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In the heat of summer, a shady glen near the thundering Saufla waterfall provides a refreshing idyll on the famous Roc Coupé / Belle Etoile trail.
Saufla, a word in the ancient local dialect meaning ‘breath’, refers to the constant breeze created by the torrential eddies of this alpine river as it flows down the mountains over rocks and through craggy gorges.
A tributary of the Vièze River, which runs through Champéry, the Saufla has its source high in the Susanfe Valley, at about 1,800 metres. The torrent flows through precipitous gorges at the base of the Susanfe Valley before crashing to a halt in a majestic waterfall just above Grand-Paradis.
For those who wish to continue their hike, the Saufla provides another breathtakingly spectacular cascade at 1,494 metres altitude, just below the Belle Etoile alpine footbridge.