Via Alpina Étape 18 : L'Étivaz - Rossinière

The place

The route follows the "La Torneresse" stream for several kilometers on a gentle descent before the valley narrows to pass through the Gorges du Pissot. The landscape then opens onto the wide Pays-d'Enhaut valley. After Château-d'Oex, the descent through fields leads you to Rossinière. The Etivaz region is home to vast pastures where some 2,800 cows graze through the summer. It is known for its robust alpine cheese, "L'Etivaz", which in 2000 became the first Swiss product listed in the federal register of protected designations of origin (AOC). The rich alpine flora gives the milk a delicious aroma that carries through into the cheese. The path, which first runs directly alongside La Torneresse before rising above it, winds through pastures, wooded sections and then a larger, particularly idyllic forest, where for a few minutes you walk on a boardwalk. Once you reach the Gorges du Pissot, you follow the path downhill with a last view of this tributary of the Sarine. It's a bit of a shame, as you'll barely glimpse the gorge itself. You will, however, see the road you cross a little later. The path via Les Montées offers a first open view of Château d'Oex and its surrounding mountains. After crossing the pasture, you follow a stretch of paved road before turning off at the Turrian bridge, built in 1883, the longest suspension bridge in French-speaking Switzerland. It spans the Sarine, which leads to Château d'Oex, the main town of the Pays d'Enhaut tourist region of Vaud. Sections through pastures and along roads then alternate until Chaudanne, where you cross the Sarine again. You spend the final half hour on a paved road heading toward the picturesque village of Rossinière, known for its wooden chalets with painted façades and carved decorations.