On leaving the hut at the Anterne pass, it is possible to return to the Pormenaz lake at the foot of the Pointe Noire (2,323m), in the heart of the Passy nature reserve. However, Via Alpina goes down towards the Moëde alpine chalets and cuts across the Diosaz stream at the Arlevé bridge at the entrance to the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. It then climbs to the Arlevé chalets set in very well preserved old farmland, from where a plunging view over the Diosaz valley to the Brévent pass (2,368m) can be enjoyed. This marks the entry to the valley of Chamonix and offers an incomparable panorama over Mont Blanc and its mountain range, which belongs to the “Espace Mont-Blanc”, an area of cross-border cooperation between Italy, France and Switzerland. Furthermore, it is possible to climb up to the Brévent peak (2,525m) from the pass. The descent to Planpraz offers a chance to take the cable car to Chamonix, a village that has been associated with Mont Blanc (4,808m) since the start of the myth surrounding it and that witnessed the early days of mountaineering and skiing. In Chamonix, mountaineering history is still very present, with the ever active “Compagnie des Guides” (association of mountain guides established in 1821 and modernised in the 1930s by Armand Charlet and Roger Frison-Roche), the ENSA (National School of Skiing and Mountaineering) or the Alpine Museum, which recounts most of the great era of yesterday’s pioneers (Charlet, Whymper, Cassin, Gervasutti, Bonatti or Desmaison) and the adventurers of today (e.g. Destivelle, Bérhault, Profit and Lafaille). The Guides Festival, which takes place around 15th August each year with the blessing of the ropes and ice-picks, is characteristic of the high-altitude mountaineering ambiance dating back to 1786 and the first ascent of Mont Blanc by the bourgeois Dr. Paccard and his guide, Jacques Balmat, a local crystal engraver. In addition to this, the house of painter, photographer and mountaineer Gabriel Loppé bears witness to the fascination that the “Roof of Europe” inspired in artists over the centuries, with work by Pierre Tairraz and his family lineage of photographers. Those who wish to discover the highest summit in the Alps in closer proximity can take the famous and vertiginous Aiguille du Midi cable car, which transports its passengers almost 3,000 metres higher to the Aiguille du Midi vantage point (3,842m). And for glaciology enthusiasts, the Montenvers funicular establishes a connection between the largest French glacier, the Mer de Glace (7km long, 40km² in surface area and 200m thick) and the glacial cave carved within it. In Chamonix, it is also possible to savour the gourmet delights so typical of the Savoie region: pela, farçon, tartiflette, matafan, fondue, blueberry tart, and more. After Planpraz, however, Via Alpina continues along the Tour du Mont-Blanc trail, which crosses in a sweeping circle at the foot of the Aiguilles Rouges mountains, just opposite the impressive chain, to reach another panoramic viewpoint, the Flégère.
(Nicolas Aubertin, Gilles Chappaz, Grande Traversée des Alpes)