Hiking in the Alps – Mont Buet From Vallorcine

May 14, 2022 0 Comments

the ten thousand The foot of Mont Buet peak in the French Alps, just north of Chamonix, is one of the highest mountains in the area with a marked hiking trail to its top. At 3,099 meters (10,167 feet), it is the highest peak in the Aiguilles Rouges and is a popular ascent usually made from the Vallorcine valley between Col des Montets and the Swiss border. This route presents no technical issues being a hike rather than a climb, but it does involve approximately 6,000 feet or 1,800 meters of ascent on a return trip of over ten miles, so for those walkers feeling energized, here there is a summary of the ascent route.

Just beyond the Hotel at Le Buet is a path up the forest marked Cascade a Berard, Refuge Pierre a Berard and Mont Buet. Follow this trail which starts out as an immensely enjoyable woodland walk past the beautiful waterfalls from Cascade to Berard which are signposted to the right a bit off the trail. As the river is crossed by a wooden bridge, the trail steepens into the forest, finally emerging in a remote high mountain valley that sits above the tree line.

Two paths ascend through this valley; a higher one on the right slope and a lower one following the river. They make a circular natural route and are at the foot of the slope that leads to the Pierre a Berard Refuge to be able to take either of them. The valley that lies within the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve is a pleasant walk and respite from the grueling climb to come. This starts below the shelter or cabin where a sign indicates the steep slopes beyond.

Once you get to the cabin the trail gets even steeper and I would like to say it gets easier but it doesn’t. At least you gain altitude quickly and views of the Aiguilles Rouges open up behind you as you climb a relentlessly steep incline. The path is obvious and the trail is easy, if a bit difficult. Finding the route is not a problem until the rocky area just below the Col du Salenton. Here the path is signposted with milestones that you do have to pay attention to as they mark the easy path through an area of ​​rocky ledges and steps avoiding the difficulties. In foggy or icy conditions this area would be a more serious challenge.

Once above the rocks, the path forks and is once again signposted; to the left by the pass (seen just above) and to the right by Mont Buet. Now it’s a steady uphill walk following a good trail with no further problems to the summit. After crossing the initial wide slopes, the ridge is reached and the views become spectacular, especially towards Mont Blanc.

The ridge is wide and easy, but there is another steep stretch to the bottom of Arete du Mortine, where a small communications tower can be seen above. Once reached, the broad, easily angled ridge allows for an easy walk to the nearby summit, which is gray clay rock and marked with a large cairn of stones.

Signs say this climb takes six hours one way, so allow ten to go up and down. I actually took less than five in one direction, but that was after a period of hot, dry weather, meaning not much snow to walk on. Most of the times I have visited the Chamonix Alps area in the summer hiking season, there has been snow on the upper slopes of Mont Buet. Most of the climbers had stayed at the Pierre a Berard Refuge, which breaks this long hike into two days instead of one long one.

There is another hiking trail to the top of Mont Buet; that of the Lac du Vieux Emmosson (refuge) in northern Switzerland. First climb the peak of Le Cheval Blanc, whose name means the White Horse, before tackling the airy north-east ridge that is outfitted with fixed cables for added safety. That route is still classified as a hike rather than a climb, but it is technically more demanding than the one described here. Whichever route you take, hard work pays off with stunning views of the French and Swiss Alps. Enjoy!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *