Category Archives: Postcards

Stuff where I’ve been

Day 2. Col de la Forclaz to Champex

Col de la Forclaz to Champex via Alp Bovine
15km, 900m up, 660m down. 17k steps.

These pedometers from the GCC are utter rubbish, there’s no way I averaged paces that big over that terrain, or even when ministry of silly walking down a road. I’ll keep quoting them for comedy value, but the GCC website is going to get something closer to reality, 40cm paces on flat going down to 20 for up and down.

Anyway, after treating ourselves to a lie in after yesterday’s pain, we started off straight uphill, thankfully through the shade of forest. My uphill mode is slow and ploddy, so was soon overtaken by a few people doing the TMB backwards, including a british father and son team with whom we chatted for a bit.

It was further uphill than we remembered, stepping over rocks and tree roots wasn’t a patch on yesterday’s morning, tho perhaps more realistic of what’s to come. The sun shone very strong today, which led to many photographic pauses on the way up. We were treated to some good views down the hazy valleys to Verbier and Martigny, ignoring that 2hours on a post bus would see us to Grimentz and what’s this about spending 10days walking there?

We emerged from the climb at the gate overlooking the Alpage Bovine, which has come on a bit since we were last there. A gratuitous pause for a great light lunch of cheese and sausage meant we left the high point of 1975m about midday.The descent towards Champex was, err, challenging. Steep, rocky and / or rooty ground and the scorching sun meant we made slow progress. At least we didn’t have to go up it though like many TMBers, nor did we see how on earth we managed to get lost when we were last here.The final stretch through the valley was slightly uphill, but on good tracks or roads. It was hot enough for Paul to leave a boot print in the tar, but also too hot for me to be bothered to take a photo.

A fortuitous water trough in Champex en Haut meant restocking our platypusses with gorgeous cold fresh water for the final few km to Pension en Plein Air, which has also changed a bit. The rooms are still the same, but the bank of internet PCs are now a big flat telly, sofas and a pool table.

Arriving at 3 gave us plenty of time to wash stuff before the place fills up later on.Following on from rule #1, tomorrow’s route is moving from Cabane col de Mille to Verbier, neatly avoiding a heowge ascent that wasn’t looking so clever any more.

Also means we can visit shops for posting stuff and aquiring man-flu busting Swiss Pharmaceuticals and something to help with the interesting collection of blisters and bruises I’m accumulating. Apparently hiking boot insoles are s’posed to be replaced more frequently than never every 7 years, who knew?

Day 1 – Le Couteray to Col de la Forclaz

Day 1 – Le Couteray to Col de la Forclaz, via Col de Balme and Les Grands.
Ow. Ow. Pain. We’re broken. Do not pass go, award Jo C 3 I told you so’s.

Up bright and early for a 7am breakfast, bid our farewells to Belle Vue and headed onwards and upwards.

About 1000m up, 800m down, 15km along, 23k steps.

We couldn’t have asked for a better morning (well, I could have done without the sore throat, heralding a bout of man flu 2 alpine holidays in a row >.<). The morning's climb was hard but steady, we even managed to beat sign time to Col de Balme by 20mins, on a 3hr15 route. 7km, 8k steps, 900m of up. A good morning.s work.

Too early for steak frites so had a very welcome omelete au jambon. Protein and salt. Ideal. We took the opportunity to annoy some friends by text. Mountains!

It was about half 11 when we set off, so made a bit of an optimistic decision, let’s go the long way round, avoid losing unnecessary height, see the sights and so on. Oopsy. We’d conveniently forgotten how nasty the path was, more of an assault course really. Steep snow traverses, rock fields, waterfalls,more uphill!?!

You name it. We came to an extremely welcome 7up at the refuge at le grandes before steeling ourselves to descend 600m in about that distance of dog legs through the forest.The views of the Glacier du Trient were impressive, as was the sight of the route up to Le Fenetre d’Arrgh I do not think so laddie.

At least the final stretch from the cafe at Chalet du Glacier was flat, but 3km was longer than either of us had the sense of humour for.9km, 15k steps, 100ishm up, 800ish m down.

Col de la Forclaz is as popular as I remember, but a comfortable place to nurse our blisters. Can’t remember when I last blistered my toes, let alone shoulders..

English was the language of choice in the dining room, many brits and americans on the closing leg of the TMB. Drink selection was ideal, pints of ice tea matched with plenty of Vallisanne wine. Dinner was excellent, they must have had a few no-shows because they offered seconds. Yum. That’ll offset today’s calories used nicely.

So, lessons learned. Slow uphill is succesful. Less is more. Remember it’s a holiday and don’t forget The Rules:
1) Kev knows what he’s doing
2) Do not Bend, Spindle or Mutilate Kev’s Route
3) It’s easy to forget the painful bits (as Jo C reminded us when planning)
4) If in doubt, refer to rule 1

Day 0 – Le Couteray loop to Finhaut

Gah, this buggy wordpress app is really annoying, third time lucky I hope. [del]fourth[/del]. fifth.

Today was a day walk from the hotel to [del]Lac D’Emosson[/del] Finhault and back again. Just under 15km, 18275 steps.

Day 0 is for practice and acclimatisation, get a feel current conditions and learn lessons that are easier to manage without full packs and glaciers.

We had a much more civilised start with an 8am breakfast, walking just before 9. The sun was shining and the clear sky was picturesque through the trees. It was a steady walk alongside the railway into Vallorcine, an SNCF lad was watering the potted geraniums asked (in english) if we needed any help. Yep, not in England any more.

We carried on down the valley to the franco-swiss border, walking through a customs station was a new one for us. Passports weren’t required this time though. The collection of buildings at Le Chatelard Frontiere seemed targeted at a certain market, three petrol stations, all stocked with duty free quantities of cigarettes and chocolate.

The industrial base station for the barrage at Le Chatelard wasn’t much better for passing tourists. Our plans changed from hunting dinosaur foot prints at 2400m to a valley walk in the blink of a ‘How Much!?’ when we saw the ticket prices for the funicular. a ride up a huge incline plane would be fun, but not that fun. Didn’t seem to have stopped a coach load of trippers from Coventry though.

Next was a 250m, 50% climb up to Gietro. Punctated by many pauses for playing with the camera and one impromptu nosebleed from yours truly. Luckily it was swiftly brought undercontrol with some calming exercises and a pile of moss that Paul pulled from some passing rocks. Lots of alpine flowers, strawberries, crickets and butterflies in the sun baked glades.

We arrived in Finault just in time for lunch. Sadly the cafes were either heavily disguised or closed, so we drank deep from the station’s water trough (yay for that Swiss tradition!) and waited for a train to tkae us to a nearby lunch.

Our plans to get an ice cream from the funciculaire’s kiosk were foiled by its attendant making a break for it just as we arrived, so we wound up munching on some expensive biscuits near the border.

A great first day out, with a number of learning points. Stock up on tissues, don’t leave the cereal bars in the hotel, take it very easy uphill and avoid the heat of the day. So, walking before 8 then? Oh well, it beats climbing 900m valleys in 30 degrees.

The Belle Vue hotel lived up to its good reviews, good sized comfortable rooms, good and clean bathrooms shared between 4, cold beer, great cheap food (mmm, polenta), welcoming hotelier and free wifi. Win.

i can’t promise free wifi on the rest of the trip, so these posts will have to come in batches.

tomorrow: col de la forclaz, by one of half a dozen routes depending on the weather and how bothered we feel in the morning. Probably via Col de Balme, but the telepherique in Vallorcine is highly tempting..