The third stage of the classic Haute Route is one of the most varied and longest days of the whole traverse. From the Cabane du Trient (3170 m), the route first crosses the Col des Écandies and descends through the Val d’Arpette to Champex-Lac (1470 m). After a road transfer to Verbier and the lift ride into the ski area, the second part of the stage begins: the high alpine crossing over the Col de la Chaux, the Col de Momin and the Rosablanche (3336 m) to the Cabane de Prafleuri (2624 m).
The stage links two very different landscapes. In the morning the glaciated peaks of the Mont Blanc massif still dominate; in the afternoon the route leads through the wide mountain country between the Val de Bagnes and the Val des Dix.