes the traditional alpine pasture chalets of the Lignon Valley before branching off on a level with the Sauffaz and Pleureuse waterfalls, registered sites, as is the nearby Sales waterfall. The Anterne pass is the first panoramic viewpoint in the Mont Blanc range. Not far from it however, take care not to miss the climb up to the little cross, from where there is a lovely view over the Anterne waterfalls and the Fonts cirque below. On Anterne mountain, after a passage in a marshy peat zone, you will pass in front of the Alfred Wills hut, named after the man who discovered the Sixt valley. Herds still graze here at almost 2,000 metres in altitude. Continue the ascent across a grassy landscape, passing Anterne lake and walking below the majestic Fiz rocks, a paradise for large birds of prey such as the bearded vulture, to arrive between the Pointe d’Anterne and the Tête de Moëde peaks at the Anterne pass, from where an exceptional panorama of the Mont Blanc range can be enjoyed. During the descent back down to the hut in the Anterne pass, you may notice the contrast between the geology of the Fiz crystalline range and the sedimentary massif of the Pormenaz mountain. This geological difference makes it possible to explain not only the wealth of landscape but also both the wide range of floral species (gentians, martagon and St Bruno lilies, anemones and orchids) and the wildlife diversity (ibexes, chamois, mountain hares, black grouse, royal eagles, bearded vultures, wallcreepers, marmots, etc.).
(Nicolas Aubertin, Gilles Chappaz, Grande Traversée des Alpes)