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Park at Les Étages on the Route de la Bérarde, just below the start of the path leading to the Refuge du Soreiller.
(S/E) Walk down the tarmac road leading to the Vénéon, cross the river and then head up the steep path opposite (signposted ‘Vallon des Étages’), which follows the left bank of the Vallon des Étages torrent due south. The gradient levels off quickly and, at around 2,000 metres, the path becomes almost flat. A large rock marks the end of the IGN path at an altitude of around 2,020 metres.
(1) Continue due south along the cairn-marked path heading towards the clearly visible foot of the central moraine of the moribund Étages Glacier.
(2) Step onto the moraine and follow its (cairn-marked) ridge southwards until you reach its summit and a series of bivouac sites beneath the rounded boulders left exposed by the retreating glacier.
(3) From the top of the moraine, explore the glacier-polished rocks at your leisure, for example by following my GPS track. These rocks present no technical difficulty and the route is left to the hiker’s imagination. Return to the top of the moraine.
(3) Return to the foot of the moraine via the route you took on the way up.
(2) Continue northwards to the circular loop in the IGN path crossing the stream (if you noticed on the way up that the stream is too turbulent to ford, do not descend that far before crossing it via the snowfield from which it emerges).
(1) Fords the stream on the right bank and follow the path that runs along the grassy ledge bordering the torrent. The path continues due north before plunging into the Vénéon valley on the right bank of the waterfalls of the Vallon des Étages stream.
Once you reach the Vénéon, turn left (west) onto the path that runs alongside it, thus rejoining the bridge you crossed on the way out. Cross the bridge over the Vénéon again and head back up the tarmac road to the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Very difficult 
Moderate 
Extremely difficult 
