A GLORIOUS DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS
VALFREJUS –> COL DE BUFFÉRE
VIA ALPINA DAY 62 – SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2026
DISTANCE HIKED: 34.30 m
ELEVATION GAIN: 2,363 m
TOTAL DISTANCE HIKED: 1,568.48 km
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 82, 710 m
Today was predicted to be a sunny but cool day, with a top of just 14°C. We waited for the mist to lift from the mountains before leaving the hotel. I found it surprisingly hard to let go of the comforts of a warm hotel room.
We left about 7am and started ascending towards Col de la Vallée Étroite at 2,434m. The mist was slowly lifting from the mountain tops, gradually revealing jagged peaks. It was some time before we reached the sunshine, but when we did, it was a glorious morning. The scenery was nothing short of spectacular.
The military history is everywhere here, particularly as we got closer to the summit, with buildings and armaments left over from the Second World War scattered across the mountains.
We met up here with Clémont and Renee, who had camped near the summit. They are fast hikers, and we had last seen them at Tignes 1800. We thought we’d never see them again! We caught up on each other’s last few days, but they soon flew off down the mountain.
The ascent felt almost effortless. We were on a gravel road until almost the summit, under blue skies and with the perfect temperature for hiking. The descent was a little more tricky—rocky and steep. We started seeing a few hikers heading up as we descended, which quickly turned into a steady stream of people.
Not surprising really—it was the weekend and it was a beautiful day. What was surprising was that they all spoke Italian.
We soon worked out why when we descended to Rifugio Terzo Alpini, which can be accessed by road. They fly both Italian and French flags, and we realised that this was the Italian speaking hamlet although entirely in France.
From the Rifugio, we started a long ascent towards Lac Chavillion. The trail had lots of switchbacks, which made for relatively easy climbing.
Once we reached the lake, I have to admit the lake was a little disappointing, but its setting was anything but. The surrounding mountains were grand and spectacular, and there were hikers everywhere, all enjoying the scenery and the glorious weather.
We stopped for lunch by Lac Chavillion. Groups of people were scattered around the lake, enjoying their lunch and the views. We joined them for a while. The lake itself wasn’t much to look at, but the surrounding mountains were outstandingly beautiful.
From the lake we had a long descent to Névache, where we hoped to stop at a bakery—assuming it was still in business.
The descent followed a creek, with a few glacial chimneys evident along the way—a geological feature left behind by past glacial activity.
We reached the bakery about 3.30pm and it was packed with day hikers and cyclists. We had been hoping for a ham and cheese roll, but had to settle for a quiche Lorraine, which we took away for dinner.
From Névache we began ascending towards Refuge de Buffère. It was only 3km of climbing, but it was so steep that at times it felt as though we were going backwards. Even descending hikers were stopping for a break.
Slowly, we made our way up and were caught by Clémont and Renee just before reaching the refuge. We all stopped for a short break at the hut before continuing the ascent to Col de Buffère at 2,427m.
The final ascent to the Col was at a much gentler gradient than the climb to the refuge. Fascinating military ruins dot the summit, another reminder of the strategic importance of these mountains during the Second World War
We found a campsite just below the summit, out of the wind—but it was still very cold. My hands were freezing as I was finishing writing this post.
A great day of hiking.
