The impetuous mountain torrent of La Diosaz has its source on the south side of Mont Buet (Le Mont-Blanc des dames at 3099m). It has made its path through a narrow yet very green natural fault between the towering cliffs of rock and hurls itself down in successive cascades.At its term, the torrent arrives at an enormous slab of rock which became stuck between the banks of the flow after falling into the chasm and is today referred to as the “natural bridge”. From this viewing point, 25m above the abyss, you can admire the Cascade du Soufflet and the see the continuation of this natural fault.

From a grandiose aspect, this walk takes on an almost supernatural dimension for some, thanks to the presence of a curious monument at the entrance to the gorges. Marked with several inscriptions is the tomb of a poet, a victim of his passion for grand scenes of nature “It is with both marvel and fear that one should visit this place marked by nature, spurting forth its majesty and power”, or even “the French Government honours science and the arts, protects scholars and artists. The soil of the Republic welcomes strangers from every land with hospitality”.All along the footpath, the jets of white froth contrast with either the black and green schist, or the grey and red oxidised rock speckled with bright yellow lichen. Waterfall follows waterfall with a constant roar as the water throws itself into giant bowls and deep gulfs to finish in a transparent froth before continuing its way down the gulley through rocks shaped by the water. Bare tree trunks, piled up on the banks of the torrent give witness to the violence of the storm waters. More than 100 types of ferns have been found in the site.

In 1871, Achille Cazin (Professor of physics and researcher into thermodynamics) the then owner of the “îles de la Diosaz” was struck by the beauty of the gorges and wanted everyone to share his find. He started up a company whose sole aim was to construct a passage through the gorges.To carry out the project, the carpenter in Servoz, Pierre Berthoud, needed enough motivation to match the size of the challenge! The perils to which the workers were exposed in the gorges at that time were phenomenal. We can imagine them suspended from the steep cliffs by heavy hemp ropes while trying to attach hundreds of metal supports. They were the precursors to today’s high rise acrobatic workers! The landscaping work, not only difficult but very dangerous, was completed without incident in 1875 (after four years of toil). The 1500 tourists who visited the site that summer were the first to visit the new “Alpine attraction”.The priest of Les Houches Joseph Lombard (1833-1900), poetically described the site in 1874:“My sides are steep and no one can without fearcontemplate my current in the bed of rocks;The mountain towers in front of me:

I melted through the mountain and opened up a labyrinth to where my torrent rushes…”

At the start of your stroll through the gorges you can now visit a small grotto (2m x 4m) which has been recently opened to the public. Its strange history is both troubling and captivating.