Pralognan la Vanoise: Cirque du Génépy hike

Glacier du Génépy





In the Vanoise National Park (Savoie), glaciers are major attractions. The hike named Cirque du Génépy features a trail which circles below the Génépy Glacier, part of the larger Vanoise Glacier.

View to Les Prioux Pralognan
View to Les Prioux Pralognan
Chavière Valley
Chavière Valley
Trail above Montaimont
Trail above Montaimont
Torrent from Génépy Glacier
Torrent from Génépy Glacier
Cirque du Génépy trail
Cirque du Génépy trail
Génépy Glacier seen from trail
Génépy Glacier seen from trail
Génépy Glacier western edge
Génépy Glacier western edge
Descent from Cirque du Génépy
Descent from Cirque du Génépy




Starting from the very last parking in the Chavière Valley (Pont de la Pêche 1767 m), we headed to Montaimont (1900 m) along a dirt track (Trail nr 39). Here, at a crossroads we followed trail nr 42 which followed a torrent named Ruisseau de Travers. We climbed along the verdant and humid mountain side, with the stream deep in a gorge sculptured by the Glacier du Génépy's glacial waters.


We passed a signpost (trails 41 and 42), and climbed a bit further crossing two wood bridges. We came near a flatter area below the glacier, the moraine, partly covered with ice/snow, and debris. The glacier was not far from us.


Here, at little over 2300m, we took a long picnic break before returning to the signpost where we now took trail nr 41, then nr 40 passing near Montaimont, and finally nr 39 back to our starting point.


Climb: 730 m


Distance: 10 km


Duration: 5 h


Map: 3534 OT Les Trois Vallées


Cirque du Génépy hike track
Cirque du Génépy hike track










Braised chicken à la Cordon Bleu

 

Braised chicken à la Cordon Bleu


The inspiration to this recipe was a news clip on the French morning TV, Télématin, about the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. The students were cooking a whole chicken in the oven in a heavy enamelled cast-iron pot such as Le Creuset or Staub. An oval pot is best for a whole chicken which in France is always trussed already when you buy it.

The chicken was cooked together with new potatoes and vegetables and was partly covered with wine and chicken stock. It was regularly basted with the cooking liquid. The result is flavourful, tender chicken meat. 

This simple cooking method is fantastic for the colder months and bad weather when you would anyway stay at home. While watching over the chicken, you can do some yoga or stretching!

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 whole organic or free-range chicken, poulet fermier, about 1,3- 1,5 kg

Olive oil

1 tsp. dried Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

250 ml white wine

250 ml chicken stock

2 handfuls of small new potatoes

4 carrots, cut into pieces

1 onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 handfuls of small mushrooms


Preheat the oven to 190°C, roast.


Rub the chicken with olive oil. Remove the extra fat around the cavity of the chicken. Place some aluminium foil around the tips of the legs; it is easier to lift the chicken and spoon cooking liquid over the bird when basting.


Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in the pot over medium heat and gently sauté the vegetables. Add the herbs, black pepper, white wine, and stock and stir. Nestle the chicken among the vegetables.


Transfer the pot uncovered to the oven for 1h 30 minutes. Baste the chicken regularly, every 15- 20 minute, with the cooking liquid. Cover with aluminium foil if some parts of the chicken start getting too dark. 


Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, carve and divide on the plates. Divide the vegetables and spoon some cooking liquid over the chicken. If you are cooking only for two persons, the left-overs make a nice meat next day.  Simply reheat gently the covered pot in the oven. A green side salad goes nicely with the chicken and vegetables.



Braised chicken à la Cordon Bleu served
Braised chicken à la Cordon Bleu served


Petit Mont Blanc

 


Petit Mont Blanc (2680 m) near Pralognan la Vanoise (1410 m) is one of the mountain tops in the renowned region which can be easily reached along marked hiking trails. The summit is covered with gypsum, hence the name.

Trails to the summit start from the Chavière Valley, a few km south of the village. In the summer high season there’s a free shuttle bus to Les Prioux (1711 m) from Pralognan la Vanoise. The road is paved, and there are some spacious parking areas.

