The Refuge de la Martin and Les Brévières from Tignes-Les Boisses

From the D902 (Val d’Isère road), take the Tignes road, crossing the Chevril Dam.
At the entrance to the Boisses district, take the first right at the roundabout, then right again to park in the car park next to the road leading to the finish.

(S/E) Leave the car park by walking past the buildings (semi-circular street), and take the Chemin de la Croix, towards the road leading to Les Brévières (D87B). It climbs initially, then, after a 90-degree right-hand bend, just after a covered ski lift (if it is still there), continue straight up to the end of the paved section of the road.

(1) A track begins here. At the sign for "Tignes les Boisses - 1800 m", continue straight on towards Refuge de la Martin. Follow the track straight up; it soon passes a chalet with red shutters. After a left-hand bend followed by a right-hand bend, pass under the cables of a cable car and, about a hundred metres further on, reach the start of a path.

(2) Take this path, signposted "Bois des Bossières - 1850 m", towards Refuge de la Martin. It crosses one or two ski runs, then climbs in a series of hairpin bends, running parallel to the Sachette stream before joining it.

(3) At the signpost “La Sache d’en Bas – 2050 m”, cross the stream heading towards Refuge de la Martin. You will soon reach a balcony path that climbs gently, offering fine views of Lac du Chevril.

(4) Ignore a small path on the left that climbs above the rock face (possible alternative route; see Practical Information). Our path goes round it to the right.
You will then arrive in a cirque; cross the Nant Noir and several tributary streams. To the north of this cirque, you will reach the Refuge de la Martin (see Practical Information).

(5) At the sign for “La Martin – 2150 m”, head towards Les Brévières. The path, initially grassy, descends towards the valley and joins the Nant Blanc.

(6) Cross the Nant Blanc. Just after passing a masonry structure that appears to be a spring catchment, the path crosses a series of streams then descends quite steeply along rocky faces before winding down towards the south-east in a series of hairpin bends.

(7) At the sign for “Les Avanchers – 1780 m”, head down to the left towards Les Brévières to reach the edge of the lake formed here by the Isère as it flows out of the Tignes Dam. Follow the lake’s edge to a wide wooden bridge
designed for skiers.

(8) Cross the bridge and turn left to reach the playground, then the Chemin de la Plage. Continue by turning right and pass in front of a large chalet-hotel. Head down towards the village centre, passing the shops (Sherpa in particular), then the church. After a crêperie, arrive at the crossroads near the bridge over the canal.

(9) Turn right towards Tignes 1800 and cross the canal. As you come out of the next left-hand bend, near the cable car, you’ll see a grassy path branching off to the right.

(10) Follow this path, which leads back to the road further up after the first hairpin bend.

(11) Cross the road and, on the other side, rejoin the path leading to a campsite. Cross the campsite to reach the road at its entrance. If access to the campsite is impossible (which was not the case when we were there), stay on the road, which passes above the campsite.

(12) Continue the climb alongside the road (take care). It is possible to use paths to cut across via the ski lifts. This will take you to Les Boisses, where you will find the covered escalator for skiers. Turn left and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

(4) Alternative route: The small path, which isn’t necessarily very visible, is an option for a more expansive view because, from a higher vantage point, it joins our route 500 m further on.

(5) Refuge de la Martin: The refuge was open when we visited (August 2009). This charming refuge sits in a lush green saddle amidst the mountain pastures, with magnificent views.

In terms of difficulty, this hike is of moderate difficulty compared to other routes in the region. The climbs are always gentle, and in any case, what could be better than taking your time in such beautiful surroundings?

Take care, however, on certain sections of the descent, particularly between the stream Nant Blanc and Lavancher.

We noticed that on certain parts of the balcony path, particularly at a place called Le Plan des Pierres, you need to stay alert as the cliff edge is close by and the very sparse vegetation offers little grip to hold on to should you slip. I’m thinking particularly of those with children, who will need to keep a very close eye on them.

As for the start of the route, a lot of development work has taken place in the Boisses area (I noticed this on a later visit), and there may be a few changes to the route, but the signposting for the Vallon de la Sache and the Refuge de la Martin, in my opinion, will never be lacking. As for the rest of the route, the paths are truly of the enduring sort and I cannot see what could have changed since 2009, the year we undertook this hike.

We found that this route, which is very open on the Tarentaise Valley side, offers plenty to see.

An alternative route, starting from the Vallon de la Sache, would be to continue climbing up the valley to visit the Vallon de la Sachette and its lakes, a site of great beauty where the Sachette stream meanders across a plain where it spreads out and winds its way, forming what are known as ‘meandering waters’, with peat bogs and distinct zones in the colours of the water and vegetation – a sight not to be missed, requiring just a little extra effort that is quickly rewarded.

And continuing along this route, those keen on multi-day hikes can cross the Col de la Sachette and reach the Pesey-Nancroix valley.