Description
Book SynopsisMountaineering in the Ecrins Massif showcases the Ecrins' most beautiful summits through a selection of the area's best lower grade snow, rock and mixed climbs.
Authors Frederic Chevaillot, Paul Grobel and Jean-Rene Minelli have chosen 25 classic Ecrins routes – graded between F and AD – that have come to be regarded as classics due to their quality, their altitude or, simply, their easy access.
These routes provide the essential pleasures of mountaineering: getting off the beaten track, enjoying the pure mountain air and delighting in the charms of the high mountains. Most of these routes are at the boundary between hiking and technical alpinism and should be within the capabilities of any fit hiker-mountaineer.
Routes and peaks featured include: the Aiguille du Goleon; the north ridge of the Aiguille Dibona; the south ridge of Pic Coolidge; the north-east face of the Meije Orientale; and the traverse of the Barre des Ecrins ridge, plus many more.
Each route features a detailed and comprehensive route description, a sketch map and a route summary detailing the start point, difficulty, timings, height gain, best time of year and the gear required. A conscious decision was made to limit the selection to relatively easy climbs, and so the routes described in this book – a mere fraction of the climbs in the magnificent Ecrins Massif – should be within the capabilities of almost all mountaineers.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
1 Aiguille du Goléon: Via the Lombard Glacier
2 Pic Jocelme: South Face
3 Pic de la Grave: North Face
4 Dôme du Monêtier: Pic de Pormillouse, Pic du Pif – Traverse
5 Roche Faurio: South-East Face
6 Pic Coolidge: South Ridge
7 Grande Ruine: Pointe Brevoort – North Face
8 Tête de Lauranoure: North Slope & North-West Ridge
9 Pointes de la Pilatte: North Face & Ridge
10 Les Rouies: South-East Face & Traverse
11 Dôme de Neige des Écrins: North Face
12 Tête des Fétoules: North/North-East Ridge
13 Râteau (East Summit): South Ridge
14 Aiguille Dibona: North Ridge
15 Tête Nord du Replat: South-East Ridge
16 Roche Paillon: South Couloir & Traverse to Col Émile Pic
17 Meije Orientale: North-East Ridge
18 Montagne des Agneaux: South-East Ridge
19 From the Promontoire to the Aigle: Traverse of the North Face
20 Col Claire: North Face
21 Pic Central de la Meije: Doigt de Dieu North-East Face
22 Roche de la Muzelle: North Ridge & Traverse
23 Mont Pelvoux: Traverse and Descent via the Glacier des Violettes
24 Barre des Écrins: Traverse of the Ridge
25 Traverse of The Ailefroide: From the Orientale to the Centrale
Practical information, hut access
