Tour des Ruans
On the smugglers' path between France and Switzerland!
One of the lesser known walks just across from the Mont Blanc Massif in Chamonix, France, the Tour of the Ruans is for the experienced hill walker only. Nestled between the canton of the Valais in Switzerland and the Haut-Giffre massif in France, this seven-day walk will take you far from the summer crowds starting just 20 minutes from downtown Chamonix.
The complete circumnavigation takes five days, but we add two warm-up and training days in the Chamonix valley.
With an average altitude gain of over 1000m (3'281 ft) daily along breathtaking ridges, this walk is not for the beginner. We take no more than four persons per trip due to the nature of the terrain.
Each night is spent in an alpine hut, with full board. We do not have a support vehicle so everything else must be carried. The lighter the better!!! A complete equipment list is provided along with detailed itinerary upon request.
Starting in Vallorcine, France, we spend seven days working our way around the massif with exceptional panoramic views of the Mt Blanc chain and across to the giants of Switzerland such as the Matterhorn and Weisshorn. From the summit of Mont Buet we can see far across to the Jura and the Ecrins massif.
Daily sightings of ibex are very common since so few walkers ever set foot into this region. A protected species after near-extinction due to over hunting, they have made a remarkable comeback.
The trails are often unmarked and we often spend part of the day choosing our own path to the next hut. On several days, chains, cables and ladders are in place to make the delicate passages easier to manage. Mountaineering equipment is not required.
Besides the exceptional beauty of this mineral landscape, the history of this area will be a highlight of the trip. We will explain how smugglers and customs officials played a cat and mouse game during many years, and how France and Switzerland once went to battle in these very hills and 120 lives were lost.
This is where the famous guide, and hero of the Mont Blanc, Jacques Balmat mysteriously disappeared whilst hunting for gold that drove men so mad. His body has never been found, nor has the gold.
This walk will also take us back millions of years to when an ocean covered the Alps and dinosaurs roamed the beaches. Weighing between 300 to 400 kilos, these herbivores have left their mark, more than 800 footprints in the rock that is such a silent reminder of our planet's past.
