The Crête de Fresse and the Pas de la Tovière from Tignes-Val Claret

Head to Tignes-Val Claret.
There are plenty of parking options in this resort, especially in summer. For example, in the first car park after the roundabout at the entrance, which was (at the time) authorised for motorhomes.

(S/E) Walk along Avenue de la Grande Motte towards the southern part of the resort. Pass the funicular station.

(1) In front of the station, head towards “Col de Fresse” or “Col de la Leisse” (^GR®® 55), following the Retort on the left bank as far as^{the first} bridge.

(2) Cross the Retort and, immediately afterwards, follow it along the right bank for about a hundred metres.

(3) At the junction, follow the sign for “Col de Fresse” (^GR®® 55), which takes you to the left. Head up towards the Chalet de la Leisse and the Fresse chairlift station.

(4) Continue to follow the^GR®® 55, which climbs parallel to the chairlift and overlooks the Paquis valley. See Practical Information.
The^GR®® then continues running as close as possible to the Retort stream, parallel to the chairlift, before moving away from it shortly after passing the Chalet de Prariond, heading south with the Grande Motte in sight. In a landscape that has become more rocky, you’ll reach a fork in the path.

(5) Straight ahead lies the route to the Col de Leisse; to the left, the route to the Col de Fresse. Turn left towards the east. Cross the Retort, which here spreads out widely across a sort of plateau (a flat area). The path climbs along a ledge, flanked on the right by towering, jagged rocks, which mark the passage of a layer of hard, almost vertical rock.

(6) At the Col de Fresse, turn left towards the top station of the chairlift and the ridges, at the summit of which the path to follow is clearly visible (signposted ‘Table d’orientation’ and ‘La Tovière’).

(7) At the chairlift station, another sign points in the same direction, towards the nearby ridges. The path follows the ridge closely, offering magnificent views to the right and left, and both ahead and behind. In particular, you can see the Tommeuses plateau, which resembles a landscape ravaged by bombardment, riddled with an impressive number of holes that are in fact dissolution funnels in the gypsum or cargneules.

On reaching the summit, a map post helps you identify all the surrounding peaks. Begin the descent towards the small pass which, at a junction, lies just before La Tovière.

(8) Before heading back up towards the Tovière and its chairlift stations, look for a track at the pass heading east (signposted ‘Petit Col – 2,650 m’). Take this track (towards ‘Pas de la Tovière’) for about 250 metres.

(9) Leave the eastbound route and take a path heading north, towards the Tommeuses chairlift line.

(10) Once you reach the point where the Tommeuses chairlift crosses the path, a sign reads “Les Tommeuses – 2,500 m”; turn right, following the direction of “Pas de la Tovière”. After about 100 metres, the path turns left, heading north. Go round the tufa rocks towards the altiport and cross a gypsum landscape dotted with dissolution funnels (watch out for children: these holes can be dangerous!), before descending gently through short-grassed alpine meadows. You’ll soon come within sight of the altiport run.

(11) Near the upper chalets of La Tovière, join the GR®®5, which climbs up from Val d’Isère. Take it on the left, towards the Pas de la Tovière. Continue on to Tignes-Le Lavachet. At the crossroads, leave the path to Le Lavachet on your right and continue along the^GR®®5, crossing the earthen embankments, until you reach the Rosset chairlift.

(12) Leave the^GR®® and head south along the path running along the eastern and then southern shores of the lake. A number of streams flow into the lake in its southern section, creating a vast wetland area and peat bogs. Pass Le Retort, then further on, cross the footbridge and join the cycle path just before the bridge over a stream.

(13) Take the paved cycle and footpath leading to Val Claret. The path runs alongside both the Retort and the access road to Val Claret. Once past the roundabout at the entrance to the resort, return to the car park (S/E).

(4) For those who prefer to walk along the bottom of the valley, there is a parallel path which climbs to the far end of the valley and joins the^GR®® just before it winds round to gain altitude.

Although not particularly difficult, this walk requires standard equipment for a mid-mountain hike: high-top boots and walking poles, something to keep you warm in case of a change in the weather, and something to drink and keep you refreshed.

I would like to remind you of the precautions to take with children who might wander away from their parents in the Tommeuses area, where there are numerous dissolution funnels, some of which may lead to cavities.

This walk can be extended or modified:
- By adding a return trip to the Col de la Leisse and the lakes of the same name, set in a superb rocky landscape sheltered by the Grande Motte (allow an extra 6 to 8 km)
- By returning not via the Pas de la Tovière but via the Croix de Combefolle and the nature trail, with the option – at the cost of a little extra elevation gain – to explore the Gouille de Salin, the resurgence of meltwater from the Grande Motte glacier which has seeped upstream into an underground karst network.