{{Short description|Mountain in Isère, France}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Charmant Som | image = Le Charmant Som.JPG | image_caption = View of Charmant Som from the summit of Chamechaude | elevation_m = 1867 | elevation_ref = | country = France | region_code = }}
'''Charmant Som''' is a mountain in the French department of Isère, rising to {{Convert|1,867|m|ft}} in the Chartreuse Mountains in the Alps. It is made up of limestone, but its relief is less pronounced than that of the surrounding mountains, which is why it is covered with alpine meadows, the origin of its name. These have been occupied and tended by shepherds since the Middle Ages. They are accessible via a road built between the two world wars from the Col de Porte to {{Convert|200|m|ft}} below the main summit. The road leads to two buildings serving as inn, chalet and cheese dairy.
The mountain is part of the Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, a Natural area of ecological, faunal and floristic interest (ZNIEFF by its acronym in French) and a Natura 2000 zone. These protected areas are designed to preserve biodiversity. However, they are also ideal for hiking, speleology (which began to develop in the 1960s, followed by skiing in the late 1970s), cycling, climbing and paragliding.
== Toponymy == This topographic toponym designating a mountain is an oronym.
It was attested as ''Charmencson'' in 1357, ''Charmenson'' in 1540, ''Chalmenson'' in the ''Titres de la Grande Chartreuse'' in the 17th century, ''Charmanson'' in 1700 (''Réformation des forêts'', II) and 1725 (new ''Titres de la Grande Chartreuse''),<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Revue alpine |publisher=Section lyonnaise du Club alpin français |year=1908 |volume=14 |pages=202 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ferrand |first=Henri |title=Recherches sur quelques anciens noms de lieux : archéologie alpine |publisher=A. Genestre |year=1908 |pages=11 |language=fr}}</ref> ''Charmant Som'' on the Cassini map in the 18th century.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Carte IGN classique |url=https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/carte?c=5.76417,45.32528&z=5.0E-5&l0=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS::GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes |website=Géoportail |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
The name ''Charmant Som'' represents the alteration of a ''Chalmenson'' type, composed of the Latin ''summus'' "highest point" (> ''som[me]'' + ''-et'' > "summit") associated with the prelatin ''calmis'' (possibly Gallic) and meaning "mountain pasture, above the forest limit, grassy summit, often of difficult access and sparse vegetation",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Suter |first=Henry |title=Charmant |url=http://henrysuter.ch/glossaires/topoC1.html |website=Noms de lieux de Suisse romande, Savoie et environs |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Suter |first=Henry |title=Calmis |url=http://henrysuter.ch/glossaires/annexe.html#calmis |website=Noms de lieux de Suisse romande, Savoie et environs |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bouvier |first=Jean-Claude |title=Noms de lieux du Dauphiné |publisher=Christine Bonneton |year=2002 |isbn=978-2862532998 |language=fr}}</ref> hence the regional words ''chalm'', ''chaume'' "bare height, pasture"; ''charme'' "summit pasture, uncultivated land".<ref name=":2" /> On the other hand, the etymology of the word "thatch", in "thatched roof", is different: it can be explained by the classical Latin ''calamus'' "reed".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chaume |url=https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/chaume |website=CNRTL |language=fr}}</ref>
== Geography ==
=== Location === [[File:Le Charmant Som et Chamechaude depuis le Col de la Grande Vache.JPG|left|thumb|View of Charmant Som and Chamechaude (right) from the Col de la Grande Vache to the west]] Charmant Som is located in southeastern France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Isère département, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. It lies some {{Convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Grenoble and almost {{Convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of Lyon. It is part of the pre-Alpine Chartreuse Mountains.
It is surrounded by La Grande Sure ({{Convert|1,920|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the west, La Pinéa ({{Convert|1,771|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) on the same ridgeline to the southwest, Chamechaude ({{Convert|2,082|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the southeast, the Roc d'Arguille ({{Convert|1,768|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the east and the Grand Som ({{Convert|2,026|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the northeast.
