Walking in the Tarentaise and Beaufortain Alps

Tim has spent most of his life in the North of England, working both in Industry and the University sector. In 1979 he and his wife bought an apartment at Bourg St Maurice for the skiing and soon found that the region around had considerable attraction for walking in summer. As it is just to the south of Mt Blanc, the big mountain has taken all the attention and the Tarentaise has been rather ignored by the Brits. There are many walks of good quality in beautiful places, well documented in the French guides but with often a lack of information on how to get to the start of the walks. Tim therefore investigated the area in depth and built up a mass of knowledge which he has been able to pass on in the form of the Tarentaise guide. It was a natural step to cross the frontier into Italy and follow the Via Alta, whence the Grand Paradiso guide.

Walk grade(s) given in parentheses
CHAPTER 1: AROUND THE COL DE LA MADELEINE
Introduction
1. Col du Loup and Lac Freydon (2 or 3)
2. The Portes de Montmélian (3)
3. Pointe des Arangles (3)
4. Mt Bellacha (4)
5. Combe des Marmottes Noires, Mt de la Perrière and Mt Bellacha (4)
6. The Cheval Noir (4)
Some short walks


CHAPTER 2: MéRIBEL, COURCHEVEL AND PRALOGNAN
Introduction
1. Col de la Vanoise (2 or 3)
2. Pic de la Vieille Femme (3 or 4)
3. Tour du Glacier de la Vanoise (3 and 4)
4. Col Rouge and Col and Pointe des Fonds (4)
5. Col Rouge and Col du Soufre from Méribel (3)
6. Col de la Platta, Lacs Merlet and Petit Mt Blanc from Courchevel (2)
Some short walks



CHAPTER 3: BETWEEN BOURG ST MAURICE AND CHAMPAGNY
Introduction
1. Mt Jovet (2 or 3)
2. Lac de la Plagne (2)
3. Aiguille Grive and Col d'Entreporte (3 or 4)
4. Refuge du Mt Pourri and Col d'Entreporte (3)
5. The Signal des Deux Têtes (2)
6. Refuge de la Martin and Glacier de la Savinaz (2)
7. La Gurraz to Villaroger via Refuge de Turia (2)
8. Tour of Mt Pourri (2)
Some short walks



CHAPTER 4: THE BEAUFORTAIN AND NORTHERN TARENTAISE
Introduction
1. Pas de l'âne and Mt Mirantin (3 and 4)
2. The Lacs de la Tempête via Col de la Louze (2)
3. Cormet d'Arêches and Mt Coin (2)
4. Crête du Rey (4)
5. Pointe de Combe Bénite (3)
6. Rocher du Vent and Crête des Gittes (2)
7. The Tour of the Beaufortain (2 with some 3)
8. Col de la Charbonnière and Mt Rosset (3)
9. Col du Grand Fond (2 with some 3)
10. The Grand Châtelet (4)
11. Aiguille de Praina (4)
12. Pointe de la Terrasse (4)
13. Cinq Lacs and Col de la Nova (2 and 3)
Some short walks



CHAPTER 5: LES CHAPIEUX TO THE NANT CRUET
Introduction
1. Col de Faux Ouillon (2)
2. Mt Miravidi and the three cols: du Breuil, des Veis and des Rousses (4)
3. Aiguille de Clapet (2 then 4)
4. The Lancebranlette and Lac Sans Fond (2)
5. Mont Valezan (2 then 4)
6. Lac du Retour via Passage du Retour (3)
7. Tour of the Dents Rouges (4)
8. Les Cascades du Rutor (2 or 4)
9. The Montséti Lac Noir (2)
10. Col de la Sassière (3)
11. Col du Mont (2)
12. Tour de l'Archeboc
13. Col de l'Aiguille and Pointe de la Foglietta (2 then 4)
14. Pointe d'Archeboc (4)
15. The Lac Noir and its col (2 then 3)
16. The Nant Cruet (3)
Some short walks



CHAPTER 6: AROUND VAL D'ISèRE
Introduction
1. Rocher de la Davie (3)
2. Barrage de la Sassière, Passage de Picheru and Plan du Cheval (3)
3. Refuge de Prariond, Col de la Galise and Grand Cocor (3, possibly 4)
4. Pointe des Lessières (4)
5. Pointe des Fours and Col de Bézin (4)
6. Circuit des Pointes des Lorès (3)
7. Balcon du Carro (2)
8. Plan des Evettes (2 or 4)
Some short walks