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In 1983, a few mountain-hut
wardens and the presidents of the Champéry, Samoëns
and Sixt hikers associations started to solicit the help of
local councils and tourist offices to create the Tour of the
Dents Blanches; assistance that was granted as part of the "Contrat
de Pays de Samoëns" initiative.
It took ten years for the Tour of the Dents Blanches to become
a reality (trail maintenance, sign-posting, creation of gîtes
and mountain huts), with the work being supported by the local
authorities (district councils, "départemental"
council and regional council) and hikers organisations (Grande
Traversée des Alpes, Codérando 74).
The 10th anniversary, in 1993, provided
an occasion to thank the creators of the TDB, Paul Oranger (Samoëns)
and Fernand Rey-Bellet (Champéry), for their efforts
and, through them, to pay homage to the dozens of volunteers
who worked so hard on the project.
To meet an ever-increasing need, the International Association
of the Tour of the Dents Blanches (AITDB) was set up, with Morzine
(and later Evionnaz) joining the original three villages. The
Association comprises five district councils, four tourist offices,
four mountain offices, two gite and mountain hut management
organisations, 17 gites and mountain huts, and four local heritage
and history associations. |
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The
association is supported by Codérando 74 and the Valais
Hikers Association (AVTP).
Financial support for the endeavours of the AITDB has been given
by Haute-Savoie General Council, Rhone-Alps Regional Council,
the French Government, the Canton of the Valais, the Swiss Confederation
and the European Community (Interreg 2 Franco-Swiss).
Although the Tour of the Dents Blanches
never rises above 2600m and does not pass through glaciated
terrain, specialist equipment (rope, ice-axe and even crampons)
may be required, particularly for the snowfield below the ladders
at Ottans. The tour is suitable for experienced walkers with
good navigational skills (route finding between Susanfe and
Vogealle is not easy when visibility is poor). Information about
the amount of snow on the trails can be obtained from the area's
tourist offices or mountain guides' offices.
The recommended direction in which to do the tour is clockwise
- Samoëns-Morzine-Champéry-Sixt - because of the
order in which the difficult sections are encountered and because
the ladders at Ottans are more difficult to come down than go
up. |
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