It was still bad weather in the mountains so we decided to spend our time on other activities. I did some research on short hikes in the surroundings of Vallorcine where we stayed, and the hike to Cascade de Berard (Berard Waterfalls) stood high on the list. The Waterfalls are located near the village of Le Buet at the foot of Mont Buet.

Le Buet is about half an hour's walk from Vallorcine. Then there is another half an hour +- climb from Le Buet / La Poya to the waterfalls. We took the Walking path trail along the river L' Eau Noire which gave us lovely sceneries along the way. 

We passed by Restaurant La Ferme des 3 Ours where we had dinner one evening.

On the other side of the river is a Country Skiing trail. If you look closely at the picture below, you will see 2 people skiing. 

Dutchman and I have been thinking about learning Country skiing for the future when Downhill skiing/snowboarding would become difficult for us. For some reason, we think Country skiing is easier than Downhill skiing. We thought that there will be lesser risks of falling. But perhaps we are wrong? We will need to do some more research into this. 

The village of Le Buet in the distance...  and Mont Buet rising majestically behind it.

Just as we arrived in Le Buet, the hourly Mont-Blanc-Express train arrived too.

Le Buet has a small ski resort called La Poya which is part of Vallorcine ski resort. Our ski passes have access to the only lift here but the resort is actually tiny and best used by beginners for practice. So we didn't bother checking it out. 

Moi taking a  selfie here, hehe.

This couple arrived on the train and had the same plan as us. But they came very well equipped, they had snowshoes and walking sticks with them.

With La Poya ski area behind us, the climb to Cascade de Berard begins! 

On Google maps, it promises you a 15-minute walk to get to the waterfalls from La Poya, however, this calculation does not take into consideration the mountain terrain. In reality, the walk, rather, the climb from Le Buet to the waterfalls can easily take between 30 to 45 minutes depending on the season (read: snow) and your physical condition. 

As we did not totally expect to be climbing, we went on this hike with our boots only. It would have been better if we had snowshoes on and walking sticks as well. 

Charming houses along the route to Cascade de Berard.

Then we climbed further through narrow uneven snow paths lined with thickets and pine trees. We have underestimated this hike. It was exhausting. This is more work than skiing. This is real exercise. We have to catch out breaths and we were sweating!

We surely need a spa after this little hike jaunt.

Then we arrived at the cafe restaurant bearing the same name as the waterfalls, Cascade de Berard. The restaurant looked very pretty and was actually open. 

What a pretty sight! This mountain chalet retaurant reminds me of Hansel and Gretel from the Grimm's fairy tales. 

It took some time for me to realise that the waterfalls were just under the cafe restaurant. The waterfalls were not accessible as the pathway leading to it was closed. I managed to get a closer look and it seems the waterfalls were frozen.

We decided to walk further. Even though taxing, we were quite enjoying this hike. The crisp air and the freshness of the surroundings were very healing and soothing. Nature makes us peaceful, happy and content.

Even back in the Netherlands, the Dutchman and I take long walks in the woods. We love nature. We love the peace and quiet.

We were quite surprised when we came across two skiers and a snowboarder. The guys seem to be inviting challenges. The paths here were super narrow and crooked. Not fit really for skiing and surely not for snowboarding! But these guys were experts and I am sure they managed to get down safely. 

We think they were Belgians as we heard them speak Dutch with a Flemish accent.

Here is the first skier jumping onto the walking trail.

The second skier followed...

Then the third one, the snowboarder followed suit as well.

We continued walking and met other hikers along the way. At some point in the trail we decided to go back. We did not have a map of the walking trail and did not know if there is a path going back, which we later found out there was. It was also getting late and it will take us 1 to 1.5 hours to get back to Vallorcine.

We found a log beside the trail directly across the the beautiful Cascade de Berard cafe restaurant. We sat here for a few minutes enjoying the snack we brought along. Some waffles and milk chocolate drink. It would have been nice to have coffee inside the cafe restaurant but we were running out of time.

Going downhill was the tricky part when you do not have snowhoes on and walking sticks! We had to tread carefully whilst grabbing the nearest pine tree and shrubbery for balance. Going down was surely more difficult than going up. And the snow were knee deep. We managed to trail off but found our way back later on the same route.

Frozen ice can be dangerous if they fall on you, so stay clear and away from them.

Reaching finally Le Buet village, we took a different walking route going back to Vallorcine. 

The trail we took is parallel to the one we had earlier. We were now walking on the other side of the train tracks. The trail was a wide-open space and I think it was the Country Skiing trail as we saw signs, skiing tracks and a few late skiers passing by.

To sum up, it was a lovely day. It was something different from what we were used to. In fact, this is the first time we have hiked in the Alps during a winter sports holiday. 

We have truly enjoyed this hike. We have used more energy during this short hike than skiing the whole day. Next time we will bring snowshoes and walking sticks. Safety first.