Next morning it’s cold and crispy and there’s frost on the grass. After crossing the Muande stream, it’s a steep zig zag up the mountainside, climbing to 2350m. At this altitude, I’m feeling short of breath and it’s a bit of a slog, but the magnificent views more than make up for it. We descend slightly to the Lac des Fétoules, more of a pond really, where people have camped overnight.
From here it’s a scramble downhill, icy underfoot, back to the bridge over the Vénéon River. There’s another bit of climbing before we reach delightful St Christophe en Oisans. The amusingly eccentric Café La Cordée supplies the beers and then welcomes us into their Hamman - just the thing for washing the dirt and sweat of the last few days away.
The Tour Gourmand continues onwards to a couple more refuges but I’m keen to try some glacier hiking, and I’m craving some comfort. A taxi whisks us 14km to Vénosc and we take the cable car to Les Deux Alpes and check into the three star Hotel Le Souleil’Or. After a couple of nights roughing it, it really feels like a palace and it’s good to have a room of my own. Dinner at their Le Shakisky restaurant is excellent.