Via ferrata Roc du Vent

The beautiful Cormet de Roselend pass is home to one of the most scenic via ferratas in France. There is a CAF hut, the Refuge du Plan de la Lai, conveniently located along the road at the start of the approach to the route. We spend the night there, and at 8am we set off for the Roc du Vent via ferrata.

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The well signposted approach to the via ferrata takes about 50 minutes from the Refuge. Thanks for our overnight stay in the hut, we are the first people on the route, but behind us, it's getting crowded already. In particular, a group of about 25 French soldiers is chasing us. If this had been a historic via ferrata in the Dolomites, we'd have though we'd been in some kind of World War I re-enactment. Luckily, we manage to stay ahead of the army. Indeed, as we later find out, overhearing their debrief in the car park, they would abort their ascent, as the officers decided that the soldiers were fooling about too much and not behaving in a secure way...

Meanwhile, we are enjoying ourselves very much. Not only is the scenery spectacular, but the via ferrata is superb as well. We ascend over nice plates. There is lots of rock contact, as (rather unusual for a French via ferrata) only the steepest sections have have any iron rungs. This first (and longest) section of the via ferrata ends on a grassy ridge that brings you to the main summit of the Roc du Vent. Towards the northwest, across a little canyon, a secondary summit is the goal of the second part of the via ferrata. The descent into the canyon is easy (escape option here), the climb onto the other side is short, but much steeper and possibly the most demanding passage of the entire route. Soon after, a spectacular wire bridge (which could already be clearly seen from the main summit) is encountered. The Cicerone guidebook writes: "this is 19m long and can feel quite unstable, especially in gusty conditions. Given that Roc du Vent means 'Windy Rock', such conditions are not unusual." Luckily for us, there is no wind. That we don't have to handle our carabiners at all on the bridge, is another great advantage, because the bridge is indeed quite shaky (especially the wires for the hands).

After the bridge, it's a short hike to the secondary summit, which is marked by a cairn. Meanwhile, the scenery just keeps on getting better. The lush Beaufortin region and the Roselend lake down below are simply stunning. Towards the northeast, the Mont Blanc stands majestically in the background. I can only reaffirm the guidebooks assessment that this is "arguably the most scenic of any of the routes in the French Alps".

The descent is unabatingly spectacular. Already on the first section of the via ferrata, we had spotted the daring descent path in the west face of the mountain. When we're actually on it, it turns out not to be too difficult, and the more exposed sections are still protected with a cable. Next to the route, there are a couple of crags standing out, which can be climbed with some unprotected scrambling. One of these towers in particular provides an absolutely perfect photo opportunity, when photographed from the main path with the Lac de Roselend in the background.

The end of the cable brings you to a signpost by the entrance of a tunnel, which is also clearly visible from the road. This tunnel was constructed in the 1930s as part of a failed project to construct a high road across the French Alps. The tunnel is 100m long, but never reached the required diameter to let a car through. Indeed, taller people will have to mind their heads when walking through the tunnel. A torch is required, and tall people better keep their helmet on as well. Those who are scared of the dark, can avoid the tunnel by descending on a normal hiking path.

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The official French grade for the Roc du Vent via ferrata is AD ("assez difficile") which seems rather low to me. On the Hüsler scale, I think this route deserves a K4.

The via ferrata is simply superb, with stunning scenery and pleasant, varied climbing. Don't start any later than 8am, though, or it will get very busy.