Circular route: Sentier du Solitaire – Cheminée de Corde – Arpison Viewpoint

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I strongly advise against taking the Corde chimney route.
It isn’t really a chimney: it’s impossible to keep your footing on the rock, and even after several days without rain, the steep slope of earth and scree remains so unstable that it makes progress dangerous even for an experienced walker.
The rather mediocre ‘aesthetic’ appeal does not justify taking such a risk.

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Date of your route : Nov 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In very damp conditions (such as today, after three weeks of rain), avoid descending via the Cheminée de Corde. Either take the route round via Arpison or head down to the Pont des Allemands.
Lots of (magnificent) fallen trees may block the path, so it’s best to be able to read the map properly ;-)

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Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I did this hike on Sunday 10 September 2023. Didn’t see a soul.
I walked up the forest track to point 2: no problems. I didn’t spot the Solitaire path, but it’s true I wasn’t really looking for it. The small cairn indicating that you need to turn right towards the Corde chimney is at the top of the slope. If you miss it, the path goes downhill again and soon disappears; avalanches and rockfalls have swept it away.
Up to the foot of the chimney, no problems: a line of cairns and a faint, winding path.
The chimney is more than just difficult – it’s downright dangerous: a steep slope of loose earth. There’s a cable in places, but not for long. I clung to every little pebble, the stinging nettles and the dead trees (gloves recommended). After that, it’s lovely: the Corde chapel, the forest, chamois, the viewpoint and the Arpison meadow.
The route round the Arpison rocks and the descent from the Fétrus clearing are well marked and signposted. The path even seems to have been re-laid.
I came back via the Fétrus ‘chimney’ as, as mentioned above, the path had been washed away between 2 and 8.
No problems in the Fétrus chimney. At the bottom of the chimney, at the ‘St-Laurent-du-Pont’ sign, turn immediately left onto an old, disused path which is still there.
When it joins a wide track, be sure to take it to the right and not to the left (the track disappears further on).
After crossing a small, dry stream, you’ll come onto a track suitable for vehicles, which winds down to the Orcière Bridge factory.
In summary: a very beautiful, challenging and wild route that requires you to keep a close eye on the terrain.

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Date of your route : May 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I had no trouble finding the start of the chimney, thanks to the directions provided – in particular, the advice to leave the forest track at an altitude of 1097 to climb up to the foot of the chimney. You can’t really see where the path starts, but you can make out the trail just above it. However, the chimney itself is frankly dangerous. The few remaining cables are in poor condition, and, more importantly, there are none in the sections where they’re needed. It’s steep, slippery and there are stinging nettles to make matters worse. I’m used to ‘rocky’ chimneys, which I feel comfortable on. This, however, is more of a steep gully of earth and scree that isn’t exactly pleasant to climb. Keeping to the left side of the rock provides a bit more security by offering a few handholds… In short, you’re glad when you reach the top – provided you haven’t given up further down. In practical terms, it’s either give up at the foot of the chimney or go all the way to the top, as it’s tricky to get back down once you’ve started. Definitely not to be attempted in wet weather, of course.

For your information, on that day I did a lovely circular route starting from La Ruchère: Riondette car park > Col Sariette > Rocher de Fétrus > Cheminée de Corde > Arpison viewpoint > Habert de Billon > Col Ruchère > Petit Som > Pas du Loup > descent via the Pré de la Morte. (21km, 1600m elevation gain)

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A very beautiful, fairly challenging hike. The start of the ‘Sentier du Solitaire’ and the path leading to the foot of the Corde chimney are difficult to find. Once you reach the pass at an altitude of 1,097 metres, there is a sign pointing towards Corde. You need to climb the grassy hillock and look for the path as you head uphill, keeping to the right. Once you’ve found the path, there are small cairns all the way to the foot of the Cheminée. At the bottom of the Cheminée, on the right-hand side, there’s a cable in fairly good condition, but this section is easy. Further up, there’s another one – quite short but very rusty, with bits of steel sticking out. Watch your hands. In the middle section, watch out for stinging nettles. They sting, so avoid wearing shorts or Bermuda shorts! After that, it’s plain sailing – just follow the paths back down. A lovely descent through the Col de Fetrus forest, marked in yellow. Actual walking time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Pierrot

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As I wasn’t particularly happy with the description of the start of the Sentier du Solitaire – which differs quite a bit from what’s shown on the IGN map – I went back to record a track on site and made a few adjustments to the route and the description, which I think will now be clearer and therefore safer in this steep section.

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Thank you for your reply.
Are you from St Genix sur Guiers?

We’re based in Novalaise and enjoy hikes where you have to work out the route from time to time.

We saw that you recently climbed the Dent de Cons in the Bauges, setting off from the Raffort car park.
We’ll add it to our itinerary next year to complete the 14 peaks over 2,000 metres in the Bauges.
We did the Pralinoise recently – the long route.

Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to bump into you.

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The route known as the ‘5 Haberts’ route mainly follows the south-eastern slope, starting from the Pont des Allemands. There is indeed a common section, from Corde to Arpison, but before that it comes from Chartoussette and afterwards it switches to Billon.
The ‘cheminée’ is certainly the trickiest section of the route: I make no secret in the guidebook of the dilapidated state of the cable fixings – you’ll have to make do without them for most of the ascent. But it’s manageable: walking poles prove useful to prevent you from slipping back down with every step, and if the ground is damp, why not use an ice axe, as some shepherds used to do in the old days?
On this face, there is no easier route: the IGN map is incorrect. The only easy route up to Corde is from the Pont des Allemands or the convent.
But if you’ve found the base of the chimney, that’s not half bad: personally, it took me several attempts to find it, which is why I’ve provided such a detailed description.

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Hello,

Two years ago, I tried to do this hike known as the ‘5 Haberts’, but it was impossible to continue via the Corde Chimney (with the rusty cables coiled along the rock face and the terrain being very steep and stony).
You mention another, easier route further up the Cheminée – do you have a more detailed description?

Thanks in advance, as I’d like to try it again, but next year – it’s too late for that now, given the time of year.

Renault

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