Chartreuse Mountains Explained

The Chartreuse Mountains (French: Massif de la Chartreuse in French pronounced as /masif d(ə) la ʃaʁtʁøz/) are a mountain range in southeastern France, stretching from the city of Grenoble in the south to the Lac du Bourget in the north. They are part of the French Prealps, which continue as the Bauges to the north and the Vercors to the south.

Etymology

The name Chartreuse is derived from the village now known as Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, earlier Catorissium, Cantourisa, Caturissium, and Chatrousse.^[1] It appears to be of Gaulish origin;^[2] and is perhaps related to the name of the Caturiges tribe.^[3]

Geography

The mountain range rises between Grenoble (south), Chambéry (north), Voiron and Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (west) and Grésivaudan (Isère valley, east)

Main summits

Summits of the Chartreuse Mountains include:

• Chamechaude, 2082m (6,831feet)
• Dent de Crolles, 2062m (6,765feet)
• Les Lances de Malissard 2045m (6,709feet)
• Grand Som, 2026m (6,647feet)
• Dôme de Bellefont 1975m (6,480feet)
• Piton de Bellefont 1958m (6,424feet)
• Mont Granier, 1933m (6,342feet)
• La Grande Sure, 1920m (6,300feet)
• Le Charmant Som 1867m (6,125feet)
• Sommet du Pinet ou le Truc 1867m (6,125feet)
• Rochers de Chalves 1845m (6,053feet)
• Rocher de Lorzier 1838m (6,030feet)
• Dent de l'Ours 1820m (5,970feet)
• Scia 1791m (5,876feet)
• Petit Som 1772m (5,814feet)
• Pinéa 1771m (5,810feet)
• Mont Outheran 1673m (5,489feet)
• Grands Crêts 1489m (4,885feet)
• Pointe de la Gorgeat 1486m (4,875feet)
• Écoutoux 1406m (4,613feet)
• mont Saint-Eynard 1358m (4,455feet)
• Néron 1298m (4,259feet)
• Rachais 1050m (3,450feet)

Main passes

Passes of the Chartreuse Mountains include :

With road

• • • Col de la Charmette Col de la Cluse Col du Coq
      • • Col du Cucheron Col du Granier Col de Porte Col de Palaquit Col de Vence
• Col de la Placette

Without road

• • • • Col de l'Alpe Col de l'Alpette Col des Ayes Col de Charmille
  • Col des Émeindras Col de la Faîta
  • Col de Bellefond Col de Léchaud
  • Col de la Ruchère Col de la Sure
• Col de la Grande Vache
• Col de la Petite Vache
• Col du Baure

Main canyons

Canyons of the Chartreuse Mountains include :

• Gorges du Guiers Vif
• Gorges du Guiers Mort
• Gorges du Ténaison
• Gorges de la Vence
• Gorge du Manival
• Gorges de l'Echaillon
• Gorges du Cozon Rau

Main plateaux

Plateaux of the Chartreuse Mountains include :

• Plateau des Petites Roches
• Plateau du Grand-Ratz

Main Caves

The main caves in the Chartreuse include :

• ,
  69.6km (43.2miles) long, 655m (2,149feet) deep.^[4]
• Réseau de la Dent de Crolles - about 60km (40miles) long, 690m (2,260feet) deep.^[5]
• Système du Granier, 55.7km (34.6miles) long, 635m (2,083feet) deep.^{[6] [7]}
• Réseau de malissard, 18.2km (11.3miles) long, 415m (1,362feet) deep.^[8]
• Système Pinet-Brouillard, 11.2km (07miles) long, 507m (1,663feet) deep.^[9]

Geology

The lithology is dominated by limestone, and several hundred kilometres of cave passages lie beneath the hills, including the world-famous 60 km long Dent de Crolles system.

Winter sports resorts

Chartreuse winter sports resorts include :

• Le Désert d'Entremont, where the use of snowshoes has been particularly developed
• Granier en Chartreuse
• Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and Le Planolet
• Saint-Hugues-de-Chartreuse
• Col de Porte 1326m (4,350feet)
• Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse
• La Ruchère (cross-country skiing)
• Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet
• Col de Marcieu
• Col du Coq

Environment

• The Parc Naturel Régional de la Chartreuse was founded in May 1995.
• The Réserve Naturelle des Hauts de Chartreuse was founded in 1997. It includes seven Isère townships and four Savoie townships.

Miscellaneous

The Chartreuse Mountains gave their name to the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse, the monastic Carthusian Order takes its name from these mountains, where its first hermitage was founded in 1084. Also derived from the mountain range's name is that of the alcoholic cordial Chartreuse produced by the monks since the 1740s, and of the chartreuse colour, greenish hue of the Chartreuse liqueur, named after the drink.

See also

• Charmant Som
• Néron (Isère)

External links

• Chartreuse: A Walking Guide
• A Wiki-Walks guide to some less well known hiking routes in the Chartreuse

45.35°N 55°W

Notes and References

1. Oxford English Dictionary, 1st edition, 1888 s.v.
2. Juan Luis García Alonso, Continental Celtic Word Formation: The Onomastic Data, p. 42
3. Robert Ellis, A Treatise on Hannibal's Passage of the Alps, 1853, p. 174
4. Denis Bourgeois. fr. Savoie-Quelques nouvelles des fronts…. Spelunca. 2008. 111. 25–30. 2018-05-30.
5. Web site: Gardner. John. 20 August 2021. Réseau de la Dent de Crolles, Chartreuse. live. 25 November 2021. Réseau de la Dent de Crolles, Chartreuse. https://web.archive.org/web/20211125213356/https://www.braemoor.co.uk/crolles/ . 2021-11-25 .
6. Denys Bourgeois. fr. échos des profondeurs France-Isère-Activités du Spéléo-club de Savoie au Mont Granier (Chartreuse nord). Spelunca . 83. 2001. 5–6. 0991-0735.
7. Web site: Jean-Louis Fantoli. gouffre des Myriades. 2018-05-18.
8. Web site: fr. Bernard Loiseleur. Le massif du Seuil (Chartreuse, France): organisation des réseaux souterrains. revue Karstologia. 1994. 24. 13–28. 2018-06-19.
9. Web site: Jean-Louis Fantoli. Gouffre du Brouillard. 2018-05-18.