The high ground above Le Fornet is the starting point for Pays Désert’s open expanses and the longer mountain journey of Col Pers.
Part of the wider Le Fornet / Iseran area.
High in the Pissaillas sector, Pays Désert is all space, rolling snow and mountain views. Gentler options give it a different character from the steeper valley descents. A short walk or skin can open up variations in this high-mountain setting.
Read Fredrik’s Pays Désert storyBroad valleys and imposing rock walls give Col Pers its grand scale. The scenery changes throughout the outing, and the return is a serious part of the plan: the Malpasset gorge can be impassable, so the exit must be assessed by your guide.
Read Fredrik’s Col Pers storyPissaillas is a high-altitude subdivision of the Fornet–Iseran area. Pays Désert combines broad, open terrain with a return-lift connection. Col Pers starts from the Pissaillas side before continuing into remote terrain and eventually returning towards Le Fornet.
The return village does not define the starting sector: Col Pers is listed here under Pissaillas, with Le Fornet retained as its return area.
These are practical groupings for exploring the guide. The individual accounts explain their approaches, variants and returns.
These are ideas for professionally guided outings, not route directions. Beyond the marked pistes, avalanches and cliffs demand specialist judgement. Choose the day’s route with an appropriately qualified local professional; carry a transceiver, shovel and probe and know how to use them.
Icons describe terrain, skiing demands and walking, including route variants. Skiing labels are descriptive, not official grades. Open terrain describes the landscape, not the snow conditions; a missing terrain icon does not mean that feature is absent.
Photographs from Fredrik’s collection. Photo credits.
Choose the day’s route with a qualified local guide. Avalanche and cliff hazards require specialist judgement; carry a transceiver, shovel and probe and know how to use them.
