Читать книгу The Swiss Alps онлайн

171 страница из 176

A little over 12km from Le Châble the main road enters the hamlet of Fionnay (1490m) trapped below soaring mountain walls. (For tourist information tel 027 776 16 82). This one-time mountaineering centre has a small shop, a post office and the 2-star Hotel du Grand Combin which has 48 dorm places as well as standard rooms (www.fionnay.ch). From Fionnay paths climb steeply on the northern side of the valley to Cabane de Louvie and the ruins of Le Dâ (above which Col de Severeu suggests a way over the mountains to Val des Dix); another makes the ascent eastwards to the Louvie–Mauvoisin high trail which it meets at Ecurie du Crêt; and yet another strikes south up the mountainside on the way to the Panossière Hut. Only a walk along the valley bed can be made without too much effort.

The valley’s north (right) flank having been dealt with from Cabane du Mont Fort, we will look at the south side, and in particular the route to Cabane de Panossière, for this is the way chosen by climbers bound for the Grand Combin. This 4hr walk begins by crossing the Drance de Bagnes at Fionnay on a footbridge, then climbs steeply above a small lake to pass some ruins after about 1½hrs. The well-trodden path then swings to the south into the valley scooped out by the retreating Corbassière glacier, and comes to Plan Goli, a beautiful area of grass, flowers and streams in an ablation trough backed by old moraines. Now the way twists up to a tiny pool and continues along the moraine crest to reach Cabane de Panossière (Cabane F-X Bagnoud: 2645m). A splendid hut, built in 1996 to replace a former refuge destroyed by avalanche, its setting is magnificent with a direct view along the icy highway of the Corbassière glacier to the North Face of the Grand Combin, while directly opposite rise the Petit Combin and Combin de Corbassière. Although the former hut was owned by the SAC, the present building belongs to the Association François-Xavier Bagnoud of Sion. Of modern design, it has dormitory places for 103 and a resident guardian in April and May, and from July to September (www.cabane-fxb-panossiere.ch).