Description
Book SynopsisThis guide describes the eleven-day 163km Tour of the Vanoise and the five-day 72km Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise, two fantastic hut-to-hut treks through the pristine Alpine landscapes of France's Vanoise National Park. Three other short treks - the Tour of the Eastern Vanoise, the Tour of the Western Vanoise and a Traverse of the Vanoise via the GR5 and GR55 - are also summarised. The routes tackle several passes in excess of 2500m but there are no glacier crossings, no significant scrambling and no lengthy paths exposed to either stonefall or vertigo-inspiring exposure (though optional variants may involve some slightly more challenging sections), and waymarking is usually clear - making this an ideal route for those new to Alpine trekking. The guide contains everything you need to plan and walk the routes, with advice on travel to the region, accommodation and recommended kit. Clear route description, mapping and overview statistics are provided for each day stage, there are notes on the region's plants and wildlife and other points of interest, and accommodation listings and a handy glossary can be found in the appendices. Completing the package, the beautiful colour photos will call to your wanderlust. The Vanoise is less well known than its neighbours Mont Blanc and the Ecrins massif but is equally beautiful. The scenery is quintessentially Alpine, with 3000m peaks decorated with gleaming glaciers and snowfields, valleys glistening with lakes and streams, towering moraine walls, impossibly steep rock slabs and, in the early summer, meadows extravagant with a riot of alpine flowers. A well-appointed network of refuges promises a warm welcome at the end of each day's walking. It's a perfect place to experience the pleasures of Alpine trekking and these routes offer the ideal opportunity to explore this magnificent region.
Table of ContentsMap key Overview map Route summary tables Introduction Tour of the Vanoise Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise Short tours in the Vanoise When to go How to get there Accommodation Notes for walkers Recommended maps Equipment Safety in the mountains The Vanoise National Park Wildlife and Alpine flowers Using this guide Tour of the Vanoise Stage 1 Modane to Refuge de l'Org#xe8;re Stage 2 Refuge de l'Org#xe8;re to Refuge de Plan Sec Stage 3 Refuge de Plan Sec to Refuge de l'Arpont Stage 4 Refuge de l'Arpont to Refuge du Plan du Lac Stage 5 Refuge du Plan du Lac to Refuge du Vallonbrun Stage 6 Refuge du Vallonbrun to Bonneval-sur-Arc Stage 7 Bonneval-sur-Arc to Val d'Is#xe8;re Stage 7A Bonneval-sur-Arc to Refuge de la Femma Stage 8 Val d'Is#xe8;re to Refuge de la Leisse Stage 8A Val d'Is#xe8;re to Refuge de la Femma Stage 9 Refuge de la Leisse to Pralognan-la-Vanoise Stage 9A Refuge de la Femma to Pralognan-la-Vanoise Stage 10 Pralognan-la-Vanoise to Refuge de P#xe9;clet-Polset Stage 11 Refuge de P#xe9;clet-Polset to Modane Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise Stage 1 Pralognan-la-Vanoise to Refuge de la Valette Stage 2 Refuge de la Valette to Refuge du Fond d'Aussois Stage 3 Refuge du Fond d'Aussois to Refuge de l'Arpont Stage 4 Refuge de l'Arpont to Refuge de la Col de la Vanoise Stage 5 Refuge de la Col de la Vanoise to Pralognan-la-Vanoise Short tours in the Vanoise 1 Tour of the Eastern Vanoise 2 Tour of the Western Vanoise 3 Traverse of the Vanoise via the GR5 and GR55 Appendix A Useful contacts Appendix B Accommodation Appendix C French-English glossary Appendix D Bibliography
