Departure from the hamlet of Le Sauvage. At the upper exit of the village of Abondance (towards Châtel), take the small steep road on the left that leads to Le Mont (signposted). Pass the hamlet of Le Mont, turn right, pass the chalets, take a stony track and park under the forest (small car park, information sign).
Directional signs and marker posts are located at intervals between the start and the Chalet de la Raille. After that, the route follows poorly marked paths or simple tracks.
(S/E) Follow the stony track under the forest which heads east-north-east towards Chalet de La Raille. Outside a small right-hand bend, just after a "2" painted in red on a white background on a rock (forest plot number), look for the start of a narrow stony path: the return route will end here.
(1) Continue east-northeast, ignoring a few turnoffs on the right. After a signpost, the track rises sharply. At a place called La Lavanche, the track turns sharply to the right and runs along the edge of the forest (on the right) and the mountain pasture (on the left). The slope levels out and goes around a promontory. Pass the Crébin and Trosset chalets in succession, then reach the Chalet de la Raille.
(2) Climb up a well-marked trail through the pastures, heading west, aiming for a passage between two rows of spruce trees. Depending on the time of year, you may need to pass under (or over) an electric fence once or twice. Pass by the foot of an old spruce stump and come out onto a grassy ridge.
Look for a couloir opposite with a clearly visible path, which you will need to take later, and a large rock with a kind of hole in it. Keep to the right to stay level (do not descend opposite to reach the couloir as you would then have to climb back up the scree). Find a faint path under the spruce trees. Cross a small rocky area and arrive at the foot of the couloir.
(3) Climb up the couloir on a faint path that is very steep and often requires the use of your hands. Climb as high as possible and, when the slope becomes too steep, leave the couloir on the left. Do not stray from the edge of the couloir (beware of the cliffs on the left) and cut back to the right to reach a small promontory. Continue north-west on very steep grassy slopes. Go around a notch on the left (using your hands from time to time) and reach a ridge.
(4) Follow this exposed ridge to the left (west). Cross a small rocky escarpment (easy scrambling). Continue along a grassy ridge and come out onto a stony area that abuts the summit walls.
(5) Aim for the middle wall, which has a sort of dark cavity. Enter a narrow rocky couloir and follow the small rocky ledge below the cavity. Pass a first rocky piton (small scramble) and continue climbing to the right. Pass a second rock spike (large scramble), descend a few steps and immediately climb back up to the right into a stony corridor. Reach a ridge and follow it to the left to the summit.
(6) Begin the descent via the same route. At the bottom of the couloir after the summit, keep to the left so as not to miss the rocky peak (steep on the right). You will reach the stony area at the foot of the summit walls.
(5) Descend to the right (west) following a trail through the scree. Do not descend too far and aim for the entrance to the Couloir du Féraillon, which is located to the right (upstream) of a small group of young spruce trees at the top of a ridge.
(7) Enter the couloir on a marked but very steep path. Several hundred metres further on, you will come to a good scree slope, which you should follow. Shortly before the couloir turns left, make a short traverse to the right (cairn, yellow marker) and ignore a double-headed arrow on the left. Then continue south, alternating between good scree slopes and steep tracks.
You will come out onto an overgrown forest track. Make a first turn left then right to follow a stony path downhill (cairns). This will take you back to the track you took on the way up.
(1) Take the track on the right and quickly return to the starting point (S/E).
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