Mountain refuge Gîte d'Etape Le Béranger

The approach to Gîte d'Etape Le Béranger part of a inhabited valley environment, in Valsenestre, within the Valjouffrey term, and that makes it a useful support before gaining more alpine land. At 1,310 meters, it is not in the middle of the high mountain, but at a point where meteorology can change quickly when it enters the reliefs of the Ecrins environment. In unstable days, its position allows to reorganize the march before continuing to higher levels or engaging with long routes.

Its mountain interest is closely linked to the passage of long-range routes. Near this point they run the GR 54 , known by the Tour de l'Oisans et Écrins, and the GR 50 which links broad sectors of the Parc National des Écrins. That is why it fits well as a journey shelter, either to divide stages, to adjust the effort according to the state of time or to resolve a transition day between valley and mountain. In this type of itineraries it is appropriate not to be trusted by the moderate altitude of the site: rain, fog or thermal descent can complicate the orientation and extend times as soon as the bottom of the valley is left.

It is also under a set of summits which clearly exceed 3,000 metres, such as Pic du Clapier du Peyron , Aiguille des Marmes , Pointe Marguerite or Pointe Swan , which reinforces its role as a pre-point to more demanding terrain, not as a guarantee of soft conditions. There are several very close sources in the immediate environment, one of them a few meters away, although in mountain it is always reasonable to confirm the real state of the water and to maintain a margin of autonomy. If it is used as a basis or as a step within a journey, the key here is to carefully plan the next day, especially when time forces us to decide whether to continue, wait or cut through.