The Aiguilles Rouges Hiking Tour
4 days Trekking in Chamonix

Trip

A wild and remote trek starting from Chamonix

The Massif des Aiguilles Rouges offers a magnificent panorama in front of Mont Blanc. You will discover this great massif on aerial paths with increasing difficulty, your Trekking Guide is there to take care of the orientation, the rhythm and help you on the more delicate passages.

You will be walking in two natural reserves, that of Passy and the famous Reserve of Aiguilles Rouges. It is one of the wildest massifs in Haute Savoie. We will walk through forests, pastures and more alpine terrain.

This tour allows you to discover diverse landscapes, which are the result of the geological variety that characterizes this place. To the northern part is characterized by a limestone massif at the level of the walls of the Chaine des Fiz, while the interior of the Aiguilles Rouges massif is characterized by a red gneiss. On the other side, Mont Buet is made of a black sedimentary rock (marl-limestone). The Mont Blanc massif, with its landscape of sharp peaks and glaciers, makes the Tour des Aiguilles Rouges one of the most beautiful treks in the Alps, with very easy access by train or by the motorway that arrive in Chamonix Mont-Blanc directly.

We will be able to cross ibex, marmots and with a little luck chamois or bearded vultures which nest in the Chaine de Bargy or the Chaine des Fiz. Lake Anterne and its lapiaz, with the summit of Mont Buet, will be a bonus on our way if the weather is fine. During this mountain trekking, your Guide will teach you some cartography, showing you  on the field how to use the Ign maps and a GPS. This trekking can be done in trail running for a group formed on request.

Program

Trekking program

DAY 1 
Chamonix - Plampraz - Col du Brévent - Refuge d'Anterne

Vertical drop: +850 meters and - 800 meters mandatory, then 250 meters of elevation optional without backpacks towards the Col d'Anterne
Walking time: about 6 to 7 h

We leave from Chamonix station. After having checked the equipment and the backpacks, we cross the town of Chamonix where it will be possible to some last minute shopping in case you have forgotten something, but make sure to well prepare your backpack anyways. After that, we will take the Plampraz gondola so that the day is not too long. Leaving the cablecar station, we will pass next to the paragliding take-off then the hike begins. We will take the path that goes up to the Col du Brévent. The climb is fairly regular and fast, the view on the summit of Mont Blanc is magnificent. At the pass we dive into a valley which becomes very wild inside the Aiguilles Rouges reserve. After a little descent we will reach the path that goes up to the Refuge d'Anterne. If you still have energy left, we will walk a little further towards some small nice lakes or towards a small summit at the feet of the Chaine des Fiz.

DAY 2 
Refuge Moede Anterne - Col de Salenton 2526 mt. - Refuge de Pierre à Berard

Vertical drop: + 650 meters and - 800 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours of walking

We will leave early in the morning to take the valley that leads to the Col de Salenton. The climb is regular with a gentle slope throughout the first part. The pastures are magnificent, the view of Mont Blanc is quite exceptional. We are at the heart of a natural reserve where nature is preserved, it is quite regular to spot marmots and ibex during the walking day. The slope under the pass is a little steeper, at the start of the season in July, we may have to walk a little in the snow to cross the pass. We will be close enough to Mont Buet we might walk to the top with the most motivated people, while the others can take a nap in the sun. Depending on the weather and everyone's wishes, your Guide will decide in consultation with you on the route to be chosen. The descent to the Pierre à Bérard refuge is fairly quick. At the beginning we descend into a chaos of boulders and snowfields at the start of the season, then further below your Guide will find the path to catch the bottom of the valley and access the refuge. The refuge is comfortable with a very pleasant team welcoming us.

If the weather is good, we will be able to enjoy a sky without any parasitic lighting, to observe the stars.

DAY 3 
Reuge Pierre in Berard - Lac Blanc

Vertical drop: + 600m and - 600m
Walking time: About 6 to 7 hours of balcony paths or alternating ascent and descent.

After a great starry night, we get back on the track early in the morning to walk back down to the village of Buet. We will be taking the path that climbs to the Col des Montets, then depending on your shape we can choose two routes to walk up to the Lac Blanc refuge. The easiest path starts from the Col des Montets to go to the Tête au Vent: this path is fairly regular and wide with a beautiful view of the Aiguille Verte and the Argentière and Tour glaciers. Alternatively, we can choose the ladder path, in case you want to get a more thrilling experience by taking the cable passage, near the mythical Aiguillette d'Argentière, which has been immortalized many times by photographers from all over the world! Higher up the path also joins the Tête au Vent. Once on the top, we will enjoy the beauty of the Chéserys lakes with the Mont Blanc massif on the background. The Aiguilles de Chamonix are impressive, the Mer de Glace, despite its retreat, is still great. The Drus, with their west walls 1200 meters high, are splendid. It is with this view that we sleep at the Lac Blanc refuge, one of the most beautiful places at the heart of the Chamonix valley.