=== Topography === thumb|View of the mountain pastures and the southern antecima of Charmant Som from the south The summit rises to an altitude of {{Convert|1,867|m|ft}}. At its foot are the Col de la Charmette ({{Convert|1,261|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the west, the Col de Porte ({{Convert|1,326|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) to the south and the Gorges du Guiers Mort to the north.<ref name=":1" />
The Charmant Som is shaped like a "Y". The junction of its three branches is formed by a rocky dome cut off to the north by cliffs forming the Promontory.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Les abrupts du Charmant Som |url=http://www.geol-alp.com/chartreuse/6_sommets_ch/charmant_som.html |website=geol-alp.com. |language=fr}}</ref> The Chamechine ridge to the northwest shelters the ''Combe de l'If''. To the northeast is the Bérard ridge. The southern branch, known as the Canaple ridge, has a gentler slope and is home to alpine pastures to which the D57d departmental road leads from the Col de Porte.<ref name=":1" />
=== Geology === [[File:Calcaire Charmant Som.jpg|left|thumb|Urgonian limestone karstification behind the cheese dairy<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les alpages du Charmant Som |url=http://www.geol-alp.com/chartreuse/6_sommets_ch/charmant_som_chts.html |website=geol-alp.com. |language=fr}}</ref>]] Unlike most Chartreuse mountains, Charmant Som is not a sharp crest, but a rounded mountain formed by the massif's median anticline.<ref name=":3" /> The three ridges and the summit are made of Urgonian limestone. Near the chalets to the south of the summit, in the dip, the Urgonian is covered by remnants of Senonian. To the north, in the anticlinal fold between the Chamechine ridge and the Bérard ridge, erosion has uncovered older layers: Hauterivian, then Fontanil limestone, Berriasian marly rock and Tithonic limestone.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cartes détaillées du chaînon du Charmant Som |url=http://www.geol-alp.com/chartreuse/6_sites_ch/cht_som_carte.html |website=geol-alp.com. |language=fr}}</ref>
=== Climate === The Chartreuse Mountains are subject to an oceanic mountain climate. It acts as a barrier to the prevailing westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean, and thus receives a large amount of precipitation, with a peak in early spring and another in early autumn. A third of this precipitation comes in the form of snow. As a result, the snowpack at the Col de Porte ({{Convert|1,326|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) is around {{Convert|1|m|ft|spell=in}} thick at the end of February, but reached record heights of {{Convert|200 to 230|cm|ft}} for the same period in 1979, 1982 and 1985. However, average snow cover, which has halved over the last fifty years,<ref>{{Cite web |title=L'eau entre mémoire et devenir - Hydrographie et pluviométrie en Chartreuse - Un massif arrosé toute l’année |url=http://eau.amisdesparcs.fr/spip.php?article87#sommaire_1 |website=Amis des parcs naturels régionaux du Sud-Est |language=fr}}</ref> has averaged {{Convert|50|cm|ft|spell=in}} over the last ten years. Since the 2000s, snow has averaged 150 days a year on the Col de Porte, thirty days less than in the 1960s; the presence of a snowpack greater than one meter has declined by an average of fifteen days every ten years over the same period. This observation coincides with a {{Convert|1.4|C-change}} rise in temperatures over the last half-century, from 1 December to 30 April.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hivers au Col de Porte |url=http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/Les-hivers-au-col-de-Porte-Isere.html |website=Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement durable et de l'Énergie |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809082504/http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/Les-hivers-au-col-de-Porte-Isere.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Fauna and flora === Mammals include the chamois and chiropterans: the Western barbastelle, the Northern bat and the Brown long-eared bat.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=http://carmen.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IHM/metadata/RHA/Publication/ZNIEFF/38150010.pdf |title=Massif du Charmant Som ZNIEFF de type I no régional : 38150010 |publisher=Inventaire des zones naturelles d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique |year=2007 |edition=2nd |language=fr}}</ref> There is also evidence of the presence of the Eurasian lynx.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=FR8201741 - Ubacs du Charmant Som et gorges du Guiers Mort |url=http://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs/natura2000/fsdpdf/FR8201741.pdf |language=fr}}</ref> Roe deer, wild boar and red deer frequent the central Chartreuse.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parc naturel régional de Chartreuse |url=http://www.parcs-naturels-regionaux.tm.fr/fr/decouvrir/parcs.asp?op=parcs-presentation&id=10 |website=Fédération des parcs naturels régionaux de France |language=fr}}</ref> Bird species at Charmant Som include the Golden Eagle, Wallcreeper, Alpine chough and Black Grouse.