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The saddle of the Sept Laux (Seven Lakes) was hollowed out by a glacier and corresponds to a branching where one tongue moved northwards (Bréda Valley) and the other southwards (Eau d'Olle Valley). The seven lakes occupy overdeepened basins in the Hercynian granite, cutting down into the older crystalline foliated rocks forming the neighbouring summits (2184m/7165ft for the Lac du Cos and the Rocher Blanc 2928m/9606ft).

The site includes a grouping of highly original natural motifs. that give rise to a feeling that this is a unique situation . There is an enormous crater, in which are to be found ten of the high elevation lakes so characteristic of the Belledonne. These are, however, the most beautiful, a jewel on a monumental scale that is suited to the surrounding summits and crests, including the Rocher Blanc (2927m/9601ft) and the Pic de la Belle Étoile (2700m/8858ft).

This site inspired the creation some thirty years ago of the most recent of the main Isére resorts, It consists of three units, Pleynet on the eastern slope, and Prapoutel and Pipay on the western slope. These are home to downhill skiing and cross-country skiing in winter, and in summer hiking along open pathways, often along the crests, with their celebrated vistas, in particular overlooking the entire Chartreuse massif.