Pine cone pathCette balade didactique d'environ 3h30 et destinée aux bons marcheurs vous emmène à la découverte de sites d'exception ! Le premier panneau du sentier des pives se trouve à l'arrêt de bus du Déserteur, quelques centaines de mètres plus haut que Nendaz Tourisme. Dans un premier temps, suivez la Route de Clèves. Continuez en suivant le balisage de la promenade. Vous vous arrêterez près de l'étang de Sofleu, puis emprunterez le fameux bisse de Saxon. Profitez du calme et du paysage. Plusieurs points de vue panormiques vous attendent en cours de route. Ensuite, changement de décor avec le pierrier de Dzèrjonne ou encore l'idyllique prairie de Pra da Dzeu et son cadre serein et apaisant. Il vous reste encore à observer la gouille d'Ouché et les mayens de Nendaz ainsi que la charmante petite chapelle de montagne des Rairettes avant de revenir à nouveau en station.Pra Da Dzeu Pause Automne Pause Jeunes_2020 (Etienne Bornet)Sentier des pives Place Fousquyëne 2016 (Florian Guntern)Sentier_des_pives_panneau_2017 (Elodie Moos)1763.3087158203Pra Da DzeuPra da Dzeu is a dialect name which means "the meadow in the forest". This idyllic and magical place, located in the region of Isérables, brings calm and serenity in an unspoiled natural setting. Throughout the year, this surprisingly large expanse of land on the edge of the forest is the perfect place for a picnic or a well deserved break in the sun !
The Pra Da Dzeu pasture is located in a large clearing and has been used for centuries as summer grazing for the cattle from Nendaz and Isérables. The Bisse de Saxon, situated a few metres above this meadow, provided water for the cattle.
Every year, on the main plateau, a shallow natural pond is formed when the snow melts.Ski de randonnée Pause Pra Da Dzeu 2019 (Etienne Bornet)Pra da Dzeu hiver Elodie Moos 2020 (Elodie Moos)Pra da Dzeu hiver barrières Elodie Moos 2020 (Elodie Moos)Pra Da Dzeu Raquettes Hiver 2020 (Elodie Moos)Pra Da Dzeu VTT Été 2020 (Raphaël Surmont)Pra Da Dzeu Pause Automne Pause Jeunes_2020 (Etienne Bornet)Pra Da Dzeu Balade Bisse Saxon Automne 2020 (Etienne Bornet)Pra Da Dzeu Balade Bisse Saxon Automne 2020 (Etienne Bornet)1785.6444091797Bisse de SaxonThe Bisse de Saxon takes its source at 1,850 metres above sea level, in the Printse river upstream from Siviez. The bisse begins its journey of no less than 32 kilometres and ends its journey above Saxon. The inhabitants of this village located in the Rhone Valley had to be extremely short of water for their crops to undertake such a daring project.
Work began in 1865, but was interrupted initially for technical reasons and then because of a trial that lasted about ten years. Finally, work was resumed in 1874. Two years later, the Bisse de Saxon was filled with water and it was used for irrigation until 1964.
No less than three guards were needed to keep watch over this long irrigation channel. These men lived in cabins along the bisse. In 1999, an association called "Garde du Bisse" was created with the aim of restoring life to this bisse which holds an important place in the history of the Valais.
A BISSE, WHAT IS IT ?
The bisses were originally irrigation channels that diverted water from the rivers to water the farm land crops growing on the mountain slopes. They are true historical relics and bear witness to the Valaisans' relentless fight against drought. It is their construction that makes them so special. Indeed, these channels had to adapt to the different terrain and environments encountered along the way, giving rise to impressive workmanship, especially when we imagine what the means of construction were at the time. The bisses of our region take their source from the Printse, a river that flows along our valley. Of the eight bisses located in Nendaz, six still have water flowing within their banks and are still carrying out their original task of irrigation.Bisse de Saxon famille 2014 (Arolle)Bisse de Saxon panorama 2014 (Arolle)Bisse de Saxon totem 2014 (Laetitia Scarascia)Bisse de Saxon 2014 (Arolle)Bisse de Saxon ponton 2019 (Elodie Moos)1521.5815429688Rairettes ChapelThe Rairettes Chapel is one of the three mayen (mid mountain pastures) chapels along with those of Le Bleusy and Planchouet.
From the 1920s onwards, some inhabitants of Sion seeking tranquillity and wishing to escape the summer heat of the valley built the first chalets in the Rairettes region. Together with a few people from Nendaz who owned mid-mountain grazing, they decided to build a chapel in order to avoid travelling to Basse-Nendaz for Sunday mass.
There is an anecdote about the chapel bell. It should be known that at the time of the construction of the chapel of Les Rairettes, the Saint-Michel chapel in Haute-Nendaz had not been restored and had been left in a state of neglect. The parish priest in place at the time donated the bell "la Metzotte" dating from 1642 to the construction committee of Les Rairettes. After the renovation of the village chapel, the Metzotte returned to its original location. On the new bell in the Rairettes chapel is the following inscription:
"After the Metzotte which now chimes on the restored chapel, I sing the glory of Notre-Dame and the faith of her children - Assumption 1964".Chapelle des Rairettes hiver promeneurs 2021 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Chapelle_des_Rairettes_hiver_2021 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Chapelle des Rairettes clocher 2016 (Yvette Martignoni)Chapelle Rairettes 2014 (Etienne Bornet)1358.2285156251361.24755859381366.95373535161370.49084472661378.82592773441397.73022460941408.32360839841422.52954101561464.40319824221514.02880859381559.20812988281574.08142089841578.35046386721593.50378417971598.97192382811596.28649902341647.24902343751656.63940429691671.90563964841685.0722656251694.13195800781717.94079589841723.46008300781726.27807617191726.14208984381726.81579589841734.06140136721761.57495117191783.20190429691797.77026367191798.73376464841797.46350097661801.41674804691796.81665039061808.28796386721774.70642089841779.87768554691795.89294433591801.40112304691803.878906251795.1503906251780.90930175781789.30676269531798.61425781251792.86694335941794.66308593751773.48291015621769.32849121091779.03198242191762.67541503911754.17443847661757.98120117191763.55151367191752.29003906251753.51354980471740.96569824221728.74890136721728.36145019531714.18530273441727.99389648441723.11193847661710.82910156251661.58605957031624.01428222661632.42724609381586.04003906251575.89550781251563.18249511721555.95812988281549.01000976561541.61816406251527.19897460941535.73754882811528.83764648441521.73461914061520.644531251498.73791503911480.14892578121446.52819824221447.23193359381453.82141113281408.32360839841380.16760253911367.96130371091361.25573730471358.1390380859