Climb
the highest summit of the national park, the
Barre des Ecrins 4102m. It's the highest mountain
in the Ecrins National Park, and it is a quiet
gem of a region, far quieter than the Western
Alps regions such as Monte Rosa and Chamonix.
We offer a week long programme to attempt
this peak, as your acclimatisation and flexibility
for selecting a weather window are crucial.
To
keep the itinerary flexibilty, the guiding
ratio is 1:2 throughout, so you can take advantage
of the best days for the summit weather window.
The climb itself takes three days, so there
are two spare days for training and acclimatisation
routes before the ascent.
This
week would appeal to those who have previously
done Mont Blanc or Dufourspitze, or who seek
a quieter alternative to it. It is grades
as PD+ / AD-, so is a step up on the Alpine
grading system. It is a tough physical effort
and the summit ridge is very exposed and merits
the grade.
To reiterate the skills level inferred above, you'll require at least a full week of crampon experience, to safely consider this ascent. The Barre des Ecrins is one of the Alpine routes that has been most impacted by climate change, and so very competent footwork in crampons is a pre-requisite skill.
Another
attraction to the Ecrins region is that there
are so many summits and routes to choose from,
that the itinerary can be adapted to suit
your aspirations and the conditions. Aside
of the Barre des Ecrins, other objectives
include; Pic Coolidge, Roche Faurio, Râteau
de la Meije Pic Es, and Aiguille Dibona.
This
trip was designed and is often guided by Mat
(in photo below on the left), who lives in
the region, and is a familiar face on many
of our Alpine courses. He's popular IFMGA
mountain guide, who is instantly likeable,
and has a great work ethic of getting things
done, so you achieve the most.
Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right, and
they show the live availability from our secure
online booking system. When you book online,
you receive immediate confirmation, your Alpine
Information Booklet, course specific kit list
and invoice.
Brief
Course Itinerary
Sun
Travel
to Ailefroide via Lyon / Grenobl, to arrive for the 17:00 check-in followed
by and course safety and itinerary briefings. There
is time for kit checks or rental of equipment. Briefings
are over by 19:00 and you then have free time to head out for dinner and drinks in a local cafe or restaurant. Night in Ailefroide.
Mon
Meet
your guide in the morning, and drive deep into the Ecrins
national park. Set off for a training route, with
a hut approach, which is designed to help you acclimatise
and develop technical skills. The
programme for the week is intentionally very flexible,
to allow you to ascend the Barre des Ecrins on the
best weather day(s), but a good objective for the
first two days is either the Râteau
de la Meije Pic Est from the Chatelleret hut, or
the Dibona Needle
from the Soreiller hut. The day is used to ascend
to the hut, and for a training climb above it. Guiding
ratio 1:2 (max). Night in hut.
Tue
The
two objectives are both to the NW of the Barre des
Ecrins, and are accessed via the Oisans valleys.
The Râteau de la Meije Pic Est 3809m is a
satellite peak of La Meije, and is grade of F+ via
the SW Face, so it is an ideal training and warm
up route. The climb is made via Col du Replat from
the Chatelleret Hut, from where you can see the
three peaks of the Râteau above. The highest
is the Pic Est, which is reached by climbing the
mixed couloir to the Brèche du Râteau,
from which you can follow the easier angled ridge
to the summit. The alternative climb to consider
is the Dibona Needle 3100m, via the North ridge,
which is grades PD. It's a rock route, accessed
from the Soreiller Hut, a valley to the East of
the Chatelleret Hut, and was a favourite route of
the famous French guide Gaston Rebuffat. After climbing
either of these routes, you return to the Ailefroide
valley, and stay the night in a hut / gite. Guiding
ratio 1:2 (max).
Wed
Today
you start your ascent of the Barre des Ecrins, heading
up to the Ecrins hut for the next two nights. On
the way up, you can divert to the Col de Temple,
and from there ascend the Pic Coolidge 3775m via
the South ridge. This route is graded PD, and is
excellent final training before the Barre des Ecrins.
The summit provides stunning views across to your
route the next day, and there's plenty of time for
photos. Once the climb is over, you trek to the
Ecrins hut, which is your base for the main ascent.
You usually arrive in the early to mid afternoon,
so there's time to rest and dry out any kit for
the next day. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Night spent
in mountain hut.
