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Park in the Préfanton car park after Pommiers-la-Placette.
(S/E) From the car park, follow the marked path south-east towards the Couvent de Chalais.
Follow the main path for about 100 metres after a small meadow with a barn. Here the path splits in two. Take the left fork (unmarked path). Follow the path, which gradually becomes a narrow trail.
(1) You will come to a small cable-assisted passage that is not particularly difficult (take care if the path is slippery), which will allow you to climb above the first rocky ledge. In this area, the path is less and less marked, but you can still see some old yellow or blue markings, as well as numerous cairns, which make it easy to find.
Caution: some passages above the Roize torrent are steep, with a risk of falling!
If you stray from the path, look for the cliff upstream; the path branches off to the west, running along the bottom of the cliff. You will come to a small viewpoint overlooking the Balme de Voreppe, where you will find the first ladder to climb.
(2) Follow the marked trail (yellow or old blue markings) and climb the various ladders you encounter to reach the upper balcony.
Please note: the ladders are over a hundred years old and sometimes in poor condition, so don't hesitate to put your feet directly on the rock and rope up children or inexperienced people!
After the ladders, continue along the marked trail until you reach the track connecting Chalais to the Prairie de Charminelle.
(3) Continue climbing, following thePR® marked path, until you reach the Prairie de Charminelle.
(4) Turn right towards Col d'Hurtières via the Cheminée du Lorzier. Continue along the path to reach the Cheminée du Lorzier, which does not present any particular difficulty (do not attempt this if there is a lot of snow).
(5) From the Cheminée du Lorzier, turn right along the ridge to reach the summit of the Rochers de Lorzier (there is no path in this area, but you can also follow the path to Col d'Hurtières and then head right towards Les Banettes).
(6) From the summit of Rochers de Lorzier, admire the view over the Voironnais, then look south-east for the Banettes path, which is easily visible in the valley, and follow it across the meadow. Turn right and head for the Banettes refuge, which is open to the public (a few basic benches for sleeping).
(7) Continue along the main path.
(8) At Pas de l'Âne, do not take the Pas and continue down the main winding path (Pas de l'Âne is closed by municipal decree due to rockfalls).
(9) At the end of the switchbacks, the path splits in two; take the right fork.
(10) The path splits again into two; take the right fork once more. Continue along the main path towards La Cheminée.
(11) Descend via La Cheminée (a passage equipped with cables that can be slippery in wet weather). Then follow the main path along the cliff (do not take the two paths on your left). You will arrive at Chalais Monastery.
(12) The convent is not open to visitors, but you can enter to buy some local products. From this point, you can follow the marked route towards Préfanton (Pommiers la Placette).
(13) Return to the starting point and continue in the opposite direction to the Préfanton car park (S/E).
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