Les Prioux Pralognan
Les Prioux Pralognan
Path near Les Prioux
Path near Les Prioux
Chavière Valley Pralognan
Chavière Valley Pralognan
Path to Col du Mône
Path to Col du Mône
Glacier du Génépy viewed from trail
Glacier du Génépy viewed from trail
Col du Mône
Col du Mône

We used the shortest variant starting just after Les Prioux at le Sécheron (1726 m), which was also the turning point of the shuttle bus.


We crossed the river and followed the signposted trail (number 59 in the local guide). The trail zigzagged in the Fôret Domaniale du Petit Mont Blanc but in reality, we crossed a few woods only in the beginning then continued along steep alpine meadows. Higher up, the trail became rockier.


We came to Col du Mône (2533 m), forked right and climbed to the summit. Some stretches were a bit exposed, and rain/ice/snow certainly would make the gypsum surface very slippery.

Gypsum on trail to Petit Mont Blanc
Gypsum on trail to Petit Mont Blanc
La Grande Casse seen from trail
La Grande Casse seen from trail
Near Petit Mont Blanc summit
Near Petit Mont Blanc summit
View towards Courchevel from Petit Mont Blanc
View towards Courchevel from Petit Mont Blanc
Petit Mont Blanc southern flank
Petit Mont Blanc southern flank
Pralognan seen from Petit Mont Blanc
Pralognan seen from Petit Mont Blanc

Petit Mont Blanc summit
Petit Mont Blanc summit



The region is famous for its glaciers, notably Glacier de la Vanoise. Luckily, our day was mostly clear and we could admire the remarkable scenery dominated by the glaciers and the highest peak, La Grande Casse (3855 m) in the northeast. 

We took the same trail back to our starting point. 


Climb: 950 m


Distance: 11 km


Duration: 5 h


Map: 3534OT Les Trois Vallées


Petit Mont Blanc hike track
Petit Mont Blanc hike track










Butternut squash with Parma ham and parmesan crumble

 

Butternut squash with Parma ham and parmesan crumble


This simple dish makes a delightful lunch or supper in autumn and winter. Serve with a green side salad and some good country bread.

2 servings

1 small butternut squash

Olive oil

A small handful of green beans

1 shallot chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

80 grams of Parma ham

Fresh chopped herbs to decorate

For the crumble:

A small handful of freshly grated parmesan

A small handful of dry breadcrumbs

Olive oil


Preheat the oven to 180° C, roast.


Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and roast for about 45 minutes until soft.


Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the shallot and garlic about 5 minutes. Top and tail the green beans and cut them into 2- 3 cm long pieces. Add to the pan and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the beans are soft. Set aside.


Grate a small handful of parmesan and mix with equal amounts of dry bread crumbs. Add olive oil to make a crumble.


Chop the Parma ham into small pieces and mix with the green beans and shallots. Divide this mixture on the butternut halves and cover with the crumble. Roast in 220° C for about 5 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.


Remove from the oven and place on the plates. Decorate with chopped fresh herbs.


Loop hike in Auron

 

Col de Blainon view southeast


In addition to the usual summer activities such as mountain biking, the ski resort of Auron (1600 m) offers a network of hiking trails in the mountains above the village. The GR5 long distance trail runs through Auron.

It was exactly the GR5 we planned to use on the first part of our hike.








Because of a small golf court, there was a marked detour for the GR5 which we took near the Blainon chair lift. The chair lift was running, and many visitors took advantage of a free ride to reach higher terrain.


Starting from signpost #11, we walked under the chair lift, crossed a ski run and entered a beautiful larch forest. We passed signposts #12 and 12a, then a viewing point named Belvédère des Chamois (1810 m). The path crossed MTB/VTT trails a few times.


We reached Col du Blainon (2008 m; signpost #13a) on a picturesque ridge. The GR5 descended from here to the hamlet of Roya. We forked right (west), and ascended a bit more along a PR (yellow) trail to Baisse du Colombier (2070 m) near the chair lift upper station.


