Sunday, 29.8.2021

The falls- die Stürze

Our route today: Refuge de la Leisse (2487 m) - Pont de Croé-Vie (2099 m) - Col de la Vanoise (2517 m) - Pralognan-La-Vanoise (1418 m)

We hadn't imagined the end of the day like this.

It started beautifully with a clear sky over the Refuge de la Leisse. We woke up at 7 am, although we had been awake for a while, had breakfast a little later than the others, and finally left the hut around 9 am. A leisurely start to the day. It was still quite calm and therefore warm; with the glacier wind picking up later, at the latest on the rise after the Pont de Croé-Vie, it became cool and not very comfortable again. The landscape at 2500 m altitude and not far from the glaciers of the Grande Casse was similar to yesterday's in the Vallon de la Leisse. After the Col de la Vanoise, at the refuge of the same name, there was a whirlwind of day tourists, coming from Pralognan, trail runners, and climbers. (We hadn't seen many mountain bikers for a week now.) After a lunch break, we started the descent to Pralognan; we wanted to continue hiking towards the Col de Chavière and camp outside. However, Lis fell on the way down and injured her knee, so we decided to stay overnight in Pralognan. And there followed the second fall, this time by Ignaz, and much more serious. While checking in and moving from one building to another (see photo), he stepped on the shoelaces of his right shoe with his left foot and fell very hard to the ground, especially on his knees. When he stood up, he immediately suspected that the hike was probably over, when he felt the still unswollen right knee and felt pieces where the kneecap should be, and especially because of the severe pain and the inability to stand on the leg. Therefore, the night was not completely calm.

The visit to the doctor on Monday morning brought the certainty.