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Grand-Serre and Pierre Percée Arch
From the Grand-Serre ski slopes, we decide to go over the Pass of Alpe du Grand Serre, descend into the valley behind and then cross the Pass of Olliet. On the steep slope leading to the pass, recent storms had carved out deep gullies and at a narrow passage, VLV’s right rear wheel slip slightly and slide into a deep gully. It is so deep that the rear axle is resting on the differential housing as the wheel is spinning in the air.
1. Uncomfortable position! The picture doesn’t show it but the slope is really steep.
2. Bad posture.
The only way to get VLV out of this bad stept is to fill the ravine with rocks. It works and an hour later, VLV is free .
I don’t go for a second attempt and decide to follow another trail to Parché Pass.
3. From Parché Pass where we have our picnic.
4. After a rather exposed descent, we arrive at Pierre Percee Arch in the middle of the afternoon.
5. Amazing to find an arch in the middle of a pasture…
6. We find a nice spot to sleep nearby, up in the hills.
7. Alpine pasture and small lake.
8. We have a beautiful view to the south and the Dévoluy massif.
9. Low-angled light as the sun sets soon.
10. Herd at sunset.
We’ll be back with the next update shortly. 😉
Chartreuse and Taillefer
This little blog is getting a bit of a boost with the summer holidays, as VLV is back in action. It won’t be very long, as Emile has a wedding in his mother’s family in mid-July. So, we’re going away only for about two weeks and given this limited time, we’ve decided to explore a few spots not too far away.
We start in the Chartreuse massif to try to locate the Roche Percee (Pierced Tower), a double arch rarely located on maps.
1. Our campsite for the first night, beneath the walls of the Chartreuse massif.
2. The next day, at the top of the cliffs after passing the Aup du Seuil.
3. I realize I’ve gone astray and we head back down the quite steep path we took earlier.
As an aside, we continue towards Roche Percee along a faint path beneath the cliffs and just as we approached the final climb, a thunderstorm caught us by surprise. Coming from behind the cliffs, I hadn’t seen it forming. It take us nearly an hour and a half to get back to the bikes we’d used that morning for the first part of the climb and reach VivaLaVida, soaked to the bone. We return to our campsite from the previous night to dry off and eat after nearly 14 miles and 3,000 m of elevation gain, having missed out on the coveted arch… We’ll be back!
The next day, we travel above Vizille towards Grand-Serre with the intention of exploring the Plateau des Mille Lacs (Thousand lakes Plateau) and in particular Lac Noir and Lac Fourchu. Arriving in the mid-afternoon, we stop at Lac du Poursollet and then go looking for a spot to camp for the night.
4. The following morning, we hike up to the plateau. At the pass, we catch sight of Lac Fourchu..
5. A little further on, the Lac Noir is visited by a flock of sheep, with the Aiguilles d’Arve in the background.
6. Back to Lac Fourchu.
7. Alternative view from our picnic spot…
8. Another perspective…
9. Last look before heading back down.
10. While I plan to discover another arch, we sleep on the heights of the small resort of Grand-Serre.
More to come in a few days… 🙂
Devoluy (2)
While preparing our exploration of the Dévoluy massif, I spotted several “chourum” – the local name for sinkholes, these limestone cavities sometimes forming caves – and we decided to go and discover one.
1. Going up from our camp…
2. Arrival at the Chourum of the Heroic Crossing from above. A group of mountain troops in training is climbing it, little black dots which give a sense of the scale of this vast chimney.
3. On the descent back towards VivaLaVida, looking up towards the Bure Plateau.
4. In the afternoon, we drive in VLV above the Super-Devoluy resort to get closer to Bure Plateau. The view opens up to the surrounding mountains.
5. VivaLaVida at the end of the road, at about 8,200 feet elevation.
6. The clouds are starting to gather but we still attempt to pass through “the Window” to discover the interferometer on the Bure Plateau.
7. After a short hour’s walk, a few breaks in the fog give us a glimpse of the site. Located at an altitude of 8,350 feet, the interferometer consists of 11 large-diameter parabolic antennas working together; it is the largest installation of its kind in Europe.
8. The scientists who work here in four-month shifts are particularly isolated during the winter, sometimes drawing comparisons to the missions of scientists in Antarctica. Only a private cable car serves the plateau, which suffered a serious accident in 1999 when the haul rope broke, killing 20 people.
9. We descend to about 6,500 feet to spend our last night of the holiday in VLV. The view is gorgeous.
10. Last dream campsite.
11. Sun is setting…
12. … and we make a final campfire to cook our supper.
