- Activities:ski/snowboard touring
- Min / max altitude:1273m / 2406m
- Elevation gain / loss:1150m
- Main facing:NW
- Route type:return trip
- Duration:1 day
- Toponeige technical grade:5.1
- Toponeige exposure grade:E3
- Labande descent grade:S5
- Labande global grade:TD
From Erigné (1186m) or Charny (1273m), take the trail that traverses to pont de Chardonnière (1309m). Follow the torrent via one or the other bank and pass the Chardonnière country cottages (1346m). Continue by skirting the Terres Maudites towards the east, in the direction of the Bretolet pass. Slightly before the end of the dale, overtake a small scoop on the right where several corridors emerge including Pas de la Latte, on the left bank, (walkway in summer) and la Virgule, on the right bank, which starts with a small very narrow and very boxed in corridor, facing W. You come out of the corridor to overtake a rather steep and now very exposed slope (rock barriers at the base). Go primarily to the left (E) to go up to the base of la Virgule: ice gully in a circle arc bordered on the left by a rocky vertical muraille even overhanging and on the right by immense rock slabs, not very broad but less exposed and less steep. Go completely up this ice gully and around 2250m you pass a striation in the muraille overlooking on Switzerland, Brêche de Roland style: la Fenêtre des Chamois. From there the slopes are less steep and it is easier to reach Bossetan summit (2406m) via the N ridge resulting from the above muraille.
Descent by the same route or directly in the large slabs if the snow conditions are optimum.
Approximately 500m of height for the difficulties.
La Virgule is made up of broad snow slopes resting on slabs laid in very compact and featureless limestone gradually sloping downwards before meeting with rock barriers. These are on the left when descending (W) via a narrow part a few tens of meters long, which is steep (S5), very boxed in (wall also a little overhanging) and very narrow (slightly more than the length of the ski: 3m to 3m50).
Remaining in the ice gully on the right while descending near the muraille, it is rather narrow but less exposed than directly in the slabs, with a more regular slope (around 45°). You reach the bottom of the slabs after a few tens of meters, which is steep and very exposed.
The direct descent in the slabs has a reasonable slope at the start then becomes more and more inclined (highly convex) and increasingly difficult. The risk of plate is very high in this section. In the spring enormous bottom plates glide on the slabs causing the surrealist formation of genuine small seracs and crevasses.
The top slopes are not very steep and make it possible to warm up.
Average slope: 38°/500 m including 45°/100m in the base and 35-40°/400m with some steeper pitches and very narrow sections. Strong exposure (E3). TD/S5 or 5.1/E3.
N to NW for la Virgule. In spring, it gets the sun towards 12:00, including in the lower narrow part.
Access:
From Morzine, go up the vallée de la Manche in the direction of the Mines d'Or. In full season, the road is barred at the level of the Erigné (1186m -parking lot) but it is sometimes possible to go to Charny and park in the bend 1273m or even the crossroads 1340m.
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