DAY 4 
Lac Blanc - Col de la Glière - Plampraz - Chamonix

Vertical drop: + 900m and - 1500m
Walking time: 6 to 8 hours of walking

After enjoying the sunrise over the Chamonix valley and its wonderful summits, we get back on the track to reach the Glière pass and the Lac Cornu pass. We will be staying well above the Flégère, the path is wired at the level of the Glière to facilitate passage through a small cliff. Then the path crosses a scree of large rock blocks. We will enjoy the view and maybe also of the Black Lakes if the temperature allows it, in a remote and wild place facing Mont Blanc. Your guide will show you the way back down to the Plampraz cable car, to take the gondola back down to Chamonix at the end of the day.

End of the trekking: we end the trekking in front of the Chamonix train station around 5 p.m., you can plan your return transport starting from 6 p.m.

Extra night

If you wish to stay one additional night after the end of the trekking, here are some advises:

• Hotel 3 *** La Pointe Isabelle, near the train station;
• La Chaumière Mountain Lodge towards the Lac des Gaillands;
• Plan B, near the bus station and the cable car of the 'Aiguille du Midi.

Materiel

How to prepare your backpack for your Hiking Tour in France

The hiking backpack

If possible, take a bag that is light enough to be carried well, and no heavier than 1.5 kilos.

• Small : 45 litres max
• Large : 50 litres max

Your rucksack should have 10 to 15 litres of space for the food you will be carrying for lunch and sometimes the next day, which the mountain huts or guides will give you.

Kilos to carry - it's better to wash than to carry :

• Small : 5/6 kilos max, without water and food
• Large : 6/7 kilos max, without water and food

Allow 2 litres of water and 500 grams of food for the day.

Head-to-toe equipment for the trek:

• a cap or hat for the sun
• a hat for the cold
• a buff or choker (optional, but great in bad weather)
• a Gore Tex jacket or equivalent for bad weather
• a pair of gloves, waterproof if possible
• a small down jacket or fleece to withstand sub-zero temperatures
• two jumpers: one light and one warmer; if it's cold, we'll use all the layers
• two or three technical T-shirts
• 2 to 4 pairs of socks, which you can wash in the torrents near the refuges (use solid soap to wash)
• trousers
• tights
• shorts
• a bag cover for the rain
• a waterproof bag to keep a change of clothes dry
• a change of clothes for the refuge
• a pair of hiking boots with Vibram soles or good quality trail shoes from 20 July, if possible try them on before the trek.

Essential items:

• a sleeping sheet for the hut
• 2 telescopic walking poles
• canteen or water bottle to provide at least 2 litres of water
• sun cream factor 30 to 50
• a pair of category 3 sunglasses
• a light headlamp
• small treats such as dried fruit and chocolate
• cash and your identity card or valid passport

Toiletries :

• a light, quick-drying towel, hiking style
• body soap
• toothbrush with toothpaste or solid toothpaste
• small shampoo (specialist shops sell small bottles that you can keep for the rest of your hiking life)
• a pair of earplugs to help you sleep at night in the refuge

Pharmacy & other items :

• your medication
• a light survival blanket
• nail clippers
• enough to make small dressings
• a few compresses and plasters or, better still, Strappal

Your guide will have a more comprehensive first-aid kit in case of a major accident.

A small book or card game (weighing less than 150 grams)...

Necessities for meals :

• an hermetic tupperware (approx. 400ml) for the picnic
• a light Opinel-type knife
• a fork and a spoon
• a local speciality to share with the rest of the team, liquid or solid.

Weight is the hiker's enemy, but a frozen or soaked hiker is a hiker without pleasure!

So take the time to prepare your rucksack well and weigh it before you set off, to check that without water or food your rucksack weighs 6 to 7 KG, but no more !

IMPORTANT: if a person is not properly equipped and dressed, the mountain guide may decide not to allow him/her to take part in the climb. We ask you to read carefully the equipment list provided in the programme PDF and to call us if you have any doubts.

Level

Physical level 2.5/5

Intermediate level, between 2 and 3 stars, we will make some nice summits!
Effort corresponding to approximately 800 - 1000 m of elevation gain in trekking.

Technical Level  3/5

Difficult trekking, there are several vertiginous, physical and technical passages, the path is sometimes equipped with cables and ladders to help the progression, it is not a Via Ferrata but we are obliged to use them. You must master the activity, you are independent in the mountains in easy passages, the guide will help you in difficult passages.
Weather forecast learning and learning of walking progression techniques with a mountain rope.
Maximum 10 people per trekking guide.

Useful infos

Useful infos to organize your mountain trip

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

How to reach Chamonix

• By train, access to Chamonix city center
• By car, from Geneva or Lyon / Annecy with highway access until Chamonix

Meeting point:

In front of the Chamonix train station on Monday at 8:00 am, to get to know each other and check the equipment. We will then take the Plampraz cable car around 9:00 am.

Free parking to park during the week not far from the station: Click here to see where the parking is located.

End of the trekking:

We end the trekking on Thursday in front of the Chamonix train station around 5 p.m. You can plan your return transport starting from 6 p.m.

Extra night:

In case you wish to stay in Chamonix one additional night, here are some advises:

• the Pointe Isabelle Hotel 3 *** near the train station;
• La Chaumière Mountain Lodge towards Lac des Gaillands;
• Plan B which is near the bus station and the cable car of the Aiguille du Midi.

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.