Salève

The Salève is a Montagne Préalpes located in the department of the Haute-Savoie (France).

Geography

Below the northern slope of Salève, is the Swiss agglomeration of Geneva. It is in the center of a vast territory where live more than seven hundred and thousand people.

Salève is consisted of the Pitons, Large and Small Salève and culminates with 1380 meters at the top of the Large Piton. Accessible by a Cable car since 1932 (this one was rebuilt in 1983), Salève extends between Étrembières, with north, and the Suspended bridge of Ruail in the south. It was served of 1893 with 1935 by the first Train with electric Crémaillère in the world.

The Eastern side of Salève plunges under the Molasse of the plate of the Terminals, whereas the slope which faces Geneva, released by the erosion, is abrupt. The vegetation, or its absence, underlines the structure of the layers Calcaire S. the mountain is notched several narrow and deep throats, of which the Varappe, which gave its name, at the end of the 19th century, in this term relating to the practice of the Escalade. An intense activity develops on this abrupt side at the time where this discipline is only with its first stammerings.

The small valley of Monnetier, which separates the Small one and Large Salève, is due to the glacial erosion. Currently the geologists think that the small valley of Monnetier was dug by the current under glacier in a zone fissured between the Small one and Large Salève and not by Arve.

Ground of leisures par excellence of the Genevese from its proximity of the city (so much so that one often intends to speak in this connection about “mountain about the Genevese”), it offers a splendid panorama on the Genevese agglomeration, the Lac Léman, the south of the Massif of the Jura, Préalpes, the Lac of Annecy and the Mont Blanc. One practices there the climbing, the Randonnée, the Mountain bike, the Parapente, the Deltaplane, the model aircraft making as well as the Ski with the collar of the Small cross.

Mixed trade-union of Salève

The Mixed trade-union of Salève was created in 1994 and gathers the twenty high-Savoyard communes (60 000 hab.) on which extends the solid mass from Salève. Its objective is to develop and protect the solid mass, which is a “island preserved” in the center of a free-Switzerland territory strongly urbanized with more than seven hundred and thousand inhabitants.

The trade union opens, in September 2007, the House of Salève in the old farm of Mikerne, going back to 1733. This center of interpretation and documentation presents the solid mass under all its aspects: history, inheritance, nature, sports and leisures. The same year, it implements the “charter of sustainable development” of Salève aiming at reconciling the safeguarding of the solid mass with the increase in its frequentation, with a vision at thirty years.

The Trade union associates with its three work groups - agriculture and mountain pastures, tourism and leisures, access and transport - all the users of Salève (communes, sports associations, of protection of nature, restorers, peasants, hunters, tourist bureaus…)

Activities

Salève is a natural space open to all and free, but it is also a solid mass which knows pastoral activities - the cows of Salève feed milk Geneva - and forest. It is also a ground for the sports which respect the mountain (ski touring, climbing and Varappe, Parapente, VTT, hiking).

Salève is a historical place in the history the Escalade, since the " term; Cliff " , which is part from now on of the language running, is directly drawn from the name of a rock corridor of Salève.

Salève in the literature

In Frankenstein, the work of Mary Shelley, the creature, after being itself escaped, climbs Salève.

" It was echoed from Saleve, the Swore, and the Alps off Savoy; vivid flashes off lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake, making it appear like has vast sheet off fire; then for urgent year everything seemed off has pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered itself from the preceding flash. " (Chapter 7)
" I thought off pursuing the devil; goal it would cuts been in vain, for another flash discovered him to me hanging among the rock'n'rolls off the nearly perpendicular ascent Mount off. Saleve, has hill that bounds Plainpalais one the south. " (Chapter 7)
" Who could arrest has able creature off scaling the overhanging sides off Saleve Mount? " (Chapter 7)

Photograph gallery

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