Cycling up Cormet de Roselend from Beaufort

Our stores offer you Beaufort but also other products of Savoie (cheeses, charcuterie, meat from Beaufortain, wines, jams, honey, crozets...). On-site sale and online sale.

The Baroque Church of Saint Maxime is located in the middle of the oldest district of Beaufort: Le Châtelard. Securely attached to the rock, the church is dominated by a huge square tower. Its facades contrast with the interior decoration.From the 17th century, the population of Beaufort and surrounding hamlets were actively involved in the reconstruction of the church, which ended in the 19th century. The first church dated back to 1171. The present church with its basilica shape comprises of a large rectangular space, which includes the central nave, side aisles and choir, which is also rectangular. The vaults of the nave are leaning on a series of cross section pillars separating the aisles and supporting the galleries. The pulpit, commissioned in 1720 to Jacques Clérant, a renowned sculptor from Moûtiers, was installed in 1722. During the revolution, the rioters tried in vain to demolish the bell tower: if the steeple was destroyed, the walls were saved by the local population. Inside the church, the sumptuous decoration highlights religious themes; they recount the life of the Virgin Mary, Christ and the Saints, and represent the great stories of the Bible. Everything was done to accommodate, dazzle, amaze, convince and reassure the faithful. Masses are held here regularly.

Along with the dams of Gittaz and Saint Guérin, the Roselend Dam feeds the hydroelectric plant of La Bâthie. Located in the heart of the mountain pastures, near Mont Blanc, it is a beautiful site for fishing and hiking. This is the 4th highest dam in France.Built between 1955 and 1962, it required 942, 368m3 of concrete poured at a daily rate of 1,500 to 2,000m3. Arch-gravity structure and buttress type dam (150m high, length 804m). Surface of the reservoir: 320 hectares. Depth: 130m. Volume of the reservoir: 187 million m3. 2,600 workers worked day and night on the site in harsh conditions. The Ste Marie Madeleine Chapel was rebuilt on the shore of the lake before the impoundment of the dam. The Roselend hamlet was submerged on May 6th, 1960, and 15 of the 54 pastures were swallowed up. The Route des Grandes Alpes crosses this magnificent alpine site to join the Tarentaise valley (excluding during heavy snow, when the road is very narrow). This dam holds a reserve of renewable energy equivalent to 500 million Kwh.

Le Cormet de Roselend is a pass at 1968m in height. From this somptuous place, you will discover amazing treks. What's more, you will access by the road to the valley of Les Chapieux and of Tarentaise (on the way of Bourg-Saint-Maurice). The word Cormet (from the Latin "Culmen") means summit.

Sale of the Beaufort and other cheese, Beaufortain meat, and a lot of regional products. Do not leave Arêches without a piece of Beaufort and tell your friends about it..

Heritage Discovery walk : Follow, on the map provided by the tourist office, the itinerary that includes 18 signs. The departure is just in front of the fountain, Avenue du Capitaine Bulle, next to the Tourist Office.