Pointe de Rochachille via Lac Biron

Thanks for the info about that second lake. You were right to give up.

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Date of your route : Jul 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Just a bit of extra information: there’s a small, unnamed lake below Lake Biron that’s well worth a visit.
It’s situated S-SE, about 15 minutes away, and offers an exceptional view for photos.
This is our second time doing this hike; unfortunately, the snow conditions meant we couldn’t make the climb to Pointe de Rochachille this time.

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Date of your route : Oct 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike with a good bit off the beaten track, where we relied more on our instincts than on the route description. As we approached the lake, I used the GPX track because we weren’t heading far enough to the right. Make sure to take the eastern ridge of La Rochachille, otherwise it’s tricky to climb the steep slopes. The summit is at 2,799m, not 2,759m. A lovely little lake that was starting to freeze over in places, with a few cattails still growing on the southern shore. Didn’t see any cairns in the valley, though we did spot a few pieces of wood with barrier tape (not very attractive) on the way down – were they replacing the cairns? Beautiful views from the summit: Ecrins, Queyras, Cerces, Mont Blanc.
A 6m difference between the ascent and descent is nothing! A very slight margin of error, which is normal for a GPS.

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Date of your route : Sep 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

For this hike, as with others, why does Visorando allow descriptions to be published with different positive and negative elevation gains, when the starting point is the same as the finishing point?
Perhaps hikers need to be told that this is impossible, whether on out-and-back walks or circular routes... And that the reading on our altimeters is not the definitive figure: if these figures sometimes differ, it is only due to measurement errors in the device or variations in atmospheric pressure.
And for the sake of its credibility, Visorando should correct these figures before publishing them online, for example by giving an average value between the two figures provided...

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Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely discovery of Lac Biron and another lake not marked on the IGN map, in early July with a little snow still lying around…
Highly recommended, with a peaceful picnic break, far from the crowds at the other three lakes in Valloire. Shhh! Let’s not let anyone else know

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

After leaving the GR trail, we relied more on our instincts and the IGN map than on the description, which we found a bit confusing, and we first climbed up to the Pic de Rochachille before descending towards Lake Biron, where we had a picnic overlooking the valley from which we had set out. On the final climb up the peak, it’s essential to follow the advice to stick close to the ridge, as one of us found it more difficult (stomach trouble?) on the grassy section and quickly joined the ridge to finish the ascent. On the descent, the fog that had been spilling over the ridges since morning enveloped us, and as we were once again proceeding by instinct rather than retracing our outward route, we were delighted to find, much further down—almost believing it a miracle—the cairns we’d added to the very inconspicuous ones already present on the ascent, thinking to ourselves that they might be useful to fellow hikers! We’ll do this route again, or something similar, with friends who haven’t done it before.
Thanks to Britannicus for his excellent hiking suggestions

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Date of your route : Jul 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, off the marked trails and off-piste.
The summit ridge of Pic de Rochachille is exposed and offers extraordinary views. On this final section, both on the ascent and the descent, an ice axe would provide added security.

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