Between mountaineering and hiking: a five-day trek on the Alpine via ferratas
Pressed against the cliff face, on a very narrow ledge (a tiny path), we are held only by a cable to steel railings fixed to the rock face: the via ferratas. And there’s no question of giving in to vertigo: we still have to “down-climb” the bars sealed into the rock to reach the final big wall. This challenge won’t be overcome without crossing a final overhang before taking a crooked footbridge between two walls. Welcome to Rocher Jaune, a via ferrata located a fifteen-minute walk from the Diablerets refuge.
Steep cliffs, challenging paths… for thrill-seekers.
A small “3,000-meter peak,” but it will be our rooftop of the world. As Alan Delizée, our guide, aptly notes, “this one’s a real challenge!” It is indeed the most exposed stage of this unique hike, which alternates via ferratas (one per day) and steep mid-mountain paths. A mix of genres that allows everyone to try their hand at mountaineering without having to fear the dangers of altitude, while strolling through the green pastures of French-speaking Switzerland. The one that smells of the Milka cow from our childhood, delivered with breathtaking views of the omnipresent Lake Geneva.
It is also Lake Geneva, against the backdrop of Mont Blanc, that offers us a magnificent view of the earth from the top of a metal ladder as we finish the Tour d’Aï, opening our expedition. This first via ferrata will be our warm-up period before tackling the increasingly technical continuation of this highly formative journey. The proof: the Château-d’Ex via (the main difficulty of the next day) is perceived by our small group, athletic but new to climbing,
No need to be a climbing expert to tackle this splendid mountain hike
Thanks to Alan, we understood, among other things, that when a Swiss person talks about a “hut,” it’s at worst a three-star refuge…
The Pierredar refuge, starting from the village of Les Diablerets, awaits us three hours later. Three hours of walking among intensely blue gentians set in a vastness greener than nature. The highlight of this perfectly bucolic spectacle: a giant, rocky cirque, pierced by waterfalls that make us play hopscotch across torrents while encountering sheep, cows with bells, and, miraculously, a chamois. That same evening, Claude, a former postman and current guardian of the refuge, serves us enormous plates of spaghetti bolognese, washed down with a small Swiss wine, as if to warm us up
before the brutal drop in temperature. Because the next day, the scenery and temperature change. After swapping T-shirts for fleece, we forget the pastoral symphony played since Leysin to tackle a more austere score, that of Les Diablerets, all rock and ice. Here we are in the very private club of summer crampon wearers.
This introductory approach to mountaineering will take place on the atypical Pierredar via ferrata, a route surrounded by rock faces pre-equipped with handrails.
By alternating walking and climbing, we reach the Prapio glacier. The much-dreaded fifteen-minute crossing with ice axes is rather easy (it’s the flat, crevasse-free part).
It gets more complicated on the opposite side of the glacier, where another “cabled” path begins, traced into the steep face. Our guide’s warning: “Steep and a bit of a pile of rocks.” An eminently wise piece of advice that the climber below will benefit from: avoid causing rockfalls, otherwise, your helmet will hurt.
Another frozen waterfall, a delicate passage, then the reward is around the corner with a fabulous view overlooking the glacier we just crossed.
The Diablerets glacier, invaded by snowboarders for a summer camp, is already in sight. The descent to the refuge still requires crampons: it’s done on a névé (a mass of hard snow) but, above all, on cloud nine.
In the space of a week, we did approach a few…