<ref name=":4" /> The Rosalia longicorn is a protected species of beetle.<ref name=":5" /> [[File:Veratrum album en Chartreuse.jpg|thumb|''Veratrum album'' in the Charmant Som mountain pastures; often confused with ''Gentiana lutea'' when dry, it is toxic to both humans and livestock, although small quantities are eaten in autumn.]] The rocky outcrops and forests of sycamore maple and Norway spruce<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=La forêt de Chartreuse, une forêt très présente |url=http://www.parc-chartreuse.net/decouvrir-la-chartreuse/foret-filiere-bois/la-foret-de-chartreuse.html |website=Parc naturel régional de Chartreuse |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716155214/http://www.parc-chartreuse.net/decouvrir-la-chartreuse/foret-filiere-bois/la-foret-de-chartreuse.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> are remarkable for their floristic diversity, and are home to some rare protected species. These include the ''Cypripedium calceolus''.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Other species found in these environments include the ''Aconitum anthora'', the ''Aconitum variegatum'', the ''Allium victorialis'', the ''Arabis serpyllifolia'', the ''Bupleurum longifolium'', the ''Campanula latifolia'', the ''Centranthus angustifolius'', the ''Chrysosplenium oppositifolium'', the ''Circaea alpina'', the ''Clematis alpina'', the ''Cystopteris montana'', the ''Daphne alpina'', the ''Galium obliquum'', the ''Galium pseudohelveticum'', the ''Gentiana cruciata'', the ''Gymnadenia odoratissima'', the ''Helictotrichon setaceum'', the ''Hieracium lawsonii'', the ''Hypericum nummularium'', the ''Impatiens noli-tangere'', the ''Laserpitium gallicum'', the ''Limodorum abortivum'', the ''Neottia cordata'', the ''Lunaria rediviva'', the ''Minuartia capillacea'', the ''Orobanche laserpitii-sileris'', the ''Peucedanum carvifolium'', the ''Polystichum aculeatum'', the ''Polystichum setiferum'', the ''Potentilla nitida'', the ''Primula auricula'', the ''Rhodiola rosea'', the ''Saxifraga muscoides'', and the ''Tozzia alpina.''<ref name=":4" /> The ''Viola calcarata'', the ''Narcissus pseudonarcissus'', the ''Dactylorhiza sambucina'', the ''Trollius europaeus'', the ''Gymnadenia nigra'', the ''Lilium martagon'', the ''Gentiana angustifolia'', and the ''Veratrum album'' usually bloom on the 200 hectares of alpine pastures, which are maintained by pastoralism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le Charmant Som |url=http://www.isere-tourisme.com/equipements/le-charmant-som |website=Isère tourisme |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2016-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330182603/http://www.isere-tourisme.com/equipements/le-charmant-som |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=En forêt de la Grande Chartreuse - Les sites à découvrir |url=http://www.onf.fr/enforet/grande-chartreuse/explorer/sites/20120521-122411-65280/@@index.html |website=Office national des forêts |language=fr}}</ref>
== History == In the Middle Ages, Charmant Som was first owned by the Bonnevaux Abbey, founded in what is now the commune of Villeneuve-de-Marc, which made a short transhumance to the mountain from the Terres froides. It was then ceded to the Grande Chartreuse, a few decades after its foundation in 1084 in the Saint-Bruno valley, opposite the Charmant Som.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Gardelle |first=Charles |title=Alpages, terres de l'été : Tome 2, Dauphiné |publisher=La Fontaine de Siloé |year=2002 |isbn=978-2842061494 |pages=68 |language=fr}}</ref> The alpine pastures were cleared for grazing. The Orgeval oratory, dedicated to Saint Peter, was built around 1535 to mark the southern boundary of the monastery's possessions.<ref name=":6" /> Following the French Revolution in 1790, the mountain pasture became ''biens nationaux'' (national property), and was sold to the Grenoble hospice in 1807.<ref name=":7" /> The presence of a summit cross is attested as early as 1902.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Les croix de Chartreuse et petits monuments |url=http://croixdechartreuse.fr/croix/thumbnails.php?album=7 |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814021046/http://croixdechartreuse.fr/croix/thumbnails.php?album=7 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After World War I, it was bought by the National Forests Office, who leased it by adjudication to ''Provençal'' shepherds, who re-established transhumance, resulting in the temporary loss of local cheese production.<ref name=":7" /> left|thumb|Contemporary view of the Charmant Som chalets below the southern antecima However, between 1932 and 1937, these same shepherds took advantage of the opportunity to build the current road in place of the old mule track leading to the mountain pastures.