13. This twilight concludes the story of VLV’s wanderings in the year 2025.
Thank you all for continuing to follow this little blog in such large numbers. It ends here for 2025 but will resume next summer with new discoveries… 🙂
Autumnal Savoy (2) and Devoluy (1)
First of all, Happy New Year 2026 to you all !! 😀 May it hold many adventures and wonderful discoveries!
I continue the story. Still at the Col des Encombres the next morning..
1. Large sinkhole.
2. We’re going to discover it…
3. Erosion…
4. Below our bivouac, an alpine marsh.
5. We go back towards VLV before breaking camp.
6. Going down the valley…
7. We go sleeping not far from where we were two nights ago, above Les Menuires..
8. Campfire…
9. We try to cross to Orelle via the Brèche de Rosaël but at 9,850 feet, the snow forces us to turn back. Without the snow chains left at home, we would have taken too many risks.
10. We then take the road to Devoluy, South of Grenoble.
11. Ascent to the Refuge of Vallon d’Anes.
12. From our boondocking spot.
13. Sunset…
14. Dusk…
That’s it for today. There will be another article about these autumn holidays. 😉
Autumnal Savoie…
While Emile spends the first week of his fall holidays with me, we go to Savoie for a few days in VivaLaVida to enjoy the fall colours already present at altitude.
1. Mountains of Tarentaise, above Meribel.
2. From the Pass of Tougnète where we spend the first night, view of the Aiguille du Fruit.
3. Emile drives offroad! 🙂
4. Our first bivouac at almost 8,000 feet with a lovely campfire.
5. The sun bows out in a cloudless sky.
6. Waking up to a sky as clear as the day before.
7. Small lake called “Large Lake” above Levassaix.
8. The mountain has already donned its fall hues.
9. We go discovering the Val des Encombres, with the hope of reaching the Maurienne Valley via the pass of the same name.
10. It is a gorgeous rather wild valley where only the hamlet of Bourtacombe, a few mountain pastures or herds embody human presence. It is unfortunately disfigured by a high-voltage line which crosses it from top to bottom and which I try to hide in my frames.
11. Alpine pasture of the Cariots,
12. The trail rises in the upper valley.
13. View of the valley already driven.
14. VivaLaVida on the trail.
15. Altitude marsh.
16. Arriving at the pass, at an altitude of 7,800 feet, we notice that the descent to the Maurienne Valley is impassable. While the beginning of the trail would be passable, this is not the case further down, where it has partially collapsed on an unstable slope, leaving only a quad path, far too narrow for VLV. Moreover, a recently posted sign prohibits access from the pass to any motorized vehicle.
We therefore turn back to a boondocking spot we spotted on the way up.
17. View of the Maurienne from the Petit Col des Encombres.
18. Our bivouac, with the Mont Blanc – the highest mountain in Europe – in the background.
19. Soft light at sunset…
I take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a very happy 2026! See you here next year. 😉
Valais : Herens Valley, Thyon, Bagnes Valley and Otemma Glacier
After my two days in the Anniviers Valley, I change valleys and join the Herens Valley.
I sleep in Arolla and decide to go up to Mont Dolin the next morning, which peaks just below 10,000 feet elevation.
1. Break below the Riedmatten Pass, after 2,300 feet of altitude gain.
2. At the Forclette Pass, just below Mont Dolin, with the Bertol Teeth in the background..
3. In the afternoon, I go up to Ferpecle which I haven’t visited for a long time….
4. An impressive waterfall flows from the Mont Miné Glacier, attesting to the heavy melting this summer.
5. This small gravel bar formed by the Ferpecle dam is truly photogenic!
6. On the way back down to La Sage where I left VivaLaVida, the hamlet of Seppec.
7. La Sage in late afternoon.
8. Its chapel.
9. I sleep on the banks of the Borgne River, in peace and quiet…
10. … and enjoy a picnic spot to make a campfire.
11. The next morning, I climb to Thyon 2000 with VLV, then to Grepon Blanc by mountain bike. The last few yards are done on foot..
12. Summit of Grepon Blanc with a view of the surrounding 13,000 ft peaks.
13. At the end of the day, I break camp and head up to the Bagnes Valley. The next day, I set off by bike from Bonatchiesse to reach the Chanrion refuge. I follow the shores of Lake Mauvoisin.
14. Under the refuge, an unnamed pond…
15. The Chanrion refuge with, in the background on the right, the summit of the Grand Combin.
16. As I go back down, I notice a small road leading south. I decide to go and explore it.
17. It leads to a water intake on the Dranse de Bagnes. I leave my bike there and continue on foot to discover the splendid Otemma Valley and the glacier of the same name.
18. After 3 miles on foot, it’s time to turn back regretfully because I would have liked to continue to the glacier tongue. This valley is really wild, I didn’t see anyone there.
