The Gît de l’échelle and its viewpoint

“Gîts”, steep trails where the wood exploited on the Risoux used to be discarded, also served as a passageway to Switzerland. These Gîts were given a name, and some have an entire history; the Gît de l’Echelle, the Gît d’Entre-Deux-Roches... During the 19th century, smuggling activities enabled some to live entirely off the unlawful trading of consumer goods that could be found at a lesser cost on one side or the other of the border.
The Gît de l’Echelle, despite its steepness, served in particular as a passage for resistance fighters and intelligence officers and saved Jewish families during the Second World War thanks to the temerity and bravery of local smugglers, both French and Swiss.