Stage 7: La Fouly → Champex-Lac

14.9 km from La Fouly (1593 m) to Champex-Lac (1466 m), with 638 m of ascent and 765 m of descent.

Walking time by fitness profile

Times computed with the RandoNav planning algorithm. Breaks not included.

On the trail

The Tour's day off, though it does not say so on the map. From La Fouly the path simply follows the Drance down the valley, through Praz-de-Fort and Issert — old Valais villages of dark timber granaries raised on stone mushrooms, with fountains running in the squares and gardens full of vegetables. There is almost no climbing for two thirds of the day.

The sting is at the end: a 400 m pull up through forest to Champex-Lac at 1466 m, which is not hard but arrives when your legs have got used to flat. Champex, when you get there, is a small lakeside resort with pedalos and a bakery, and after six days of refuges it feels faintly absurd. Use the afternoon: this is the best chance on the whole loop to do laundry, eat something you chose yourself, and decide which of the two routes to Trient you are taking tomorrow.

Start / end

Stops along the way

These places between the endpoints let you split the stage into shorter days:

About this stage

Stage 7 links La Fouly (1593 m) with Champex-Lac (1466 m) over 14.9 km, climbing 638 m and descending 765 m. This stage is in the eastern half of the Tour, after Courmayeur — the Italian balcony, Switzerland, and the Aiguilles Rouges finale above Chamonix. One stop punctuates the route, so you can split this stage into shorter days. Water is available at every stop on this stage. Along the way only snacks and meals are available — no full resupply until the end of the stage.