19. Going back down…
20. Shortly before returning to VivaLaVida, the bridge on the old Mauvoisin road.
And that’s it for this Valais outing. I did nearly 200 miles of mountain biking in 5 days and totaled almost 23,000 feet of elevation gain, enough to get some fresh air! 🙂
The next article will show you our little autumn vacation.
Thank you for your loyalty to this little blog! 😉
Valais : Anniviers Valley
While Emile continues his vacation with his mom, I go enjoying the summer in the Swiss Alps by doing a few days of mountain biking in Valais.
1. Arriving at the end of the day in the valley, I walk up the valley towards the Petit Mountet refuge.
2. The Navizence River at sunset, downstream from the Zinal glacier.
3. The next day, long 44 miles loop with a 5.5 hour ride. Views of central Valais from the heights of Chandolin..
4. The upper Anniviers Valley from the heights of St-Luc.
5. Mountain lake above Plan Torgnon.
6. …
7. I make a detour to discover the famous Hotel Weisshorn.
8. Going up towards Zinal, above Ayer.
9. View of Zinal and the final downhill.
10. I go sleeping above the Moiry lake.
11. Châteaupré Lake in early morning.
12. Second mountain bike outing to Lake Autanne.
13. Alpine summer view…
14. Launa lake.
15. Pass of Launa, a mecca of the Grand Raid VTT event.
16. From the Pass of Launa looking East.
That’s it for my first two days of mountain biking. More to come soon!
Valley of Glaciers
As Emile will soon be joining his mother for the rest of his holidays, we stop at the foot of the Val des Glaciers, near Les Chapieux. We spend a day there without moving VivaLaVida as Cormet of Roselend road is closed one day for the “Etape du Tour”. It’s the largest amateur cycling event with no fewer than 19,000 entrants who set off on one of the stages of the Tour de France: 85 miles and 12,500 feet of elevation gain!
1. We find a nice bivouac spot near the river.
2. The next morning, we take the bikes to explore the Valley of Glaciers.
3. Panoramic view of the valley with the Aiguille des Glaciers towering above. The Tour du Mont-Blanc trail passes through this valley and the Pass of la Seigne, to the right of the needle.
4. As we look back, the small road that leads us to the Refuge des Mottets.
5. Despite the long climb, Emile once again makes it on his mountain bike !
6. Last look at the valley as we leave the next day.
7. And the last image of this holiday: a small chapel in Les Saisies, with the Aravis Mountains in the background.
The year of VivaLaVida continues with a mountain bike getaway in Valais, a few weekend outings followed by the fall break.
Find out more here soon! 🙂
Jafferau fortress and Ecot Gorge
1. Fredda Valley in the morning.
2. Barracks of Pass Jafferau.
3. From the summit, the panorama towards South with the track that brought us here. It’s definitely steeper than it seems.
4. Jafferau fortress ruins.
5. After a boondocking at Mont-Cenis, we go discover the Gorges of l’Ecot, above the village of Bonneval-sur-Arc.
6. One part – just about an hour’s walk from Bonneval – is spectacular.
7. When water carves rock.
8. There are some beautiful pots.
9. Wide shot of the lower entrance to the gorge.
10. We go sleeping further down in the Arc Valley, after having crossed it by ford to reach a quiet spot.
11. Emile takes the opportunity to practice his cycling! 🙂
12. …
There is one last post to publish soon which will conclude the story of these short summer holidays. 😉
Monviso – Bardonecchia area
1. Here we are again on the Alta Via del Sale but on its western part.
2. …
3. The Marguerie fortress where we spend the next night.
4. I go exploring part of it but don’t stay long because it’s really falling into ruin..
5. An early morning visitor to our camp.
6. As we begin our journey toward North, we go discover Monviso, the main Italian peak in the Southern Alps. A view from Pian de Rey. The afternoon convection partially hides the summit.
7. Further down, a small waterfall not far from our camp.
8. View on the valley.
9. Then we head back up towards Bardonecchia to explore the Passo de la Mulatiera region. A narrow trail takes us to an altitude of 6,000 feet. Then we continue on foot to the pass.
10. The large scree slope that lies beneath the Mulatiera fortress ruins. We look at a fearless marmot less than 15 feet away.
11. The next day, we park at the Col de l’Echelle and set off on a hike towards the Col des Thures. After a quite steep climb, we discover the Vallon des Thures and the small mountain pasture of the same name.
12. Arrival at the superb Chavillon lake with Mount Thabor in the background.
13. I vary the compositions.
14. …
15. Return path through the screes.
16. Last look at the valley.
17. Above the Col de l’Echelle.
18. Our camp under Mount Jafferau, a spot where we already spent the night three years ago.
The rest of our journey will take us through Mont Cenis, Isère, and the Savoie region. We’ll show you that soon! 😉
D5 Creation