<ref name=":7" /> The Touring club de France, present in Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse since the founding of a tourist office in 1905 and encouraged by the commune's classification as a health resort,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lorsqu'en l'an 1084... |url=http://www.saintpierredechartreuse.fr/V2/index.php?mact=News,mb3191,default,1&mb3191detailpage=actualites&mb3191pagelimit=3&mb3191pagenumber=4&mb3191returnid=62&mb3191returnid=62&page=62 |language=fr}}</ref> helped to make the road viable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blanchard |first=Raoul |title=Revue de geographie alpine |publisher=Imprimerie Allier frères |year=2003 |volume=91 |pages=32 |language=fr |issue=1-4}}</ref> He also took over a large part of the former haberts to transform them into a chalet, inaugurated in September 1937.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1937 |title=La vie sportive : un nouveau chalet de montagne installé par le T.C.F. |language=fr |page=4 |work=L'Homme libre}}</ref>
In 1941, in the midst of the scarcity caused by World War II, the National Forests Office decided to lease the mountain pastures to an entrepreneur from Les Adrets, who immediately handed over management to a resident of Theys, with the cattle being driven from these two Dauphiné villages at the foot of the Belledonne to the Chartreuse Mountains.<ref name=":7" /> At the same time, ''Jeunesse et Montagne'' and ''Chantiers de la jeunesse française'' camps were set up at Charmant Som, Col de Porte and Malamille. Initially supported by the Vichy France regime, these camps became part of the Resistance at the end of the war, taking in those who had refused Compulsory Work Service (STO) and joined the Maquis.<ref name=":7" />
The Criska chasm was discovered in 1962 with the help of the eponymous<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Lismonde |first=Baudouin |title=Chartreuse Souterraine |last2=Drouin |first2=Philippe |publisher=Comité départemental de spéléologie de l'Isère |year=1985 |isbn=978-2902670192 |pages=101-106 |language=fr}}</ref> dog of the Speleo-club cartusien, then explored by a member of the Grenoble Speleos of the ''Fédération Française des clubs alpins et de montagne'' (FFCAM by its acronym in French). Over the next three years, a depth of {{Convert|230|m|ft}} was reached. During the summer of 1967 and spring of 1968, the Fontaine-La Tronche Speleo-group had to deal with a number of obturations, artificially widening the cave by blasting. Over the following months, they explored at depth, reaching {{Convert|700|m|ft}}. In 1969, bad weather forced speleology to explore the upper part of the network, linking the Criska chasm with the Vire cave, the Escalade shaft, the Corneilles shaft and the Aura shaft, which became the highest entrance in the network, at {{Convert|1,614|m|ft}}. Finally, on 27 September 1970, the final depth of {{Convert|740|m|ft}} was reached; the upper part of the network was de-equipped.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |date=1972 |title=Scialet |url=http://cds38.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/1972/01/scialet01.pdf |journal=Bulletin du Comité départemental de spéléologie de l'Isère |language=fr |issue=1 |pages=33-35}}</ref> The chasm was renamed Kriska Well. In 1976, the Ded network, named after André Méozzi,<ref name=":9" /> was one of the twenty deepest caves in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Les grandes cavités mondiales |url=http://souterweb.free.fr/records/cavitesprofondes.htm |language=fr}}</ref> [[File:OratoireOrgeval.jpg|thumb|View of the Orgeval oratory, with Chamechaude in the cloudy background]] A three-seater chairlift was installed in 1978. Built by Poma with a fixed-attachment system, it was one of the first of its kind in France. It is {{Convert|1,763|m|ft}} long and has a vertical drop of {{Convert|502|m|ft}}, with the arrival station close to the southern end of the mountain pastures, above the Canaple valley. Although attached to the Col de Porte ski area, it is located entirely within the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. Due to a lack of investment and after several vandalism incidents, operations ceased in the mid-2000s; unlike the rest of the Col de Porte resort, the chairlift was not reopened in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TSF3 du Charmant Som |url=http://www.remontees-mecaniques.net/bdd/reportage-433.html |website=remontees-mecaniques.net. |language=fr}}</ref>
In 1992, the Orgeval oratory was restored and moved to the side of the road,<ref name=":7" /> where it leads out of the forest into the mountain pastures. Finally, in 1993, the Charmant Som mountain pasture was taken over by Savoyard farmers.<ref name=":7" /> The summit cross escaped the wave of vandalism suffered by many crosses in the Chartreuse Mountains in early 2000 and December 2001,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruchon |first=Jean-Louis |date=2000 |title=Qui en veut aux croix de la Chartreuse ? |language=fr |work=Parisien |url=http://www.leparisien.fr/loisirs-et-spectacles/qui-en-veut-aux-croix-de-la-chartreuse-saint-pierre-de-chartreuse-de-notre-correspondant-29-07-2000-2001531452.php}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nicolas GAMBY, photos de montagne, d'ici et d'ailleurs - Chamechaude |url=http://www.gamby.org/?tag=chamechaude |language=fr}}</ref> and was replaced in 2006.<ref name=":8" />
