CABANE D'ORNY - TRIENT GLACIER
from Champex
DISTANCE
4,8 km
+
12 km
loop
TIME
2h30 + 1h
+
6h
ELEVATION
630 + 375
1680
Min 2188m
Max 3217m
ESSENTIALS
SEASON
(of the report)
YOU'LL NEED
-
Good knees
-
Walking poles
-
Check huts and chairlift opening dates
We decided to split this hike in two days with a stop for one night at Cabane d'Orny. If you decide to do so, make sure the huts are open and book in advance. Otherwise, you can still use them as a shelter. In other words: there's just a roof and limited beds, you have to bring all the necessary gear to eat, sleep and stay warm.
For more information :
http://www.cas-diablerets.ch/trient.htm
However it's possible to do this hike in one day but keep in mind that it is pretty strenuous so you have to know yourself and plan accordingly.
FIRST DAY - CHAMPEX to CABANE D'ORNY
The hike starts from Champex and at this point you already have to make a choice : hiking all the way up (you can add some 500+ to the total elevation gain on the details above) or, take the chairlift to "La Breya", that's what we did (again, depending on the season you have to check if it's open or not). The first 20 minutes are an easy warm up with breathtaking views as you're walking hillside. Then, it gets a little bit steeper but nothing serious until you reach "la combe d'Orny", then the real deal starts - 1 hour approximately.
First of all, if it's a sunny/warm day you'll get the feeling it's 1000 degrees out there, and of course there's no wind when you need it! Moreover the trail is made of big rocks so you'll have to pay more attention to your steps (for about 35 min). But when you pass this section, you already get a reward with the view: there's a lake, a glacier, sharp peaks and a hut. And...where there's a glacier, there's a moraine too! You'll walk along it and to be honest that was my favourite part, I felt I was on top of the world. Also, at this point you're only 25 minutes away from the hut, which, for us, was our home for the night.
SECOND DAY - CABANE D'ORNY to TRIENT GLACIER
We woke up early to have plenty of time for the rest of the hike and it was really rewarding, being alone with the blue and pink light of the sun rising up... Alright, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll just post one below.
During 1h you'll walk along the glacier, the trail is well maintained most of the time but there's just a small section (10-15 minutes) where it isn't clearly indicated. Also you'll have to cross a snowfield and climb some ladders to the top of a 10m rock.
The last 1h30 will get steeper (yeah, always the same pattern) but the trail is in good condition and easy to follow which helps at this altitude, you're getting closer to 3000m.
Again, I can't describe what you'll see when arriving at Cabane de Trient so there are some pictures below.
THE WAY BACK - TRIENT GLACIER to CHAMPEX
The way back down follows the same trail you took to come up, passing the Cabane d'Orny and down into the Combe d'Orny. At some point you'll have to decide between 3 options to get back down:
1. Combe d'Orny : it's the intersection you'll meet about 2h from Trient just before going back on the hillside section of the trail. A sign indicates Champex-Lac.
2. Chairlift 'La Breya": the same way you came, but this choice needs organisation as you have to know the schedule of the lift.
3. Col de la Breya - Val d'Arpette: That's the one we chose! The intersection for this trail is approximately 2h40 from Trient.
Alright, so here we will talk about number 3 of course. It's a beautiful trail but it can be quite challenging. The first part follows the trail to the chairlift about 50m above it. The trail is a bit narrow and has some exposed sections that can be challenging for those having the fear of heights (it really wasn't that bad for me but I prefer to mention it). At some point, you need to climb through a hole in the rock which is quite fun (see photo), just try not to get stuck! After 30min total, you arrive at the Col de la Breya.
Our first impression was: how will we ever get down in the other valley, it's so steep! But in the end, the trail was well marked even though I recommend using your hands to help yourself down. After the steep section, there is a large boulder field to cross which is the final step before the trail becomes a nice forest trail. It took us about an hour from the pass to this point, since we were already quite tired.
From that point on (thank god!), it was a nice walk down to Champex-Lac through the bottom of the Val d'Arpette which is stunning. It took us another hour and a half back to the car at the bottom of the chairlift. Going down (or even worse going up) through the Col de la Breya is probably not recommended if you are going to Glacier de Trient on a one-day hike as it is both long and strenuous, but it is beautiful so I do recommend it if you are sleeping in one of the huts.
