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Access: from Annemasse (Geneva), take the A40 motorway towards Chamonix, exit 16 (Bonneville), then follow signs for La Clusaz / Le Grand Bornand. Pass through Saint-Pierre and follow the D12 to Le Petit-Bornand-les-Glières. Roughly halfway through the village, before the town hall square, turn left (Puze). Drive up to a junction signposted Puze on the left; turn right, towards Cenise – Paradis. Further up, follow signs for ‘Chalet de Cenise’. Just before reaching the Chalet Refuge de Cenise, you can park on the left.
(S/E) From the car park (1,560m), head up to the refuge and turn right (signposted ‘Jallouvre – Cenise’). A little further up, you can follow the ‘Jallouvre’ sign for convenience. We continued towards Col de Cenise, then climbed a hundred metres further up to the right into the pasture, ‘heading’ for the Aiguilles Vertes.
The meadow is beautifully flowered with an explosion of colours and a few erratic sandstone boulders. The view is already splendid; the Pointe de Sosay is in the foreground with its impressive rock face and, from right to left, the Voray, the Dent de Jallouvre, the Pic de Jallouvre, the Pointe Blanche, the Aiguilles Vertes, the Pointe de Balafrasse and the Pointe du Midi. Once on level ground, head slightly left towards the Aiguilles Vertes to reach the base of the cliffs.
(1) You should soon spot the path leading to the foot of the cliffs, which you will reach by descending slightly.
The path runs alongside the rock faces towards the Pointe de Sosay; there is a fine view of the Rochers de Leschaut and, in the distance, the Pointe de Sur Cou, the Roche Parnal and the Montagne de Sous-Dine. The path turns left and becomes steep in a narrow gully, allowing you to cross the cliffs and reach less rugged terrain.
(2) Spruce trees and scattered rocks, a chasm on the left, and after winding your way a little (irregular markings), you emerge onto a new mountain pasture; continue on level ground before beginning the ascent towards the Col du Rasoir.
You can make out the Col de Sosay on the right, at the foot of the Dent de Jallouvre. The path isn’t always very well marked, but you can’t go far wrong as long as you keep the Col du Rasoir in your sights. When we were there, patches of snow covered the upper section of the path; we avoided the snow by keeping to the left until the junction leading to the Aiguilles Vertes (note the path we’ll take on the way back.
(3) Continue the climb up the scree slope (a short, tricky section of snow that hasn’t melted yet) just before reaching the Col du Rasoir.
(4) Superb views of the Aravis, the Pointe Blanche and, of course, the Jallouvre. Follow the Rasoir ridge to the Cravate.
(5) Normally, the route to the summit of the Jallouvre is fairly obvious; however, we turned back as there were still several patches of snow that proved tricky to cross without snowshoes or crampons.
(5) Return to the Col du Rasoir.
(4) Head back down to the aforementioned fork.
(3) Turn right and begin the section leading to the Aiguilles Vertes. Apart from the geological features of the Aiguilles Vertes, the views are exceptional: the Rochers de Leschaux, the Jura, the Salève, the Môle, several peaks of the Chablais; on the Bargy side, the Pechta, Balafrasse, Pointe du Midi, the Tour, the Grand and the Petit Bargy...
This part of the route is not always straightforward, and you should remain alert so as not to lose the ‘trail’; there are a few cairns placed in places towards the end of the Aiguilles, where you must descend slightly towards Pointe de Sosay before heading off to the right to walk along the cliff face. The path winds through fairly rugged terrain, with a few easy descents, before reaching the ground of the Plateau de Cenise once more; you cross this section to return to the starting point (S/E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Association / Club / Walk leader
Very difficult 
