It is a snapshot from a very specific perspective that we enjoy while crossing the Grand Chavalard in the Lower Valais. While the Rhone Valley with its countless vineyards and orchards lies horizontally almost 2,500 meters below, the southern slopes of the 2,901-meter-high Grand Chavalard are extremely steep and covered with avalanche barriers and rockfall protection over several hundred meters of altitude. The viewer is presented with a rather unique mosaic of straight and curved lines, horizontals and verticals, and shades of green and brown.
Incidentally, the hiking trail to Grand Chavalard runs through the middle of the avalanche barriers in this section, which is quite unusual: a door-like passage has been left open in each case, allowing hikers to easily pass through these protective walls (via a fairly high step).
Those who want to continue down into the valley after descending through the fences still have a long way to go – most choose the path to the high-altitude parking lot, which is reached via a rather adventurous road – or rather “roads.” Nevertheless, the unique views of the nearby Mont Blanc massif make up for all the exertion.
