06. Champoussin - Croix de l'Aiguille

Feast your eyes on the magnificent Dents du Midi from one of the region's best viewpoints, then tuck into one of Switzerland’s most famous specialties - Rösti!

Perched an altitude of 1,867 meters, between the villages of Champoussin and Les Crosets in the Illiez Valley, this lovely ramble provides breathtaking views of the entire Dents du Midi & Dents Blanches massifs, the iconic Pointe de l'Au and the Vaud Alps. The highest point is at Croix de l'Aiguille. Along the way, you may see paragliders taking off under the Croix de l'Aiguille and, at the halfway point, the sunny terrace at the Relais Panoramique restaurant tempts hikers to stop for a refreshing drink or a bite to eat.

ITINERARY :

Set off from the Frâchette Shelter, on the road just before the village of Champoussin, following the pink #6 snowshoe trail signs.

Leaving Frâchette and heading towards Les Crosets and the Croix de l'Aiguille, walk first along the ridge to the right towards the picturesquely named Gouille aux Sangliers, or Boars’ Pond.

At the trail crossroads, stay on the main axis which continues straight along a flat, well-groomed path. A little further on, where the wide path splits, take the trail that goes up in switchbacks to the right until you arrive at the paragliders' take-off area.

From here, head up a small path that goes straight up to the top of the Croix de l'Aiguille. From the cross, go left along the ridge and descend to the crossroads at Pas de Croisette where you join the groomed path (SwitzerlandMobility #901).
From there, continue straight on to the Relais Panoramique restaurant.

To return, head back down (parallel to the #901) towards the hamlet of Crêté Borney. At the hairpin bend, take the (usually) groomed, flat path back to your starting point.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE FROM LES CROSETS :
Take the Crettet-Bornex road as far as the hairpin bend. From here, turn right onto the wide groomed path. See the map of the alternative route under Useful links.