Billiat (Mont)

Overview

The Mount Billiat towers, majestic, between the Valleys of Morzine and Bellevaux. Coming from the north, from Geneva or Thonon, the Billiat is one of the first mountains with alpine character you can see. It is the highest point of the chain which spreads from the Roc d'Enfer 2243 m in northern direction between the Bellevaux Valley in the west and the Aulps Valley in the east.

Mount Billiat is famous for its north-east buttress, the Jotty rocks. The NW face of these rocks is very steep but the structured rock permits a free climb of (very) high level

The normal route, coming from La Buchille over the Pertuis chalets (NW ridge) is easy if the snow is melted. The south razor blade ridge can also be done by hikers, but this route is dizzy and needs some experience.

Getting There

Start points :

1) Chalets de la Buchille (1435 m) over Bellevaux

-Bellevaux is located between Saint Jeoire and Thonon les Bains (road D 26).

By plane :
Airport Genève-Cointrin (45km)
Airport Annecy-Meythet (70km)

By train :
Station of Thonon-les-Bains (25 km) et servibus service SAT

By road :
Highway A40 ou A41, sexit 15 (Thonon-Evian-Vallée Verte)
take RN Bonne/Pont de Fillinges and D22 Boëge/Col de Terramont or D26 St Jeoire/Col de Jambaz.

-From Bellevaux, take the road in northern direction during 800 m. Turn right to Les Bollons and take the forest trail to Chalets de la Buchille (6 km)

2) Mévonne over le Jotty or Les Granges over La Baume (Saint Jean d'Aulps Valley)

-To Saint Jean d’Aulps Valley :
By road :
A40 : From Bourg-en Bresse, follow Nantua exit Annemasse. Direction Thonon les Bains and then Morzine
A41 : From Annecy, follow Chamonix, Bonneville exit Scionzier. Follow Taninges then Morzine and Thonon

By plane :
Airport Genève-Cointrin
Airport Annecy-Meythet
Airport Lyon

By train :
Next stations are Cluses or Thonon.

- To Mévonne :
Take the road Thonon – Morzine to Le Jotty (near Gorges du Pont du Diable and Jotty Dam). At the entrance of Le Jotty, a trail on the right leads to Mévonne (alpine pasture)

- To Les Granges
After the Jotty dam on the road Thonon – Morzine, take on the right the road D232 to Les Esserts (direction La Baume) and right the trail to Les Granges.

Red Tape

No red tape

When To Climb

From july to october. The normal route can be dangerous if the snow remains in the comb under the summit (crampons useful in june)

Routes overview

1) From La Buchille

- Normal route over Chalets de Pertuis (1585 m) : NW face

- Ridges of Mont Billiat over Buchille collar

2) From Mévonne, you reach the normal route at Chalets de Pertuis.

3) From Les Granges

- Direct route

- Over Buchille collar and the ridges

4) Climbing routes at Mévonne on the Jotty rocks : extremely difficult routes

- A Marie : length 200 m ABO+ Difficulty 8? Obligatory 7a - Very steep

- Le Chant du Silence : length 180 m ABO+ Difficulty 8? Obligatory 7a Very steep

- Le Jugement Dernier : length 180 m ABO Difficulty 8? Obligatory 7a Very steep

- Les Ailes de la Liberté : length180 m ABO- Difficulty 8a Obligatory 6c

-Tichodrome : length 180 m ABO- Difficulty 8? Obligatory 7a

5) Climbing site near Bellevaux
The Rocher de Porte, is easily accessible and provides over 70 equipped routes (all levels)
Various climb on slabs, sculpted walls with water drops, athletic bulgings on 80 meters height.
Infos : 04.50.73.71.53..

6) With skis (difficult or very difficult, long and boring access, but the couloirs are fantastic)

– N face couloir of Mévonne

– Twin couloir of the N face

– W couloir

Other summits of the Billiat chain

Pointe d’Ireuse 1890 m
Grands Rochers du Niflon 1816 m
Pointe de la Gay 1801 m
Grande Pointe des Journées 1722 m
Sur la Pointe 1657 m
Pointe des Riandets 1650 m
Croix aux filles 1504 m

Camping

1) SAINT-JEOIRE - CAMPING DE CHOUNAZ - BUCZ PHILIPPE CHOUNAZ
74490 SAINT-JEOIRE
Tel. : 04,50,35,80,54
Open : 01/04 au 30/10
30 places

2) BOGEVE - CAMPING L'ALPAGE - BOUVIER Marie Claire Plateau de Plaine Joux
74250 BOGEVE
Tel. : 04.50.36.60.88
Open : du 1/6 au 30/9
25 places

Jotty Dam

Built: 1946 - 1949
Location: Jotty, Haute-Savoie (74), Rhône-Alpes, France
Contains: Dranse de Morzine
Structural Type: Arch dam
Function / usage: Hydroelectric dam
Owner : Electricité de France
Dimensions
height 57.00 m
retained water volume 1.14 hm3
length of crown 120.00 m
crest thickness 3.00 m
base thickness 3.00 m
dam volume 10 500 m3

Devil's bridge gorges

Visited as early as 1893 and fitted out to be accessible for most people, the Devil’s Bridge Gorges offer the visitor a gripping picture of the power of erosion ; The jagged profile of the sides and their shaded colours give the whole site a weird apperance attenuated by the magnificent surrounding forests.

This defile, partly underground, gouged into very hard grey marble links surprisingly the Leman’s Lake area and the Chablais Massifs.

Back in 1892, a carpenter had a project to construct stairs for entering the Devil's Bridge Gorges.
This adventure had been juged as grazy by his surroundings : the site was dangerous; subject of many superstitions; the technical means were too limited.
Several years of labour were needed to equip the area of footbridges, stairs and steps carved out of the same rock.
These installations would survive their creator, some even until 1950 !
Even today we can see some of those amazingly remains.

Images

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