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Cabane de Saleina

Cabane de Saleina, or Saleinaz as it’s also known, is located above the right bank of the Saleina glacier at 2691m, with the glacial cirque rimmed by – among others – the Aiguilles d’Argentière and du Chardonnet, the Grande Fourche and Aiguilles Dorées. North of the hut the Petit Clocher du Portalet is an impressive shaft of smooth granite.

The hut approach begins at the same car park used by the Orny Hut route, although an alternative start could be made along a track on the south side of the Saleina stream. Where the Orny path forks to make the zigzag climb under the Pointes des Chevrettes, the Saleina route (waymarked blue and white for an ‘alpine route’) continues upvalley a short way before crossing the stream to join the south bank route, then climbs the terminal moraine of the Saleina glacier with the aid of fixed cables. It then follows the moraine crest to pass below the Clochers des Planereuses, and crosses a wide couloir to gain the hut.

La Fouly

Standing astride the road at 1592m La Fouly is the undisputed mountaineering centre of the valley. Hardly a resort, this small village has a large campsite at the entrance to the l’A Neuve cirque crowned by the Tour Noir. La Fouly has a Bureau des Guides et Accompagnateurs, a ski school, some 15km of marked pistes for cross-country skiing, 160km of waymarked paths, several shops and restaurants, and an Office du Tourisme (www.verbier-st-bernard.ch) in the main street. For accommodation there are three hotels that also have dormitories: the Grand-Hotel du Val Ferret (www.ghvf.ch), Hotel Edelweiss, and Hotel des Glaciers, while Camping des Glaciers sprawls just below the village.