Mountain refuge Gîte d'étape du Casset

Before having water in the environment, it is necessary to plan it: the nearest source is almost 2 km away, so this support point in La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar calls for some autonomy even at a moderate level, 1141 meters. The Gîte d'étape du Casset is located in the valley of Valgaudemar, within the Ecrins National Park an important reference to understand the terrain around it: not so much an isolated shelter at altitude as a piece of link between the bottom of valley and serious mountain, with access to basins, hills and circles where the relief gains speed and level.

Your interest changes according to the route. It can work as a point of passage for those who move by crossing routes, especially in the environment of GR 54 , the Tour de l'Oisans et Écrins, but also as a basis for days that go into higher sectors of the Valgaudemar. In this logic, the approach to the Vallonpierre cabbage, which opens the reading of the ground to another side, or the exit to the lags of Crulillouse, already in a more mountainous and fit environment. Summits of more than 3000 meters such as the Cime du Vallon or the Pointe de la Muande are raised near, which strengthens its role as a pre-support before entering more demanding alpine land, not as a comfortable tour end.

To plan a night here you should think more about road continuity than about comfort. The location, in the region of Provence-Alpes- Costa Azul but clearly oriented to the Alpine world of the Écrins, promotes links between itineraries and long days of approach. The weather of the valley can change quickly as you gain height towards hills and circuses, and the fact that you do not have an immediate source next to the shelter requires you not to trust the day to a last minute resupply. If used as mountain shelter within a route planning, it is most reasonable to read it as a transition point between the valley transit and the higher mountain entry.