Source of the Enchapleuze.

This source comes from the slopes of Mont-Blanc itself, at an altitude of 2074 metres. It is situated under the Aiguille du Goûter, the northwest pillar of Mont-Blanc.

There is a vast water supply since it is made up of glaciers from the ice cap of Mont-Blanc and the Dôme du Goûter. This water is particularly pure: rainwater, snow melt transformed into ice and filtered over several hundreds of metres into the morainic sand and gravel.

The catchment of the source of the Enchapleuze is ancient since, as the sole high-up catchment of the commune of Les Houches, it has been in regular operation since 1924.

What about the name itself of Enchapleuze? There are certainly Indo-European roots in the “CAL” or “CHAL” which mean “stone”, but toponymy experts diverge as to the meaning: “Beat the scythe to sharpen it”, “Cut the bread up into breadcrumbs”. The mystery remains intact.