== Activities ==
=== Economy === thumb|View of the cheese dairy and cattle in the background thumb|View of a mountain pasture with a few cows on the southern ridge of Charmant Som The inn at the summit of Charmant Som is operated by cattle breeders from June to the end of September.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Chevallier |first=Serge |title=Harmonies pastorales: les bovins rustiques sauvegarde des terroirs |publisher=Éditions du Gerfaut |year=2002 |isbn=978-2914622103 |pages=137 |language=fr}}</ref> The cattle graze alternately in four different pens and generally do not require the supervision of a shepherd;<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":11" /> they number between 60<ref name=":11" /> and 80 Tarentaise cows,<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Gîte du Chant de l'Eau |url=http://www.gitechantdeleau.com/nos-produits-sur-votre-table/nos-fournisseurs/ |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821093033/http://www.gitechantdeleau.com/nos-produits-sur-votre-table/nos-fournisseurs/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> providing an average of {{Convert|800|l|impgal usgal}} of milk.<ref name=":11" /> In the absence of a spring, water is brought in by tanker.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":11" /> The milk is processed directly into cheese. Serac, once considered a "poor man's cheese",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuisine française - sérac |url=http://www.cuisinealafrancaise.com/fr/dgal/produits/67-serac |language=fr}}</ref> is making a strong comeback and can be eaten as a salad. Tomme baujue and faisselle cheese are also produced.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":12" /> Around 70% of production is consumed by tourists, who are served a meal at the inn, or sold directly at the cheese dairy.
=== Hiking === The classic hiking route starts at the Chalets du Charmant Som, at the end of the D57d departmental road accessible from the Col de Porte. In summer, they offer around 50 beds; in winter, the cowshed remains open and guests can sleep on the straw.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Auberge et Chalets du Charmant Som 1686 m (cabane non gardée) |url=http://www.refuges.info/point/201/cabane-non-gardee/Chartreuse/Auberge-et-Chalets-du-Charmant-Som/ |website=refuges.info. |language=fr}}</ref> The path leads smoothly up the southern ridge above the mountain pastures to the southern antecima.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Par la route - depuis le Col de Porte |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/200798/fr/charmant-som-par-la-route-depuis-le-col-de-porte |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> {{Convert|200|m|ft|spell=In}} separate it from the main summit. The trail, used by between 10,000 and 20,000 people every year, was upgraded in 2007 to prevent soil erosion. From the chalets, the old path leads to the summit, passing to the west below the antecima, then up through scree slopes into a small combe.<ref name=":1" /><gallery mode="packed-overlay"> File:Fromagerie- Charmant Som 38.JPG|View of the chalets from the classic path File:Charmant Som - face Ouest.JPG|View of the alternative trail from the west </gallery>Three footpaths lead up to the road near the Oratoire d'Orgeval, in the mountain pastures to the south: from the Col de la Charmette via Le Fournel on the western slope, from the Col de Porte via the GR Tour de Chartreuse across the northeastern flank of La Pinéa and along the Balme de l'Air on the southern ridge, or from the hamlet of Les Cottaves on the eastern slope.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Versant E - depuis les Cottaves |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/49946/fr/charmant-som-versant-e-depuis-les-cottaves |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref>
From the north-east, the ascent is via the Collet, then across the slabs of the east face to the main path leading to the antecima and summit. Le Collet can be reached either to the north from the Valombré valley, or to the northeast via an unmarked path along the Bérard ridge, or to the east via the GR Tour de Chartreuse from the hamlet of La Martinière, which can also be reached from the hamlet of Les Revols.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Boucle autour de l'arête de Bérard |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/310665/fr/charmant-som-boucle-autour-de-l-arete-de-berard |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : En boucle par Valombré et la face E, Pré Batard et le col de la Cochette |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/241038/fr/charmant-som-en-boucle-par-valombre-et-la-face-e-pre-batard-et-le-col-de-la-cochette |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> The Frettevieille hut, above La Martinière, can be used as a rough shelter with straw provided.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cabane de Frettevieille 1060 m (cabane non gardée) |url=http://www.refuges.info/point/3275/cabane-non-gardee/Chartreuse/Cabane-de-Frettevieille/ |website=refuges.info. |language=fr}}</ref>
