UKC

Hi all,

I'm off to the Ecrins for a week in July, staying in Vallouise. Our party consists of 2 with Alpine experience and 3 without. The 3 without do however have good fitness and quite a bit of experience of scrambling/easy climbing in the UK.

I've got the Ecrins massif guidebook but was wondering if anyone would recommend anything in particular? We were thinking of something straightforward but involving some mixed terrain (glacier crossing and rock) and at a relatively modest altitude. I think avoiding a busy route would also be nice for our first timers.

Later on in the week we are considering a back-to-back stay in a hut so that we can get 2 routes done for one approach, again, anyone have any thoughts/recommendations for this?

Thanks in advance...

In reply to flying el burro:

Montagne des Agneaux is a fun route. I think it's given AD in a modern french guidebook, because the scramble up onto the col below the summit has become longer with glacial recession, but it wasn't particularly tricky last summer.

Mont Pelvoux is great - we went up and down Coolidge Couloir, but the traverse is supposed to be epic.

For two route plan, heading up to Ecrins hut would give lots of options: Roche Faurio (F), Barre des Ecrins (F), Dome de Neige des Ecrins (F) etc.. Nothing we did in early July was that busy apart from dome de neige.

In reply to jonesieboy:
The Pelvoux traverse isn't technically hard but very long and involves a lot of route finding and abseiling difficulties. Not a good route for a first season in the Alps or a large party (will be too slow if everyone keeps waiting for each other).

In reply to flying el burro:

I did Roche Faurio a couple of years ago.. A nice route for acclimatisation with some easy glacier crossing and a short exposed scramble towards the top.

In reply to flying el burro:

Oops - I meant PD for Barre des Ecrin

In reply to flying el burro:

Thanks for the replies so far, I had read about Roche Faurio and thought it might be a good first route to do.