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Vanil Noir

2,389 m

Switzerland

Also known as Vani Né, ვანილ-ნუარი

Vani Né · ვანილ-ნუარი

Elevation
2,389 m
Prominence
1,115 m
Difficulty
4/10
Alpine hike
Best Season
Jul–Sep
Routes
1

Routes

1
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SACT4Sources differ: T4+ (SAC route portal (Grandvillard – Vanil Noir)) · Old Fribourg Prealps guide (1991): PE by the NW side (SAC route portal archive)ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: T4+ (SAC route portal (Grandvillard – Vanil Noir)) · Old Fribourg Prealps guide (1991): PE by the NW side (SAC route portal archive)

The standard way up the highest summit of canton Fribourg: a hut walk from the Les Baudes car park to the Cabane de Bounavaux, then a white-blue-white alpine path up grassy ledges to the Plan des Eaux saddle and an exposed, partly cabled traverse of the south-east face to the top. Usually done as a loop, descending by the Pas de la Borière.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
1,0001,5002,0002,5000 km1234Cabane de BounavauxPlan des Eaux
Distance
4.5 km
one way
Ascent
+1,123 m
start → summit
High Point
2,389 m
Time Up
4h 19m
DIN 33466
Time Down
2h 50m
DIN 33466 · same way back

From the gravel car park at Les Baudes (about 1,265 m, above Grandvillard) a track and path lead east past the La Coudré pasture to the Cabane de Bounavaux (1,636 m) in about 50 minutes. Continue up the valley to the Bounavaletta chalet (about 1,766 m) and, just before it, take the right-hand branch signed for the Plan des Eaux. Here the waymarks change from white-red-white to white-blue-white: the path climbs south, then east, up steep grassy ledges with some easy limestone scrambling to the Plan des Eaux (2,239 m), the broad saddle between the Vanil Noir and the Vanil de l'Ecri. From the saddle follow the crest north-east, then traverse the steep, very exposed south-east face above the Creux de Combe on a narrow path, partly fitted with cables and chains, to a small col at about 2,350 m and the summit (2,389 m). Allow about 3 hours from Les Baudes; from Grandvillard station, add roughly 2 hours (SAC: 5 h 15 min and 1,660 m from Grandvillard). Most people descend by the north ridge: down the east side of the crest to the Pas de la Borière (2,315 m), a short, airy cabled notch, then over limestone pavement and scree to the crest at point 2182 and down steep, loose ground (the 'roches pourries') to the Col de Bounavalette (1,995 m) and back past Bounavaletta to the hut. Both lines are slippery and dangerous when wet or snowy. The Vanil de l'Ecri (2,375 m) is a 15-minute side trip from the Plan des Eaux.

Start

Les Baudes1,271 m

  • Train or bus to Grandvillard (from Bulle), then about 2 h 30 min on foot to the Cabane de Bounavaux; Les Baudes has no public transport.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Les Baudes → Vanil Noir4.51,12364h 19m

Waypoints

  1. Parking:
    Les Baudes1,271 m

    Gravel car park (about 50 places) at the end of the Bounavaux road from Grandvillard; often full on summer weekends

  2. Hut:
    Cabane de Bounavaux1,636 m
  3. Feature:
    Bounavaletta1,756 m

    Alp chalet; fork right (south) for the Plan des Eaux just before it

  4. Col:
    Plan des Eaux2,196 m

    Unnamed on the national map; broad saddle between Vanil Noir and Vanil de l'Ecri. Position approximate.

  5. Summit:
    Vanil Noir2,389 m

Key Passages

  • Grassy ledges and limestone steps up to the Plan des Eaux
  • Exposed, partly cabled traverse of the south-east face
  • Pas de la Borière cabled notch (descent)
  • Loose 'roches pourries' down to the Col de Bounavalette

Equipment

0/6 packed
Technical
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation

Downloads

Route confidence 80%
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Overview

At 2,389 m the Vanil Noir is the highest summit of canton Fribourg and the Fribourg Prealps: a dark limestone pyramid on the Fribourg–Vaud border, inside a nature reserve full of ibex, climbed by exposed T4–T5 alpine paths with cables.