=== Other sporting activities === thumb|View of the Charmant Som road as you leave the forest The ascent to the chalets by bike, via the D57d departmental road from the Col de Porte, is {{Convert|5.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, of which almost {{Convert|4.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} is forest. The average gradient is 6.1% (7.5% excluding the first {{Convert|1,500|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}} of false flat), with one section at 11%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chalet de Charmant Som depuis Grenoble : 1680 m |url=http://www.cols-cyclisme.com/chartreuse/france/chalet-de-charmant-som-depuis-grenoble-c1639.htm |language=fr}}</ref>
As the Charmant Som route is closed in winter, the entire ascent can be made by ski mountaineering from the Col de Porte to the chalets, then up to the summit via the snow-covered mountain pastures.<ref name=":13" /> This route was used as a back-up during the Traversée de Chartreuse cross-country ski race in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La 26e Traversée de Chartreuse, c'est le dimanche 15 janvier 2012 > toutes les infos |url=http://www.dauphinordique.com/actus/2012/12jan52.htm |language=fr}}</ref> Despite the closure of the chairlift, the old red trail is still suitable for ski mountaineering between its downstream end and its junction with the road under Canaple.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Par la piste du télésiège |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/45571/fr/charmant-som-par-la-piste-du-telesiege |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> The Cottaves itinerary is possible on both the ascent and descent,<ref name=":14" /> as is the north-west corridor from the Col de la Charmette<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Couloir NW par le Col de la Charmette |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48837/fr/charmant-som-couloir-nw-par-le-col-de-la-charmette |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> or the Collet from La Malamille.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Par le Collet et le bois de Valombré |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/49852/fr/charmant-som-par-le-collet-et-le-bois-de-valombre |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> The Balme de l'Air can be traversed from Mont Fromage, between La Pinéa and the Oratoire d'Orgeval.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Par la Balme de l'Air |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48424/fr/charmant-som-par-la-balme-de-l-air |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> The slabs of the eastern face can be used for the descent, but represent the most technical route (grading 4.3), with 40° to 45° slopes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Face E par les dalles (ski) |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48772/fr/charmant-som-face-e-par-les-dalles-ski |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> Various loops are possible around the summit, via l'Oursière, Pré Bâtard, la combe de l'If, l'arête de Chamechine, le couloir nord-ouest, le Promontoire and le Collet.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Couloir - combe de l'If, en boucle |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/123410/fr/charmant-som-couloir-combe-de-l-if-en-boucle |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Tour par la Comboursière et Pré Batard |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48706/fr/charmant-som-tour-par-la-comboursiere-et-pre-batard |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Tour par le Couloir NW et la vire N |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48767/fr/charmant-som-tour-par-le-couloir-nw-et-la-vire-n |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Traversée Couloir NW >> Face E de Chamechine >> Versant E - depuis les Cottaves |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/48730/fr/charmant-som-traversee-couloir-nw-face-e-de-chamechine-versant-e-depuis-les-cottaves |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> [[File:Escalade Chamant Som.jpg|left|thumb|Route of the climbing route on the slabs of the east face of Charmant Som]] The upper part of the limestone slabs on the east face offers an introduction to climbing on a route graded 3c. It can be accessed from the path between the chalets and Collet, and climbs {{Convert|100|m|ft}} or so towards the summit, ending in a hike.