Circular route to the Tête Nord des Fours, via the Chemin du Curé and the Crête des Gittes

From Beaufort, head up towards the Cormet de Roselend. Just before reaching the Col de Méraillet, take a road on the left towards La Gittaz. It is tarmac-surfaced as far as just above the dam, then becomes a gravel track; it skirts the lake and crosses the Gittaz plain, leading to the foot of the chalets and the refuge.

(S/E) From the car park, head towards the hamlet and descend to the right, crossing the Gittaz torrent (footbridge), then climb up the slope directly to the east. The path climbs up the slope, crosses a few minor torrents and veers left towards the entrance to the canyon carved out by the Gittaz torrent.

(1) This is the start of the Chemin du Curé, a passage carved into the rock, which you follow uphill before emerging onto more earthy slopes where you approach the level of the torrent. A small footbridge allows you to cross it and follow the right bank back up to the Sausse mountain pastures.

(2) At the junction, turn left onto the path which crosses the Ruisseau des Cavets and then winds its way up the steep slope overlooking the mountain pasture. Further up, the slope levels out and the path heads straight towards the Chalet communal des Cavets, which is occupied in summer.

(3) Continue straight on across gentle grassy slopes to the Col du Bonhomme.

(4) Turn right to follow the Tour du Mont Blanc markings, on a fairly steady climb with a few rockier sections, up to the memorial stone overlooking the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme. This well-marked route has a few alternative sections, but they all lead to the same place.

(5) Turn left to follow the path up through the moraine to the north-east, up to the Col des Fours.

(6) Ignore the Tour du Mont Blanc variant to the right and turn left onto the rounded boulders, following the cairns. Once past these boulders, the path resumes a gentle climb north-eastwards, with the Tête Nord des Fours orientation table as your destination.

(7) Turn back towards the memorial stone you passed on the way out.

(5) Turn left to descend to the Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme.

(8) At the refuge, turn right and descend to the geographical Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, then climb up the opposite side (to the south-west) via the Crête des Gittes path.

You can stay on the main path which cuts across the faces of the peaks, or take the narrow track that follows the ridge all the way, which involves a few more ascents and descents.

(9) From this point, you can climb to the main summit.

(10) From here, climb to the western summit for the view over Roselend.
In either case, the path eventually descends to the Col de la Sauce.

(11) Turn right to take the path down towards the east, which veers northwards and then winds down to the bottom of the valley, alongside a peat bog. After fording the stream, it runs along the flat right bank to the Chalet de la Sausse.

(12) From the chalet, the junction with the Sausse – which you passed on the way up – is just a stone’s throw downstream.

(2) Take the path towards La Gittaz, via the Chemin du Curé, in the opposite direction to the ascent, to return to the car park (S/E).

There are no technical difficulties on this circular route, which is entirely on trails. Some sections simply require a bit of care, such as the Chemin du Curé, which runs vertically above the torrent, or the Crête des Gittes, a comfortable path but with slopes that are sometimes exposed.

The entire route is normally signposted, but the yellow markings are quite sparse between (S/E) and (4) or after (11), though the route is obvious there.
The section from (4) to (8) is signposted^GR® Tour du Mont Blanc; the section from (5) to (6) is a variant of the TMB. The section from (8) to (11) is signposted^GR® 5 –^GRP® Tour du Beaufortain (variant).
Only the ascent to La Pointe (7) from (6) is not signposted but is well marked with cairns.

Directional signs are in place at the main junctions.

The Chemin du Curé is a remarkable path, carved out of the rock on the initiative of a canon to provide access to the upper mountain pastures.

The Crête des Gittes path was built along the mountainside by soldiers of the 22nd BCA during the^First World War, for strategic purposes near the border.

The view from the Col du Bonhomme, then the Col des Fours, and finally the Pointe Nord des Fours is exceptional: the orientation table at the summit allows you to clearly identify the mountain ranges on view: Mont Blanc, of course, but also the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa, Grande Sassière, Albaron, Mont Pourri, Grande Casse and Vanoise, and even the Aiguilles d’Arves and La Meije in the distance, as well as, of course, Beaufortain, Lauzière, Grand Arc, Chartreuse, Bauges, Aravis, Chablais, Fiz and Buet.