Snowshoeing at Col d'Aliénard

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

We did this hike over three years ago, but from the Alienard ridge (4) we cut through the forest to reach the top of the Folie meadow. It was steep but manageable. There was no snow and the terrain was too rough to descend to Le Billon on snowshoes.

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

Lovely hike,
thanks for the route. Sunny and magnificent views of Grand Som and Petit Som, etc.
On the way up, there were indeed two small avalanches that I would say were a few weeks old. On the way back, there were a few snowballs and rocks that fell on the path as I was passing... but thanks to the description, I had my ears open and got out of the way in time

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Date of your route : Feb 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful snowshoe hike that is not very busy, probably because the ski resorts are closed.
It is very windy at the passes, and there is nowhere to shelter. So if the weather is windy, take your picnic break below. The first climb is a little steep, so take it slowly.
The GPS track is perfect and the scenery is superb.
We'll be back in the summer.

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Date of your route : Feb 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A great idea for a hike with friends or family.
No particular difficulty

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Date of your route : Jan 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike done on Monday 7 January alone and Thursday 10 in a group, same route but completely different conditions.
On Monday, we set off from the Nordic centre via the GR tour de pays. There was no snow in the first part, then the path was icy, forcing us to wear crampons for safety. It was a nice route to the Col de l'Aliénard, but the sky was overcast, so we couldn't enjoy the recommended view of the ridges. The descent to Habert de Billon was instinctive in the valley, where we found a thicker, crusty snow cover.
Return via the Col de la Ruchère, where we made a small mistake in taking the lower route at the col's meadow instead of the ridge, which forced us to make a steeper climb up the valley (mistake corrected on the second pass).
Then return via the Col de Tracol and rejoin the GR country trail.
On Thursday, we followed the same route but with snowshoes on from the Nordic centre car park. Winter conditions with 20 to 30 cm of fresh powder snow. A slight hesitation at level 2 on both the way there and back via Trecol, when there were no tracks (which was the case for us). No clear views on this day, so we'll have to do it again in good weather or in summer.
Circular between 10.7 km and 11.5 km depending on the route, taking around 4½ hours depending on weather conditions

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Date of your route : Dec 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We set off from the Nordic centre to complete this circular route. The initial section to Le Tracol isn't particularly interesting as it's through forest with no views (the same applies to the descent from the Col de la Ruchère on the way back).
However, as soon as you reach the meadows below the Col de l'Aliénard, the landscape becomes very pleasant.
As there was very little snow on 30 December, we went on a walking hike, but we did use walking crampons, which we appreciated on the frozen, compacted snow, especially on the descent on the north side after the Col de la Ruchère.
Total circular route of 10.7 km with 600 m of elevation gain.

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Date of your route : Apr 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did a variation starting from the Nordic skiing car park (Les Verchères on the IGN map) by taking the GR Chartreuse trail to point 2 of the route. You then need to turn right off the marked trail (we arrive at this point in the opposite direction to the route description). On the way back, after Le Habert, continue along the side of the road until you find a path on the left that leads back to the Nordic ski car park. This avoids the return trip between S/E and point 1.
Departure at 9:30 a.m., return at 3:45 p.m. It snowed heavily two days before. The snow is heavy and sticky between points 4 and 5 (south-facing). We had to break trail on the way up to the Col d'Aliénard and higher up when making the detour.
Regarding the description: there was a slight hesitation at point 2; you have to take the path just after a sharp right turn if you are following the route. Second clarification: to descend from the Col d'Aliénard towards Habert Billon, we stayed on the left bank of the valley, firstly because there was a ski touring trail
and also because the slope above us was less steep (safer?).
Finally, many thanks to the author for sharing this route, which is partly off the beaten track

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Date of your route : Feb 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk with perfect snow and bright sunshine. Beautiful scenery.
Definitely worth repeating!

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Date of your route : Jan 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Delighted, with a beautiful blue sky and good snow to boot. Thank you

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Date of your route : Feb 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant route in beautiful weather with good snow conditions.
The detailed description makes the map practically unnecessary, but a 1:25,000 map in your bag is essential for safety.
We set off from "Le Grand Village" to add an extra 1.5 km and took 4 hours and 45 minutes, including short stops but excluding snack breaks.
The dream would be to do this route with pristine fresh snow.

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Date of your route : Mar 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Lots of snow for this late period in Chatreuse, beautiful weather, brilliant!

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Hello, but aren't the signs in the description?
The aim of Visorando is to be able to find your way without needing markings or signs, hence the detailed description we ask for. Did this not enable you to follow the path correctly?

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A snowshoe route with good snow conditions, so very enjoyable. On that day, Aliénard was shrouded in fog, so we didn't climb up to admire the view.
We give the description a "medium" rating because, without a GPS, we would have found it much, much easier to see the directions indicated on the signs at each stage.
Thank you for posting this beautiful walk!

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Thank you for the feedback.

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Date of your route : Mar 08, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful snowshoe hike, well-explained description, good snow, beautiful weather, superb view of all the Belledonne, Vercors and Chartreuse mountain ranges from the Alienard ridge

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