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2:1 Val Ferret

With the untamed tributary of Val d’Arpette above Champex, Val Ferret is the most westerly of all Pennine valleys. Distinctly pastoral, it boasts a string of unremarkable hamlets, and very little in the way of tourist infrastructure outside of Champex and La Fouly. Walled to the west by outliers of the Mont Blanc range, the east flank is snow- and ice-free in summer and at no point reaches 3000m, while the headwall is breached by the two Cols Ferret (Petit and Grand) and by the Fenêtre de Ferret. Walkers tackling the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) usually enter the valley from Italy via the Grand Col Ferret, while the narrow Fenêtre de Ferret a little west of the Col du Grand St Bernard is much less frequented, although it has been known for many centuries and is said to have been favoured by smugglers.

Cupped by mountains and built along two sides of a small lake at 1466m, this is an attractive little resort with year-round appeal and views of the Combin massif. Apart from its admittedly rather limited walking opportunities, in summer there’s boating and fishing in the lake, while cross-country and downhill skiing are practised in winter and a few routes are worth tackling on snowshoes. Champex was once known as a base for making the ascent of several peaks on the edge of the Mont Blanc massif, most notably the Aiguilles du Tour, Chardonnet and Argentière – all unseen from the village – but it is the proximity of such huts as the Cabanes d’Orny and Trient that puts Champex-based climbers in touch with these mountains today.