The Vanil Noir stands on the ridge between the Gruyère and the Pays-d'Enhaut, flanked by the almost equally high Vanil de l'Ecri (2,375 m) and Pointe de Paray (2,374 m). Three cirques drain from it to the Saane: Bounavaux to the west, Les Morteys to the north-east and Paray Doréna to the south-east. The mountain and its surroundings have been a nature reserve since 1983, and ibex and chamois are seen on almost every visit.

There is no easy way up. The two marked alpine routes from the Bounavaux side, by the Plan des Eaux and by the Col de Bounavalette and the Pas de la Borière, are white-blue-white paths (SAC T4 to T4+) with steep grass, loose limestone and very exposed traverses, partly protected by cables and chains. Combined as a loop from the Les Baudes car park they make a full but short day of about 1,150 m of ascent. Memorial plaques along the paths are a reminder that slips here are often fatal, above all in the wet.

The Cabane de Bounavaux, owned by Pro Natura and run by the CAS La Gruyère section, makes a good base, and the summit can be combined with the Vanil de l'Ecri or extended into longer T5 ridge traverses.

Climbing Notes

This is a hike for sure-footed walkers with a head for heights, not a beginner's outing. Expect hands-on moves (UIAA I), exposure with drops of several hundred metres and loose rock; go only in dry conditions, as the grass and limestone become treacherous when wet. Early in the season snow can linger in the north-facing gullies below the Plan des Eaux, when an ice axe and crampons are useful.

A typical day: drive to Les Baudes early (the car park fills on summer weekends), walk to the Cabane de Bounavaux in about 50 minutes, climb by the Plan des Eaux (about 3 hours to the summit in total) and descend by the Pas de la Borière and the Col de Bounavalette (about 2 hours). Those arriving by public transport start at Grandvillard, adding about 2 hours up, or spend a night at the hut. Parties uncomfortable with exposure can clip into the cables with a via ferrata lanyard, or settle for the Vanil de l'Ecri from the Plan des Eaux.

Season

Best Jul–Sep
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Not advisable
  5. May: Possible
  6. June: Good
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Best (best window)
  10. October: Possible
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; ski tours via the Vallon des Morteys for experienced ski-mountaineers only
Feb
Winter conditions
Mar
Winter; avalanche-prone steep slopes
Apr
Snow on the summit slopes
May
Hut opens mid-May; snow often lingers on the north-facing sections
Jun
Possible snow patches below the Plan des Eaux; take an ice axe early in the month
Jul
Best season; afternoon thunderstorms make the exposed paths slippery
Aug
Best season
Sep
Often stable and dry; hut open until early October
Oct
Hut closes early October; frost and early snow on the north side
Nov
Winter conditions
Dec
Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Cabane de Bounavaux (CAS La Gruyère / Pro Natura): online via hut-reservation.org or bounavaux@cas-gruyere.ch.
Fees
  • Overnight at the Cabane de Bounavaux: CHF 25 non-members, CHF 20 other CAS/UIAA members, CHF 14 CAS La Gruyère and Pro Natura members (current hut tariff)
Rules
  • Réserve naturelle du Vanil Noir: dogs are not allowed, stay on marked paths, no camping, fires, mountain biking or picking plants; carry all rubbish back down
  • Unmarked routes in the reserve (e.g. the north ridge over the Tête de l'Herbette) are only 'in principle tolerated'; winter wildlife quiet zones apply to ski tours
Getting There

Grandvillard (Bulle for services)

Geneva (GVA) or Bern (BRN)

  • Train or bus to Bulle, then TPF bus to Grandvillard; on foot about 2 h 30 min to the Cabane de Bounavaux
  • By car: A12 exit Bulle, towards Château-d'Œx, turn left at Villars-sous-Mont to Grandvillard, then the narrow road signed Bounavaux to the Les Baudes car park (about 1,265 m)

Hazards

  • Exposure
  • Rockfall
  • Weather

Huts & Shelters

1