Overview
Highest point of the third valley of the Chablais, the vallee de Bellevaux, the Roc d'Enfer, "Hell's Rock" is in fact a crest with four points :
- Principal summit (= Roc d'Enfer) 2243 m
- Pointe de Haute Bène 2215 m
- Western Point 2170 m
- N summit 2160 m
All the faces are steep and the traverse of his ridges is a wild and interesting hike.
Panoramic view with the Roc d'Enfer
Getting There
Start points :
1)
Bellevaux
between Saint Jeoire and Thonon les Bains.
By plane :
Airport Genève-Cointrin (45km)
Airport Annecy-Meythet (70km)
By train :
Station of Thonon-les-Bains (25 km) et servibus service SAT
By road :
Highway A40 ou A41, sexit 15 (Thonon-Evian-Vallée Verte)
take RN Bonne/Pont de Fillinges and D22 Boëge/Col de Terramont or D26 St Jeoire/Col de Jambaz.
2) Saint Jean d'Aulps
By road :
A40 : From Bourg-en Bresse, follow Nantua exit Annemasse. Direction Thonon les Bains and then Morzine
A41 : From Annecy, follow Chamonix, Bonneville exit Scionzier. Follow Taninges then Morzine and Thonon
By plane :
Airport Genève-Cointrin
Airport Annecy-Meythet
Airport Lyon
By train :
Next stations are Cluses or Thonon.
Routes Overview
1) From Bellevaux
Near the Col de Jambaz, 2 km after Bellevaux , D 236 to La Chevrerie (7 km). Park near the chairlift Le Torchon.
From here the path leads you to Grand Souvroz. From here, two possibilities :
a) Over Col de Graydon on the left (1787m).
Take the passage with cables to the Breche de la Golette (1892m).
Then begins the traverse of the crest from the N Point (cross) to the highest point.
b) Over Col de Foron on the right (see route from Le Foron)
2) From Graydon Hut.
The hut can be reached by car from Saint Jean d'Aulps over Essert Romand. From the hut, walk to Plan des Fontanes, Le Couvert and La Golette.
3) From L'Encrenaz
L'Encrenaz can be reached by car from Saint Jean d'Aulps. Road D 902 to Morzine. D 328 to La Côte d'Arbroz and Col de l'Encrenaz. Walk : Col de la Basse - Col Ratti - La Chaux de Vie - La Golette - Summit.
4) From Le Foron
Reach Le Foron by following road D 328 from Col de l'Encrenaz. Walk : Foron du Milieu - Col de Foron - Tête de Charseuvre - Pointe de Haute Bène. From this point, the way is constantly over the waste.Two passages are fitted out with dubious cables.
Red Tape
No permits. The Roc d'Enfer is a fauna reserve
When To Climb
- From mai to oktober. Avoid after rain (too slippery)
- In winter, difficult ski routes.
Tourist informations
Hotels :
-AUBERGE GAI SOLEIL * *
La Côte 74470 Bellevaux -Telephone 04 50 73 71 52
-HOTEL LAC DE VALLON * *
74470 Bellevaux -Telephone 04 50 73 74 55
Ski Resort near the Roc d'Enfer : La Grande Terche
The resort of La Grande Terche spreads over
Saint Jean d'Aulps
and Bellevaux
Aulps Abbey
The Aulps valley, connects median valley of Dranse (the one of Morzine), extends from the south in north on some 35 kms of the Switzerland Valais border until the South of the Leman lake, between the Ripailles forest and the commune of Amphion. This geographical framework very well defined by the relief (called the "closed valley" a long time) created a space where was logically created a cistercian monastic standard site : the site of the Aulps Abbey.
They were Benedictines monks coming from Molesme to the borders of Burgundy and Champagne who founded a first cell in this small valley known as of the "hot Horn" - undoubtedly in spring of 1093 AD. This modest establishment was transformed gradually into a monastery by a more significant number of brothers. From 1118, the monastery having reached a population of more than thirteen monks, became an abbey of full exercise, that left its mother abbey of Molesme. With this date, the abbey of Aulps (Sancta Maria de Alpibus) was attached to the order of Citeaux by the filiation of Clairvaux. The influence of St.Bernard is manifest, and he had stopped in Aulps in 1135 on its return of Rome.
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