July 2019 - Les Sardoches. Mont Charvin is located at the Southern end of the Aravis Range so it was a 40minute drive to the start point. A great forest section rose quickly before opening out into Alpine meadows with marmots running about. After a while, the ascent begun in earnest as the route cuts through a spectacular gully surrounded by striking strats of rock due to natural erosion, typical of the Aravis chain. The final push was steep zig zags with mountain goats watching on from the adjacent ridge. The summit views were breath-taking. A bloke told me that he could see (and name) 16 massifs. Mont Blanc and the entire Aravis Range looked awesome. There was no cloud like yesterday so the plains between the massifs could be appreciated. Several Golden Eagles (I think), soared above. From the summit, I decided to make a loop while descending via a narrow ridge to the lake by Pas de l’Ours. It was extremely exposed to the heights and steep but equipped with cables, so I loved it. A poor French lady didn’t though and was cragfast in descent despite the barking of her partner. In the end, I downclimbed in front of her and he went behind. She was terrified and he was embarrassed! Probably because he shouted at her - been there with Gemma, and it means that he's scared. Trust me! The lake was a great lunch spot and then there was an interesting scree traverse and another up through the Col des Porthets, before rejoining the outward route. Amazing day.