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! 🙂
D5 Creation
Ah Roselend un nom mythique pour les amateurs de vélos comme moi.
Belle dernière étape .
Emile gardera toujours ces merveilleux moments en mémoire.
Merci pour ce bol d’oxygène.
Amic Philippe.
Merci Philippe,
Oui, Roselend est l’un des nombreux cols des Alpes mythiques pour les cyclistes.
Pour cette Étape du Tour 2025, ils ont défilé non stop de 9h15 à 17h environ !!
Merci de ta fidélité à ce petit blog… 😉
hi Claude..please pass on my best to Smile & my admiration for his strength & determination for succeeding on that big pass..Could it be we will one day see Emile wearing a yellow jerseyðŸŽ
This valley offers such richness..I mean holly smokes! Tell me …during the night
1. what temp’s did you feel
2. were you joined by other campers?
3. did you even hear another passing vehicle?
4. do you & Emile, sleep solidly thru the night..and is La Visa heated by diesel ..what temp do you set the heater..& are you disturbed by its switch on/off noise?
5.I will dig in to the build journal to read of your heater choice..
My best to you & Emile, & I hope your absence from one another allows your father-son love to grow deeper…recalling Cat Stevens ..Father & Son…Peace be in & all about you🔄
Hi Steven,
Sure, i will day your congrats to Emile ! 😉
During the nights, temp was about 50 F. We didn’t heard any other vehicle, it was quite even not that remote.
About Viva’s heater, it’s a Webasto Dualtop making both air and water heating. I wanted a diesel heater as propane heaters needs different fittings in each country. The Webasto pumps diesel directly in the main thank, that’s really convenient and efficient.
I usually set inside temp for the heater to start at about 40 F and stop at 50, just for water not to freeze. And when I wake up, a ten minute run makes temp reach 70 F. It’s fast and almost silent when it runs slowly.
I used hot water only once in 12 years. It needs about half an hour to heat about 2.5 gallons water.
I guess that the Dualtop isn’t available anymore but Webasto makes other heaters.
If I remember well, you have a wood heater in your van, right ?