Thu
A
very early Alpine start to head upwards on your
main summit objective of the Barre des Ecrins. As
you set out from the hut, you skirt around the Glacier
Blanc, to ascend towards the Col des Ecrins 3300m.
Here onwards the route becomes progressively steeper,
as initially you climb snow slopes up the NE face,
being wary of the glacial crevasses and seracs,
to reach the first summit of the Dôme de Neige
des Ecrins 4015m. This is a great summit in its
own right, as the next section is usually climbed
in two pitches to cross the rimaye / bergschrund
and to ascend to the summit ridge, where you turn
towards the main summit of the Barre des Ecrins
4102m. For the descent, you can either retrace your
ascent route, or if the conditions are looking very
good, you can descend to La Berarde. Guiding
ratio 1:2 (max). Night spent in mountain hut (Refuge
des Ecrins or Refuge de la Berarde).
Fri
From
the Ecrins hut you ascend the Roche Faurio. You
climb the relavively easy angled slopes of the SW
face, which top out on the ricky ridge to the summit.
The ascent takes approximately four hours from the
hut, and after descending, you trek down to the
valley. For
very fit groups, this day can allow another contingency
weather window, for an ascent and complete descent
of the mountain, if the summit was not possible
on the previous day. If you start from the Berarde
hut, you would spend the day descending to Ailefroide,
possibly with a few hours rock climbing in the afternoon. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). In
the evening there are optional drinks and then a
celebratory meal. Final night is spent in Ailefroide.
Sat
Breakfast
then the accommodation check out is by 10:00. Most
guests arrange their transport links to the airport
for flights leaving in the early afternoon. Depart for home.
ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant, so occasionally
we are forced to alter the plans. If this is the case,
suitable alternatives are offered. Please use this outline
itinerary as a guide to the types of route / activity
that you will attempt.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
5
days guiding, 7 days holiday in total
£1999
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
Standard
Course Inclusions: 1) IFMGA Mountain Guide
for five days, 2) Alpine course hosts for logistics
& briefings, 3) Two nights accommodation (one
at each end of trip, inc. beddings & towels), in Ailefroide,
4) Up to four nights half board in mountain hut / gite
(inc. costs for guides), 5) Pre course information booklet,
6) Equipment discount voucher for UK shop, 7) Free 36
page technical Course Instruction Booklet, 8) Road transport
with guide Ailefroide to / from the Ecrins national park.
Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Ailefroide, 2) Equipment hire, 3)
Personal laundry, telephone calls, lunches, evening meals
in valley, & any purchases in mountain huts / hotels
/ restaurants, 4) Sunday pre-dinner drinks & Friday
celebratory meal & drinks, 5) Activities insurance,
& excess baggage charges.
Current
course availability
Course Dates Barre des Ecrins
No Dates Available
NOTE:
This trip has scheduled
dates, but if there are two who
are booking together, it can be
operated on any date you wish
We
were very lucky with the weather, and
moved our summit day early to take the
best window. Descending from the hut
in the rain didn't matter, as we'd achieved
what we came here to do Jon
T , Barre des Ecrins
Thanks
to you all for a brilliant week. We
had an amazing time, and loved spending
the week in the mountains Sally
F , Barre
des Ecrins
The
flexibility of the week made it for
us, as routes were chosen to suit, and
it was a revelation to climb in the
Alps without loads of other teams Rachel
J , Barre
des Ecrins
Testimonials
Press
& media
Films
& videos
Photo
gallery
Location
data for this trip
The
trips meet in the Ailefroide in the Ecrins National Park. It is easily accessed via public transport from Lyon / Grenoble airports, via Briancon.
View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here
Why
choose our trips?
See
our Alpine blog, by clicking on the Word-press logo
to the right.
Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather windows on any day, to maximise your
summit chances.
Our
prices are fixed in £ Sterling, to protect
you from euro fluctuations, so you can budget accurately.
There
is a choice of routes to opt for, depending on the
weather, conditions, and your experience.
Any
further questions?
A
key part of choosing a company is being able to come and
talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor
face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know
our clients value speaking to real people, getting open
and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are
British, and our office and outdoor store is based in
Windermere in the English Lake District.
Get
in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip
advisor.
