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Access: At the southern crossroads of Briançon (on the Route des Grandes Alpes between the petrol station and the ski lift entrance), take the D35 towards Puy-Saint-André, then on to Puy Chalvin. At this point, the road turns into a dirt track; continue to the village of Les Combes, which you will pass through, and park 1 km further on in the car park at the end of this track.
(S/E) From the car park, take the path that continues from the track, then head towards the junction at a wide bend (barrier, sign).
(1) Leave the lane, then head uphill to the left, towards the Col de la Trancoulette and Lac des Partias, until you reach the next junction.
(2) At the signpost, leave the sign for the Col de la Trancoulette on your left and turn right towards Lac des Partias. This short, more scenic detour leaves the track and rejoins it a little further on. It offers a bird’s-eye view of the Sagne Bougo valley and any cattle you might spot there (you’ll pass through two electric fences). Follow the track uphill until you come to a wooden signpost on a slope to your right.
(3) At the sign, head up the path to the right, towards the Col de la Pisse. This path climbs a grassy ridge from which you can see, on the left, the small, dried-up Lac des Partias (a pond), below the Rocher Bouchard and La Condamine. It then heads north, crosses a stream, and reaches a wide plateau known as ‘le Ravin de Mélivrin’ before climbing more steeply up a hillock.
(4) Once past this, turn left and follow the yellow marker posts. The path heads west, running alongside a line of rocks set on a grassy ridge leading to a junction at the foot of the summit of the Eychauda.
(5) At the signpost, leave the path heading towards the Col de la Pisse on your left and take the path to the right towards Serre-Chevalier. The path descends a few metres, then continues its gentle ascent along the hillside towards the Col de Serre-Chevalier.
(6) From the pass, leave the path, turn left, then head westwards, zigzagging up the grassy terraces. After a short but steep climb, you reach the Crête de Serre-Chevalier, and the slope levels out to become very gently undulating. Follow the ridge westwards.
(7) Pass the point which will be the junction for the return route, and continue along the ridge for about a hundred metres to its end, then descend to the saddle before climbing back up to the south-west, towards the Eychauda ski lift. Turn left, then right to reach, via a short north-westerly climb, the summit of the Eychauda, marked by a cairn.
(8) From the summit, head back to the saddle, then climb about a hundred metres up the Serre-Chevalier ridge.
(7) Leave the ridge and descend diagonally to the right, heading south-west, across the grassy terraces towards La Condamine. After about 300 m of descent, cross the path taken on the ascent and turn left, heading south-east towards the Grand Rochebrune. Join the outward route at the hillock.
(4) Descend along the same route, in the opposite direction, to the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Easy 
