On foot · Salanfe and Susanfe, Valais · July 2023
The big loop from Van d'en Haut via Salanfe and Susanfe
The kind of plan we love: up at 3:30, a night descent of about 500 metres towards Champéry, the 6:00 train, arriving at Van d'en Haut at 9:00. In Switzerland you can do almost everything by public transport, as long as you're not in a hurry. In the end: 23 kilometres, 1,500 metres up and 1,800 down.
- Date
- July 2023
- Distance
- 23 km
- Elevation gain
- 1,500 m
- Route
- Van d'en Haut → Salanfe → Col de Susanfe → Pas d'Encel → Champéry
The route · indicative
Towards Salanfe
The lake and the little church
Setting off under a pretty crescent moon, then the stony descent and the road at dawn, rather than ending the hike with them. We cross the little bridge on the Grand Paradis road on foot, and from the train, the sun rises behind the Diablerets.
No photos of the climb from the Van valley: we were in a hurry to see the lake, and the cola at the inn. The lake is fuller than in summer 2022, the little church of Salanfe as charming as ever, the wind deliciously cool. We'll have to come back to the inn to enjoy it: the goal is in sight, high and far. It starts gently, then we climb among faded pasqueflowers, and it gets steep. Yes, there really is a path in there.
The Col de Susanfe and the Pas d'Encel
A pass on the moon
The colours are sublime below the pass. We get there: this pass on the moon is fascinating, with just a small snowfield to cross. The effort was hard, but it's beautiful. Then we hurry down: a storm is threatening, which wasn't forecast. We'll come back to the Susanfe hut to enjoy it.
The Pas d'Encel in sight: the rain has stopped and the storm is no longer a worry, which suits this kind of passage perfectly; it quickly takes a good hour. Green, yellow, a plunging view of Champéry, a playful hour to finish off the legs, and a final gift: a superb martagon lily and its scent.