Our ambitious plan was to circle as far as via Col du Chavalet (2323 m), but the wind picked up, with some nasty gusts. We therefore opted for a shorter loop, and started to descend along a familiar ski run (dirt track in summer). We walked under the Las Donnas gondola (not in summer use), passed two chair lift stations where we forked right, and continued straight to Auron.


Distance: 9 km


Climb: 550 m


Duration: about 3h 15 active


Map: Haute Tinée 1 Auron 3639 OT






Auron loop hike track









Chicken breast bruschetta with zucchini and pistou

Chicken breast bruschetta with zucchini and pistou



This very green bruschetta is a variation of the classic tomato bruschetta. Pistou is the French equivalent of the Italian pesto; there is no cheese nor pine nuts but a generous amount of fresh basil. 

Serve with a side salad and tomatoes for a healthy and balanced lunch.

2 servings

2 large slices of rustic country bread 
2 small organic chicken breasts
1 small zucchini
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

For the pistou:
A bunch of basil
½ clove garlic, minced
Olive oil 
A pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper

With a peeler, cut the zucchini into very thin slices. Place in a bowl with 1 tbsp. olive oil and some black pepper. Set aside. Wash and dry the basil leaves.
Preheat the oven to 200°C roast.

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the chicken breasts until golden on both sides, about 15 minutes in all. Grind over some black pepper and keep warm.

In the same pan quickly sauté the zucchini. Keep warm.

Brush the bread slices with olive oil and roast for about 10 minutes until golden. Place on a cutting board.

Make the pistou by crushing the basil leaves with minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and olive oil with mortar and pestle. Add olive oil into a nice consistence.
Slice the chicken breasts. Divide the pistou on the bread slices, then the sliced chicken and top with zucchini.


Mont Lion from Tourette-du-Château

Mont Lion summit



Mont Lion (1050 m) above the Esteron River Valley can be reached from Gilette or Tourette-du-Château (900 m). We have climbed to Mont Lion a few times from Gilette, and wanted to explore the shorter route from the perched village of Tourette-du-Château by the D27 road.








We walked past the church to signpost #45, descended to a wide track which led us straight south to a valley to signpost #50 at 721 m elevation (le Collet). Here you have the option to fork right and circle around Mont Lion, doing the Tour du Mont Lion as indicated in the signpost. It is a longer hike which we in fact did years ago in the summer heat.

We continued straight towards the mountain top, and started to ascend along its northern flank in a nice forest. We reached signpost #53 (950 m elev.) at a crossroads where the path from the east ascended from Gilette. This is also where you arrive if you hike around Mont Lion.

We headed south to the summit. The southern and southwestern flanks of Mount Lion are precipitous. The winter day was almost clear and we could admire the evergreen Esteron River Valley as well as the snow-capped Cheiron Mountain Range further away.

We returned back to Tourette-du-Château along the same trail. It was a short hike in distance but nevertheless included descents and ascents both ways, in other words gave us good interval training!

Distance: 6,1 km

Climb: 530 m

Duration: 3 h

Map: Vallée de l’Esteron Vallée du Loup 3642 ET

Mont Lion hike track




Smoked salmon and egg toast on creamy spinach

 

Smoked salmon and egg toast on creamy spinach


This easy recipe makes a delightful and quick lunch. Serve it with a mixed side salad for a balanced meal.

2 servings

2 whole wheat toasts

Olive oil

120 g smoked salmon, preferably wild Alaska salmon

2 soft-cooked organic eggs

2-3 handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves

50 ml chicken stock

2 tbsp. crème fraîche or cream

Freshly ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 200°C, roast.


Cook the eggs for 6 minutes. Peel and set aside.


Brush the toast on both sides with olive oil. Roast for 8- 10 minutes until golden brown.


Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Add the spinach leaves. When the spinach is wilted after a couple of minutes, add the chicken stock and stir. Remove from heat, add the black pepper and crème fraîche or cream. With a handheld mixer, purée the spinach, then divide on deep plates.


Place the toast on spinach. Top with the smoked salmon and egg and grind over some black pepper.