The journey to Val d'Anniviers alone is a little adventure. Deep down in the Rhone Valley near Sierre, the winding mountain road begins, winding its way up the steep slopes of the sandy rock valley for hundreds of meters until you reach Vissoie. If you suffer from travel sickness, it's best to take a break in this small mountain village, because we are still a long way from our destination. Via the picturesque Valais village of Grimentz, we continue to climb on small roads until we reach the final stage to Lac de Moiry at an altitude of 2,248 meters – a reservoir used for energy production which, along with Lac de Dix, is part of the huge and ramified system of tunnels that stretches from the Mattertal to the Val d'Hérens.
Ascent to Cabane de Moiry
Once we reach the reservoir, we are almost at our destination and simply glide along the turquoise-green Lac de Moiry to the spacious parking lot at the end of the reservoir. This is where the ascent to Cabane de Moiry begins – not because we need to spend the night in a hut for this tour across the southern part of the Aiguilles de la Lé, but because the hut, located at an altitude of 2,826 m, is on our ascent route and tempts us with fresh, homemade sandwiches that are cheaper than a baguette in town and taste better – crispy and hearty, just what you need in the cool mountain air.
The Col du Pigne beckons
The next section of the trail is less beautiful than necessary, but its moderate terrain (large gneiss blocks, rubble-covered sandy rock slabs) is compensated for by impressive views of the Pointe de Moiry and the impressive break-off of the Glacier de Moiry. How long will this upper section of the glacier remain connected to the lower section? Probably not too long...
Fortunately, it is only about 300 meters of elevation gain from the Cabane de Moiry to the 3,137-meter-high Col du Pigne. Those who want to and have time can add on the ascent to the 3,396 m high Pigne de la Lé – but we skip the rocky climb and turn directly to the beautiful rocky ridge of the southern Aiguilles de la Lé.
Aiguilles de la Lé – the south ridge of P. 3190
Even though the ridge route described in guidebooks often omits this section and starts directly from the Col du Gardien, the southern section still has a certain appeal, as it is only here that we cross the main summit of the Aiguilles de la Lé, a 3,190 m high point at the southern end of this approximately two-kilometer-long massif in the middle of the Valais Alps.
Varied, never really difficult climbing alternates with short walking passages as we overcome the ridge step by step and slowly gain altitude. The rock is mostly rock-solid, the view is simply beautiful, and the difficulty never exceeds the lower third degree. Shortly before the main summit, the ridge steepens, and the ridge climb turns into a short, easy second-degree wall scramble and a short, trickier section to get back onto the actual ridge. Now it doesn't take long before we stand at the iron summit cross of the Aiguilles de la Lé at 3,190 m and take a short break to replenish our energy reserves.
Via the abseiling point to the most exciting part of the ridge
Shortly after the summit, a 15-meter-high abseiling point awaits us, leading us to a shady flank directly below the ridge. After pulling up the rope, we continue over exciting and varied rocky outcrops to the 3,178 m Gendarm, which looms rather forbiddingly in front of us. What appears to be insurmountable quickly turns out to be an easily navigable traverse, and a little later we are already standing on the second summit of this short but no less rewarding traverse.
You won't find any bolts here in 2025, but for the most part they aren't necessary. Only at one point directly below P. 3178, a breezy traverse on moderate rock, does one wonder about the bent bolt that could prevent a rope team from falling here. Without it, it is difficult to provide adequate protection at this point. Since this part of the Aiguilles de la Lé is often crossed as part of high-altitude mountaineering courses, the missing bolt is simply a shame. We do not know the reasons why the bolts have been sawed off in some places – whether it is due to the ongoing controversy surrounding bolts or other reasons, we cannot say.
From P. 3178, we descend on easy terrain to the Col du Gardien at 3,069 m before ending our little traverse with the descent through a long boulder field back to the Cabane de Moiry. Once again, delicious baguettes await us here – or would we rather try a piece of hut cake this time? Whatever you decide, relaxing on the hut terrace with a view of the surrounding mountains is a must, as is marveling at the successful modern architecture of the Cabane de Moiry, which skillfully combines old and new.
Back down to the valley...
...means retracing your steps along the entertaining hut trail over the huge moraine of the Glacier de Moiry, but this time descending. Once that's done, there's still the long drive back to Sierre, but it's worth making a quick stop in Grimentz to admire the venerable Valais houses in the old village center.
A successful trip to a beautiful, moderate, and short ridge crossing over the southern part of the Aiguilles de la Lé comes to an end. What remains are memories of the impressive but rapidly melting glacier and the many unforgettable moments on this mountain tour in the heart of Valais – true to the motto “Gravé dans mon cœur”.
