Tour of the Aiguille de la Vanoise and Col de la Vanoise from Pralognan-la-Vanoise

10 points of interest

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  Pastoralism

  The Pont de la Glière

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  To get to the Glière mountain pasture, you have to cross the stream and an ""invisible barrier"". Effectively, a bridge with a “Canadian passage” prevents the herds from crossing. This consists of cylindrical bars spaced apart and arranged horizontally on the ground. The ungulates (cows, sheep) are unable to cross this barrier. They would risk wedging their hooves in between the bars.

  The Favre family once worked the Glière mountain pasture and produced ""tomme"" before the appellation ""Beaufort"" appeared. Today, this pasture has been taken over by a young farmer who grazes sheep and produces sheep cheese.

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  Viewpoint

  View over the Refuge des Barmettes

  The Refuge des Barmettes comes into view in the upper limit of the ski slopes of Pralognan-la-Vanoise, as can be seen in the centre of the image by the detachable chairlift of Génépi, installed during the summer of 2007. The refuge works in winter more like a high-altitude restaurant as opposed to a refuge in the usual sense of the term. In the process of modernisation, the refuge’s façade walls are awaiting new stone and wooden cladding. The grass has grown back on the slopes of the chairlift. The newly green tracks, besides looking prettier, are also easier to groom. To the right, a small light-wood log cabin houses the ski patrollers and an emergency station.

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  Small heritage

  Downstream of the chalets of la Glière is the salt road

  Downstream from the chalets of la Glière, you will merge onto an old mule road lined with dry stone walls. It was used for pack-saddled and shod animals to carry heavy loads. The low walls prohibited passing animals from entering the meadows. Some stones are engraved and bear witness to the repeated passages of man from the Neolithic to the present day.

  This route, known as the “Salt Road” was also of strategic importance for the counts and dukes of Savoy and the kings of Piedmont-Sardinia for salt trading. It was also used to access the alpine pastures, transport the cheeses and to get to Maurienne. Finally, the alpine hunters, in charge of defending the frontiers, found the salt road to be the perfect ground for their training.
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  Pastoralism

  The lower chalet of Arcelin

  The lower chalet of the Arcelin is used as a shepherd’s hut (Arcelin is a derivative of archellins, arcelle, arch and means habitation, shepherd’s hut). This type of chalet was used between mid-June and the end of September by families who left the village of Pralognan and settled in the mountains. The farmers would make the cheese (tomme) on site.

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  Lake

  Lac des Assiettes

  10,500 years ago, the tongue of the Glacier of the Grands Couloirs / Réchasse which flowed towards the valley of l´Arcelin stopped at the Lac des Assiettes. This formed a moraine-dammed lake at the level of a limestone rock bar. During the Little Ice Age, the Lac des Assiettes was obstructed by an independent underground ice cap system. This could hold water for a large part of the summer months and perhaps year round thanks to the great periods of glacial flood (1550-1650, 1700-1780, 1820 -1860) according to Bravard and Marnezy (1981).

  Today we are witnessing the death of this lake because of “alluviation”. In fact, alluvial erosions upstream (pebbles, gravels, clays ...) which are transported by the torrents, filled this lake. The latter are swiftly colonised by pioneer plant species (linaria alpina, Silene acaulis).

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  Viewpoint

  View over the Lac des Assiettes

  Located on the old commercial and tourist route from Pralognan to Termignon by the Col de la Vanoise, the Lac des Assiettes, below the Vanoise pass and needle, completely dried up in 1995. The existing plan of course keeps track, but with the loss of a picturesque reflection of the sky, it is also a biotope, an essential element of ecological diversity.

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  Viewpoint

  View over the Col de la Vanoise, the Refuge Felix Faure and the Grande Casse

  The commercial crossing of the Col de la Vanoise has evolved into a mountaineering base at the Grande Casse, the highest peak in Savoy, with a series of refuges providing accommodation since 1878, including the famous Félix Faure, built in 1903 by the CAF, completed in 1974 by two prefabricated buildings classified as twentieth century heritage and now replaced. But the evolution mainly concerns the melting glacier of the Grands Couloirs, particularly the 1935 tongues that changed the historic route of ascent of 1860, but also the tongue of 1820-30 as the lateral moraines would indicate.

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  Refuge

  The Refuges of Col de la Vanoise.

  "Five refuges have been built at the Col de la Vanoise. The first was built between 1876 and 1879. Its ruins are still visible from the Lac des Assiettes. The second stone refuge dates back to 1902. It was named after the President of the Republic Felix Faure, who was also renowned for his death in charming company. Then, in the 1970s, two prefabricated buildings were added. In 2000, the refuge changed name to become ""Refuge du Col de la Vanoise"". Finally, a 5th refuge was opened in 2014 to replace the 2 prefabricated buildings. It belongs to the Club Alpin Français."

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  History

  The Refuge du Col de la Vanoise

  The first refuge dates back to 1879 and operated until the winter of 1898-1899 when it lost its roof during a snowstorm. The Refuge Félix Faure, named in honour of the President of the Republic and emeritus mountaineer, was opened on the 6th August 1902. Additional outbuildings were added to the building in 1974. Finally, it was completely restructured and completed with a new building by the Club Alpin Français in 2012-2013. Since 2009 it has been called the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise.

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  Glacier

  Col de la Vanoise: Grande Casse and the Glacier des Grands Couloirs

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  La Grande Casse, the highest peak of Vanoise 3,855 m in altitude) demarcates the watershed between Tarentaise and Maurienne. Its summit is partly covered by the Glacier des Grands Couloirs which stretches westward towards Pralognan.

  During the last ice age (the Würm), which began 125,000 years ago and ended 11,500 years ago, the alpine glacier tongues stopped 30 km from Lyon. Then, the glaciers went through a series of advances and retreats depending on the climate. For example, in the ""Little Ice Age"" between 1600 and 1850 approximately, the glaciers experienced a major advance of their glacial tongues. Today, we notice a sharp retreat of the glacier front as is seen by observing the hanging Glacier des Grands Couloirs. Behind the glacier’s front face, we can clearly see the area abandoned by the glacier (the “abandoned glacier” or the “glarier”).

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