The climb to Routia

When one goes up Valais, whether by car or by train, one will certainly notice the large, slightly tortured rock wall located under the Haut de Cry. This wall descends towards the bottom of the valley and ends around Ardon.

At first glance, it is hard to believe that a path crosses this wall, especially since the viewing angle hides part of the passages. In reality and looking closer, one realizes that this rock wall can be crossed. A look at the topographic map confirms this fact.

Searching on the Internet, one notices that there is a fair amount of discussion about the difficulty of the passage. This is probably due to the fact that there is often confusion between difficulty and exposure. If one considers only the difficulty, disregarding the void, one can see that the use of the hands is only necessary for balance, except for a short passage. This would therefore correspond to a T3, with a section of T4 (equipped with a cable).

To reach the start of the trail, one must first go up to Némiaz and cross this hamlet. On leaving the hamlet, the path, well marked on the ground, climbs steeply through the forest to reach a ravine where it would not be good to stay in the event of a rain-storm. After this place, the passages become very rocky and one crosses in the direction of a small collar behind a well marked and visible rock head. It is after this collar that one reaches the key passage after having descended on a ledge: a chimney equipped with a cable. The cable must be strictly followed, because it has been fixed where the passage is the easiest. After a crossing, one reaches another rock head which marks the end of the difficulties.

Beyond, the path crosses the undergrowth towards a well-marked pass which is behind the Routia. There, one has the possibility of going up to Ancillons, but this day I had chosen to go down in the direction of Ardon. Before arriving in this locality, one follows a section of the Bisse de Champys.