Aiguille de Varan from Passy

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, but the GPS tracking is not very accurate. The path has also changed slightly (over the years, I imagine)

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Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route taken in the direction indicated without the climb to the Aiguille de Varan (elevation gain: 1,550 m)
Departure from the car park near the centre of Plateau d'Assy, which allows you to return directly to Charbonnière without having to cross over to reach the starting point.

The Varan refuge is still closed, but the outdoor fountain is in working order, allowing you to fill up before the climb to the Col de Barmerousse. There is also water available before Curalla. The next fountain is on the descent after Charbonnière.

There is little or no shade between Curalla and the bottom of the Miots descent.

The markings are clearly recent and clearly visible on the Col de Barmerousse - Refuge de Platé crossing. They make it easy to find a path that is not obvious at first glance.

One or two tricky sections - but doable - for people prone to vertigo on the climb to the pass. The start of the Miots descent can also be daunting, but it's fine in dry weather.
The crossing is easy.

Between points 9 and 10: wide path slightly uphill (take it to the right as indicated, even if signs on the left indicate other routes to the Plateau d'Assy)

A magnificent route with beautiful panoramic views.

Finally, even if it is tiring, it is fine for someone who is used to hiking in the mountains without being in any way particularly athletic.

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Date of your route : Jul 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Probably the best route in the area
We did it backwards, which is also interesting because you get different views, except that the Varan refuge is closed (no drinks ).
In more detail, we parked at Praz Coutant (car park inside the hairpin bend, which limits the elevation gain, at least on the way there), then headed to point 9 and then 8. The Platé refuge is very nice but, as you might expect, water (which is nowhere to be found in this stone desert) has to be bought. Among the curiosities is a washing machine bike.
Points 7 and 6 are connected by a poorly marked but well signposted path (red dots: it starts below the cultural centre chalet), but this should be avoided in foggy weather or when the slabs are wet. Towards point 7, you walk on gently sloping slabs, like Devoluyard steps, which can only be seen in this direction. For the others, turn around and you will be amazed by the difference in perspective. Between the ruins of Barmrousse and the Barmerousse pass, the route can be a little confusing in foggy weather as you are walking on almost continuous sharp limestone pavement. There are also a few chasms and crevices.
At the Varan chalets, luckily there is a fountain which the locals told us was drinkable, as the refuge appears to be undergoing renovation work.
From there, we reached point 10 via the GR TPMB, which seemed to be on the hillside but actually climbs quite steeply up to Frioland, significantly increasing the elevation gain. It's tough at the end of the day, but the view is superb. However, I wonder if there isn't an unmarked path that leads to Frioland without going through the chalets of Varan and without this climb.
At point 10, be careful, the path that leads to point 9 is not really marked: in a bend in the woods, go straight ahead and cross a small ravine full of debris from torrential lava flows. After that, you will find blue markings again. In total, it takes 1.5 hours from the Varan chalets to reach Praz Coutant.

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Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Crossing the Platé desert via Barmerousse and descending via Charbonnière...

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Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Yesterday was a superb day. We only went to the Barmerousse Pass and back, but it's already quite a climb! What a magnificent view of Mont Blanc practically all along the way.

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Date of your route : Oct 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

From the Barmerousse Pass to the Aiguille de Varan, the markings are not very clear: keep your eyes peeled. The final stretch involves a short climb, with a rope crossing, which should not deter hikers. Beautiful view... From Barmerousse to Platé, the markings are new.

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Date of your route : Aug 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

already done quite a strenuous walk, pretty scenery

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike with an overnight stay at the Platé refuge.
We didn't make it to the summit of the Aiguille de Varan because of fog and technical difficulties (climbing area with knotted ropes).
Nevertheless, the view was magnificent!

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Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful hike, beautiful climb, quite physically demanding nonetheless, a few easy climbing steps before the summit equipped with smooth ropes, requires a strong bum for little ones like me, beautiful view from the summit.

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

70% of the time in fog and 20% in rain.
It's slippery on the sharp limestone pavement of Platé after the Barmerousse pass towards the Platé chalets.

I am grateful for the little red dots which, like Tom Thumb, helped me find my way through this maze of rocks.
To think that they used to be painted white or grey like the limestone, I can't believe it!

I didn't climb the Aiguille de Varan, as it didn't seem safe.

I took a wrong turn at 9 and headed towards Praz Coutant, which was a nightmare on the D43 on the way back to the Plateau d'Assy!

Total time: 5½ hours + 15-minute break at Platé.

A beautiful hike to do again in good weather.

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,

The hike was very beautiful (even with the unstable weather we had). The route is good and the path is well marked.
We left our bags and tents at the Varan refuge before continuing on to complete the circular route. We returned to Varan via the GRP, which added a little extra elevation but was worth it as it offered a beautiful view of the Fiz mountains on the way back!
The Varan refuge is also very nice, with excellent evening meals that allow you to recover well after a good day's walking.

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