See the ‘Practical Information’ section for details on the difficulty levels.
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From the village of École, take the small road leading up to the Col de l’Arclusaz and park when it becomes a track closed to motorised vehicles. There is a car park at this point (altitude 1,000 m, coordinates 45.63936, 6.177138).
(S/E) From the car park, take the track on the left (there is another track, currently not shown on IGN or OpenStreetMap maps, which branches off to the right). Stay on this track (signposted towards the Col d’Arclusaz) until you reach the Chalet des Arbets below the pass.
(1) At the chalet, the track becomes a footpath. Continue straight on along this footpath to the junction for the Col d’Arclusaz.
(2) Turn left towards the Col d’Arclusaz.
(3) At the pass, you can see the route to follow to the Dent d’Arclusaz. This is a path that is only visible in places: you can see a north-west-facing section at the bottom of the slope, which climbs gently through the meadow; then another west-facing section that climbs straight up the slope to the base of the rocky section; finally, a last section facing north-west which climbs above a rocky outcrop halfway up the slope. The end of the path is not visible from the pass.
Descend from the pass by following the signposted path. Just after a bend to the right, as you emerge from a rockier section, leave this path to join the one leading up to the Dent d’Arclusaz.
(2) The start of the Dent d’Arclusaz path is not clearly marked; you’ll need to cut across the meadow to reach a more visible section (which is why it’s worth having spotted it from the pass). The path passes beneath a copse on the left, then above another on the right. It fades in places, but simply continue up the grassy slope heading north-west until you come to a steep track climbing due west.
(4) Follow this track straight up the slope. When you reach the bottom of the rocky section, the path veers north-west again and passes over a rocky outcrop. From there, the path remains fairly clearly visible. Follow it to the Dent d’Arclusaz.
(5) At the Dent d’Arclusaz, follow a path heading north beneath the ridge. A few cables have been installed to aid passage through the rocky sections, but it is often easier to keep closer to the ridge, slightly above the cables.
(6) At the Col de Cochette, a passage allows you to cross over to the western slope (you’ll need to use your hands for the first few metres). A signposted path then takes you back down to Pierre Besse.
(7) Then on to the Col du Potat.
(8) At the Col du Potat, leave the signposted path and head towards the barn visible 100 metres away. Turn right just before the barn, onto a track that descends through the meadow and then into the forest.
(9) After a wide circular track, you’ll reach a junction: turn right onto a track that remains almost flat along the mountainside. Continue straight on until you reach a meadow with two barns.
(10) Take the track that runs between the two barns. It turns right immediately afterwards, climbing up into a meadow above the first barn. At the edge of the meadow, the track turns left (north-east), but it becomes hard to follow. Cross the meadow, keeping to the same level, alongside a row of trees.
(11) When you reach the edge of the forest, a small gate allows you to leave the meadow and rejoin a more visible path. This path heads left, crosses a ravine and then climbs to the right to join a forest track (do not take the branch that descends to the left towards Gratteloup).
(12) Follow the track straight on, along the mountainside, until you reach a road.
(13) This is the road leading to the starting car park. Turn right onto it and you’ll reach the car park (S/E) after two hairpin bends.
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