Refuge Durier
The Refuge Durier, located near the Col de Miage on the border between
France and Italy, at 3358 m.
The hut is guarded between 15/6 and 15/9 by Gilbert Socquet,
who will be pleased to prepare dinner and breakfast.
The Ref Durier is owned by the CAF St Gervais and the usual Alpine
club reductions apply.
The hut has 17 places, with 7 more in the old building.
Telephone of the hut: 0681109476.
Off-season address of the guard:
Gilbert Socquet
1566, Route de la Croix
74190 St Nicolas de Veroce
How to get there
All accesses to the hut cross glaciers, some include climbing passages.
Appropriate equipment and skills are required.
The hut can be reached in 1 day from both the French and from the
Italian side, or in 2 days over the Dômes de Miage:
- From le Gruvaz, near les Contamines, a path leads up to the
chalets de Miage (Gîte d'Etape) and from there on to the
Ref Plan Glacier.
The warden of this hut can provide details on the rest of the itinerary.
Above the Plan Glacier hut, one first follows a ledge, climbs a crest,
follows a ledge again until the upper part of the Gl de Miage.
Then through the rocks and following a series of red dots, along the
Arête des Lancherons, one reaches the old hut.
In total more than 2200 m up, about 7 h.
Best to start early in view of the risk in the afternoon
of falling stones, especially just below the hut.
(The view from the Ref Durier to the N, showing the valley through
which the above way passes.
Photo of Uli Feichtinger.)
- From the Lac Combal proceed at first as for the Rif Gonella,
then aim for the foot of the Gl de Bionnassay and via a rocky
crest climb up to the Col de Miage.
This itinerary takes about 7 h.
- Over the Dômes de Miage, starting from le Cugnon,
spending a night either at the Hôtel-Ref de Tré-la-Tête
or at the Ref des Conscrits.
Next day over the Bérangère and all 5
Dômes de Miage to the Ref Durier.
The last part of the descent from the Dômes de Miage to the
Col de Miage is marked with red dots which are difficult to see from above.
The passage is a bit on the W side of the crest.
One can also follow the Gl de Tré-la-Tête until the
Col Infranchissable and from there follow the last part only of
the crest of the Dômes de Miage.
Up to Tré-la-Tête takes about 2 h, to the Ref des Conscrits
another 2h30.
From the Ref des Conscrits over the Dômes de Miage to Durier takes
8-10 h.
The hut is not located at the Col de Miage itself, but 200 m further
to the N, slightly on the French side of the crest.
The hut is made of wood, but is on the outside entirely protected with
metal.
© IGN 1998
From there ...
The Ref Durier is an excellent starting point for the S ridge of the
Aig de Bionnassay (4052 m).
The hut is also located at one end of the
Dômes de Miage.
These two and the Mt Blanc can be combined in a 3 or 4-day
traverse.
Last updated on 15/8/98.