🗺️ Overview
Starting point: Moiry Dam (2,250 m)
Highest point: Sasseneire (3,253 m)
Total elevation gain: ~1,000 m
Total distance: ~13 km
Total time: 5–6 hours
Technical difficulty: T3 (steep mountain trail with a short easy scrambling section)
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After exploring most of the 3000ers in the Moiry Valley, I needed to climb the Sasseneire to complete the series.
The hike starts at the Moiry Dam. Don't stop at the parking area at the bottom of the dam—drive a little further. A tunnel brings you to the top of the dam (2,250 m), where there is also a restaurant. There is ample parking there.
Cross the dam and continue following the large gravel road along the lake. The marked hiking path branches off soon after, but you can also stay on the road. I recommend doing both: take one uphill and the other downhill. The path offers fantastic views of the lake, whose water is an almost unreal shade of blue, while the road is gentler.
I followed the road uphill until Alpage de Torrent, where the two routes meet. From there, the trail continues across grassy slopes until Lac des Autannes, a perfect place for families to stop for a picnic. It took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach the lake at a fast pace.
After the lake, the path becomes steeper as it climbs towards the Col de Torrent (2,919 m). It takes about 30 minutes to reach the col and its summit cross. If you want an easy extra summit, you can turn left here and climb one of the unnamed secondary peaks.
For the Sasseneire, instead, descend slightly on the other side of the col. Just a few metres below, a path branches off to the right. This is not an official trail, but it is clearly visible and marked with cairns. From here, the grassy landscape gives way to the typical lunar scenery of the 3000ers in this region.
The path is steep but does not present any particular technical difficulties, although I imagine it could become slippery after rain. After traversing the left side of the mountain, it reaches the ridge and follows it, sometimes just below it on the left. Pay attention here: by following the ridge too closely, I actually lost the path twice.
Near the end, there is a very easy scrambling section that leads to the summit cross, surrounded by an amphitheatre of magnificent 4000ers. It took me about 45 minutes from the col, more than I expected, and around 2 hours and 45 minutes in total from the start.The return follows exactly the same route back to the dam. And cake and juice waited for me at the end. Yes, no cappuccino this time!
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