Easily reached by cable car in winter and summer, Cime Caron rises to 3,200 m above Val Thorens in the Vanoise massif, on the northern edge of the Maurienne massif and south of the Belleville Valley. A highlight of Val Thorens and Orelle, it offers 360° views of the Alpine ranges, with Mont Blanc clearly visible on a fine day.
No pain, no gain: adventurous walkers have to earn the summit! From the lower part of Val Thorens, it is a 1,000 m ascent, 5 hours of walking and a 17 km return trip.
As for difficulty, professional athletes seem to run up effortlessly. For amateur walkers like us, however, it is quite a climb. Walking poles are very useful — at times, a trowel and some cement would almost convince us we were climbing walls!
An incredible experience: it felt like walking on the Moon, except that we had got there on foot!
