Lac de la Patinoire

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike completed at the end of July 2025.
We followed a more accessible and slightly shorter route (different from the one described):
ascent via Les Barmettes 10 then Chalet des Gardes 9, 8 to 7,
at the lake, beautiful view of the valley, the needle and the glaciers of the Vanoise. And ibexes, with a bit of luck,
descent: same as above except off-trail descent to the start of Lac des Vaches... where we found the crowds!

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Date of your route : Aug 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike despite the fog. We climbed through spectacular chaos to the Col Noir, then arrived at the Lac de la Patinoire with its drifting ice blocks and a few ibexes. The rest of the hike was more conventional, with a return trip to the partially dried-up Lac des Vaches. We returned to the Fontanettes car park to take the free shuttle bus to the centre of Pralognan

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Date of your route : Jul 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike!
Quite physically demanding, though... but it's really worth pushing on to the lake after the Col Noir.
The lake is very nice (the glacier is a bit sad, though) and the view throughout this hike is breathtaking. Not to mention the ibexes following us from above in the scree.
In short, another beautiful suggestion from Visorando and, as always, very well described!

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route with lovely views. There is one section that may be a little tricky for those prone to vertigo, but there are chains to secure this passage.

This route gets busy when you join the GR.

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Date of your route : Sep 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I had already climbed up to Lac de la Patinoire and back, but this circular route is much better. Along the first ski lift, a trail branches off to the right onto the grassy slope. We followed it, which is more direct and a little steeper than the route described, but it has the advantage of walking on short grass rather than a stony road. We rejoined the route shortly after point 2.
The climb to Col Noir is quite steep, but the path is clear. The "aerial" crossing between the two passes is not particularly difficult. There are two passages with chains, which are not essential but can be reassuring. At Col Rosset, the yellow sign seen in some photos is no longer there, but you are in the right place! The small lake on the left as you descend from the pass is magnificent. We counted seven ibexes there, which were not shy.
On the way back from Lac de la Patinoire, when we reached Chalet des Gardes, we took the beautiful balcony path on the left overlooking Lac des Vaches, a recommended alternative.
There are few people until you reach Lac des Vaches, from where the descent path becomes very busy.
In short, a very beautiful route, but not to be done too early in the season to avoid possible steep snowfields on the descent from Col Rosset.

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We chose an alternative route to the one suggested, as we were with our two daughters aged four and a half and nine (who are used to hiking on slopes with an elevation gain of between 750 and 900 metres).
So we set off from the Barmettes refuge towards Lac des Vaches, leaving as soon as the chairlift opened to avoid the tourist crowds on this path and observe the marmots in peace. We crossed the lake, then at the first bend in the climb, we headed towards Col Rosset. This part is much less crowded, and the climb to the pass is not too difficult, although there are a few narrow passages that may be challenging for children. The view of the valley and the glaciers is superb. The final climb to the ice rink lake is quite steep for children, who slip a little on the small pebbles, but the final spectacle is worth the detour! The lake is surprising and the view is magnificent. The outward journey: 2½ hours of climbing in total. Return by the same route, cutting across to avoid crossing the cow lake again.

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Date of your route : Sep 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Many consider one of the most beautiful hikes in the Vanoise to be, quite rightly, the climb to the heart of the park: Pralognan les Fontanettes (1,650 m) - Lac des Vaches (2,320 m) - Col de la Vanoise (2,520 m). This route, ranked in the Top 10 of the Savoie Mt Blanc tourist site, represents "the iconic hike for getting up close and personal with the highest peaks" and offers a real picture-postcard view of the high mountains, with the Grande Casse, the highest peak in the massif (3,855 m), as a backdrop. Paradoxically, however, this section of the Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise does not allow you to admire these famous glaciers enough.
So, I suggest you take a step back and gain some altitude by taking this alternative route: the balcony trail from Mont Bochor (2,020 m) to Col Rosset (2,570 m). Overlooking the Val Glière by 500 m, the panorama opens up over the entire Pralognan-la-Vanoise valley and the surrounding peaks, the Cirques and Aiguilles de l'Arcelin, the Grand Marchet... the ice cap and the ever-majestic Grande Casse, accompanied by the Aiguille de la Vanoise. As an added bonus, this trail is much less frequented than the GR 55, so you're sure to see marmots, chamois and ibex. The Lac de la Patinoire (2,500 m) is worth the detour (+ 100 m elevation gain) and the Lac des Vaches (2,320 m) is a must-see. You can cross it by fording the river on stone slabs. Torrential streams and waterfalls surround us before we rejoin the ancient path lined with dry stone walls and the Barmettes refuge (2010 m). Naturally, don't finish the circular route via the GR (and certainly not via the ski slopes), but via the well-hidden path of the waterfalls, the cirque and the Glière woods.
Be warned, this exceptional hike with breathtaking scenery has to be earned: the elevation gain exceeds 1,000 m (starting from Les Fontanettes), with a short aerial passage under the Col Rosset. It is 1,250 metres from the village of Pralognan-la-Vanoise (halved on the way up if you take the Bochor cable car).
Ideally, you should continue this circular loop to the Col de la Vanoise (+ 200 m elevation gain) to spend a night in a refuge and complete the tour of the Aiguille de la Vanoise.

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Date of your route : Sep 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This is a rather tricky section for those prone to vertigo after the Cirque du Creux Noir and the Col du Rosset. There is a cable here. The Lac de la Patinoire is very nice. Ibex are regularly seen on the persistent snowfield after the pass, but unfortunately we didn't see any that day. The lake can be reached on a round trip via an easier route from Lac des Vaches via the Cabane des Gardes, which avoids the cable-secured sections.

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike done in the opposite direction to the one suggested in the guidebook, allowing for a more gradual ascent and a more comfortable crossing of the cable section on the right-hand side, an area that requires great vigilance and should only be attempted when no one is coming in the opposite direction.

The lake at the skating rink was still dotted with blocks of ice, which is unusual at this altitude and at this time of year. As for the skating rink glacier, it is now nothing more than a snowfield destined to disappear.

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

What we liked best was the black pass, with its breathtaking views.
The cirque was nice, with a few chamois in the distance on the glacier.
I didn't see the Col Noir indicated on the direction signs or on site, only the next pass, Rosset, is indicated.
Lac de la Patinoire is worth a detour for its reflections and scattered blocks of ice encrusted with red algae, a curious sight.
Being slow, it took us 7 hours, which was plenty of time to catch the cable car back.
Thank you for this hiking route
To be done

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Hello,

What a shame! It seems that June was still too early after all? You'll have to come back later. You were right not to venture onto the snowfield.
I wish you many wonderful hikes in the area, without any snowfields to disrupt your day.

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Hike on 20 June 2020
Unable to descend from the Rosset Pass to the ice rink lake due to a very long and steep snowfield.
To be redone later in the season.

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