In the Ecrins, get to know Marie Gardent, janitor Refuge Temple Ecrins

At an altitude of 2,400 m, in the heart of the National Park, Marie welcomes mountaineers, hikers and nature lovers in simple but warm conditions. The refuge, renovated between 2016 and 2018, is a starting point for the ascent of Coolidge Peak, a magnificent introductory mountaineering course, but also a place for contemplation and observation of wildlife.

It's an enchanting place where you still have your feet in the pastures, in the grass and the little flowers, and at the same time a superb view of the at the same time a superb view on the glaciers of which the glacier of the Pilatte. In this sector it is the highest refuge.

It is a refuge that is only open in summer, from June to September. In winter it is a place that is not necessarily accessible. I've been the guardian of the refuge for 8 seasons.

Since the renovation, the refuge is very comfortable and pleasant to live in. The renovation was thought with local wood and for the energy the solar. It is a building which is completely autonomous with a micro power station, the water is heated by the sun. It's a real approach.

For me, it was very natural to become a National Park Spirit, since the brand values the products we use and the way we work. The renovation of the refuge allowed me to enter the criteria of the brand, and in a more personal way, my way of working, it was also the use of eco-responsible products for the maintenance and the valuation of local and organic products. An approach that I have always worked according to and I continue to do so.

It is something common to all refuges I think, we have no desire to degrade what is around us, we are particularly careful, and in fact it goes through there. For me it's something quite natural and logical.