Day 8: Val d’Isère to Refuge de la Leisse
Sunday 16 August, 17km, 1230m up, 550m down (variant via the Pas de La Tovière: 2695m)

Our plan was to get started at 5.30am in order to be descending from the highest point before the thunderstorms and rain predicted around noon. We were awake by 5 and ate a light breakfast and were ready to leave at 5.30 but the sky was still dark and we waited until 6am when there was a  little light. The path out of town initially followed a river and then made a steep climb through  sparse forest to an exposed hillside. Here we climbed steeply for an hour to reach the Pas de Tovière, from which we were  able to catch a glimpse of the Italian side of Mt Blanc in the distance.

At the pass we also saw that a race was underway, the runners heading along the route that we planned to follow. The marshall who stood at the pass told us that today there were 4 races including a marathon and half marathon distance.

We had 2 options at this point. One was to continue on a lower route through an area crowded with ski infrastructure somewhat hiding the natural beauty of the mountains; and the other was to take the path which the runners were following along a higher route to the summit of La Tovière, climbing steeply up to the top of a ski chairlift, and then further up to a ridgeline that undulated with beautiful views on both sides.

Unfortunately, by the time we reached the ridge, the half marathon runners were upon us, and the narrow path required us to be always jumping to one side to let the competitors pass.

A short way after coming down from the ridge, our route changed direction and we were able to leave the runners behind. We weren’t finished with the climbs though, and by the time we had wound our way up hillsides to finally reach the high point at the Col de la Leisse, we were both exhausted.

We had the best views of the receding glaciers that  we have yet seen on this trip, and the trail took us over moraine left by the ice. Much of the terrain in this section was reminiscent of the volcanic region of the  Tongariro Crossing in the N Island of New Zealand.

After reaching the Col de la Leisse, the going was mostly gentle downhill and we reached our Refuge before midday. The first drops of rain weren’t until early afternoon. When we heard the first rumble of thunder we were glad to be inside the dining hall.