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Dalles de la face E |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/54411/fr/charmant-som-dalles-de-la-face-e |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> It is possible to start from the lower part of the slabs, below the path, by taking the approach walk from the hamlet of Les Revols. The climb is slightly more difficult than the upper section (grading 4b), with a {{Convert|130|m|ft|adj=on}} vertical drop on a route that is also more varied.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Face E - Dalles inférieures |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/317640/fr/charmant-som-face-e-dalles-inferieures |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> The ''Dièdre oublié'' route, opened in 1996, is located on the western slope and features passages rated 6b for a total height of {{Convert|80|m|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som : Le dièdre oublié 'ébauche) |url=http://www.camptocamp.org/routes/133992/fr/charmant-som-le-diedre-oublie-ebauche |website=camptocamp.org. |language=fr}}</ref> thumb|View of the entrance to Kriska chasm The Kriska shaft is accessible to cavers from the Collet, at an altitude of {{Convert|1,558|m|ft}}, around {{Convert|300|m|ft}} north-east of the summit. The Ded network then plunges into the Urgonian limestone through a series of shafts and narrow galleries. In 1991, dyes revealed its resurgence at Porte de l'Enclos in the Gorges du Guiers Mort, at an altitude of {{Convert|780|m|ft}}, at the end of the Bérard ridge. The section explored ends {{Convert|40|m|ft}} higher up, with a siphon {{Convert|3|km|mi}} from the source. This is the deepest cave in the Chartreuse.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Talour |first=Bruno |date=1995 |title=Quelques classiques spéléologiques en Chartreuse |url=http://www.le-pre-des-sources.com/guppY/Chartreuse/Speleo/Speleo.pdf |website=Spéléo-club de Chartreuse |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220635/http://www.le-pre-des-sources.com/guppY/Chartreuse/Speleo/Speleo.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gidon |first=Maurice |title=Sentiers de Chartreuse : commentaires géologiques - Au Charmant Som, depuis Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse par le Collet |url=http://geolalp.pagesperso-orange.fr/z_sentiers/anciens_textes/n_ch_som_collet.html |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120035/http://geolalp.pagesperso-orange.fr/z_sentiers/anciens_textes/n_ch_som_collet.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The summit of Charmant Som is a paragliding take-off site. The take-off area is located in the limestone slabs on the eastern face, and enjoys good aerological conditions in the morning. Landing is at the hamlet of Les Revols or the village of Saint-Hugues, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Club de vol libre de la Buissière - La Chartreuse |url=http://para2000.org/sites/plans/france-38-chartreuse.htm |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Charmant Som par la face Est depuis Saint Hugues (1867m) |url=http://www.bivouak.net/topos/course.php?id_course=1422&id_sport=16 |website=bivouak.net. |language=fr}}</ref>
=== Environmental protection === Charmant Som is located within the Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, which was created in 1995 and, since the revision of its charter in 2008, covers {{Convert|767|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parc naturel régional de Chartreuse, Savoie / Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France - Présentation du Parc |url=http://www.parc-chartreuse.net/vivre-en-chartreuse/presentation-du-parc.html |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706185050/http://www.parc-chartreuse.net/vivre-en-chartreuse/presentation-du-parc.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The summit is also classified as a type I Natural area of ecological, faunal and floristic interest, covering {{Convert|1,140.8|ha|acre}} from the mountain's two northern crests to La Pinéa, including the mountain pastures.<ref name=":4" /> Finally, the northern slope of the mountain, as far as the Gorges du Guiers Mort to the north and the Col de la Grande Vache to the west,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cartographie du site Natura 2000 |url=http://inpn.mnhn.fr/carto/metropole/natura/FR8201741/SIC |website=Inventaire national du patrimoine naturel |language=fr |access-date=2023-09-30 |archive-date=2014-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821094857/http://inpn.mnhn.fr/carto/metropole/natura/FR8201741/SIC |url-status=dead }}</ref> is part of a Natura 2000 zone designed to preserve biodiversity over {{Convert|2,329|ha|acre}} under the name "Ubacs du Charmant Som et Gorges du Guiers Mort". It has been recognized as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) since 2013.<ref name=":5" />
== See also == * Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes * Chamechaude * Chartreuse Mountains * Isère * Limestone
== References == {{reflist}}
{{coord|45|19|30|N|5|45|51|E|type:mountain_region:FR|display=title}}
Category:Chartreuse Mountains Category:Mountains of France Category:Isère