UKH

Does anyone know the best option for accessing the index area since the Flégère lift is out for the summer (chairlift will be closed by the time we go also) 

Is it easier to approach from Planpraz or further down the valley near Argentiere? Any suggestions welcome! We are looking at routes on Floria ideally 

Least effort is probably to take the Brevent lift half way and follow the traverse path to the Index from there. Probably worth taking bivvy gear, I expect the area is unusually quiet at the moment.

Also, looking to climb on the L’index. How long will it take to traverse from Planpraz to the index?

Yo, you can shave off 200 meters of height gain if you leave from Argentiere instead of Cham/Praz/Tines.

Hop off the bus at the very top of Argentiere, "La Fis", and walk back down the main road past hotel La Couronne, and take the path going up into the woods behind the bakery and the hair salon. Follow all signs to La Flegere (left, left, left, right) through the Bois de la Trappe. It's still 800m of up to get to the Flegere midstation and then a load more to get up the Index, but I've found it to be much quicker than going up from lower in the valley.

Lift to PlanPraz. Walk up to Col du Lac Cornu (above the top of the Cornu Lift) - 1 hr. Traverse round to Col de Gliere (10 mins), drop down towards the Index (20mins to the base of Chapelle de la Gliere), prob 40mins to the top of the Index lift.

Steve

Also worth pointing out that (according to the board at the bottom of the PlanPraz lift) the Index lift is actually open (even if the serving Flegere lift is not).

Steve

Just walk up from the Golf Club, not too bad may 2-2h30 with kit.

The paths are closed due to the construction of the new Flegere lift.