UKC

Any good suggestions for multi pitch trad/sport routes and Alpine routes from Alefriod (sp)?

Happy upto 7a or E2

In reply to HenryC:

Orage D'etoiles

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=98089

In reply to HenryC:

Any particular reason you are going to the Ecrins for predominantly rock routes?

It is normally thought of as an area of rugged (and relatively good weather), high mountains, the rock bits tend to be viewed as low-level, bad weather alternatives.

On the face of it, other places in France would be better for long rock routes.

In reply to Simon4:

I was asking about Alpine too, perhaps the emphasis of my post was ambiguous.

In reply to HenryC:

Several very good routes on the SW face of the Aiguille de Sialouze, such as Ventre a Terre, TD+, 300m, felt about E1 to me and in a remote location.
Some good stuff on the north side of the Pelvoux, Horraire Nucleur(not sure of the spelling) is bolted but meant to be more like E2.
Pilier Sud on the Barre des Ecrins,TD, very much a grande course Alpine route, about 1100m long followed by descending the normal route which is PD+.
Also worth going up to Tete D'Aval for big sport routes, such as Rank Zerox, 650m, 7a.
In the valley try Snoopy directe, 6b, and La Vie Devant Soir, 6b+ and Voie de Maitres, 6c+.
At the top of the valley up the Glacier noire valley there is an excellent route called Soleil Glacial on the Sagnette, 6b, 500m.
If you want any more specific info or logistics info just email me.

In reply to HenryC:

Single pitch get on Coconut Shake (7a+) at La Gorge

In reply to HenryC:

Well not from Ailefroide, but if you want to stick to the Ecrins and are mostly rock oriented, have you thought about the Aiguille Dibona? Lots of routes on it at a variety of grades (some not that hard, or I wouldn't have got to the top of it!).

In reply to HenryC:
Snoopy
Cascade Blues

Many many more. You can pic up a guide in the village once it's open in the summer.

In reply to Simon4:

Hi Simon not sure what you mean by, the rock bits tend to be viewed as low-level, bad weather alternatives.

I moved here for climbing it is amazing place for this, in the durance vally there are over 85 crags, with new ones being developed all the time, some great single pitch sports, and place with 3/4 pitches Iike freissineres and ponteil, you have a mix of conglomerate, limestone and granite, then bigger routes around the 300 meter mark in the massif de cerces, and the tenailles, or up to 600 on the tete d'aval, then theres Ailefroide routes and the big rock routes in the Ecrins park, there are grade to suit every one.

To the OP if you fancy a challenge there's emi ali leti Pauli at ABO- 350 meters 7b max and 7a oblige on vallon de la moulette in the cerces a tough nut that one, or I agree with the good list Martin gave you,

The guide book you won't is Oisans Nouveau Oisans Sauvage libre est

Cheers

In reply to ecrinscollective:

A loaded way of phrasing it from an enthusiastic Alpinist (and crap rock climber).

To put the point slightly more tactfully, it seems a bit odd to go to a mainly Alpine area specifically with the objective of technical rock climbing. To each their own, but I am also puzzled when people go to Chamonix not for the big Alpine routes, but for low or mid height bolted rock climbs. I wouldn't have thought that Cham, with its crowds, its costs and frequent bad weather, is anything like the best place in France for long rock routes, whereas it is clearly very important for big mountain routes (although still far from my favourite place for Alpinism). So it is clear why something like the Walker Spur would draw talented rock climbers, but is very much an Alpine route, but if people just want long multi-pitch bolt clipping, surely somewhere like Verdon is better.

I notice that many/most of the areas you refer to are not really in the Ecrins (and not really around Ailefroide itself), but around the periphery, high valley crags, mostly bolted. Of course people do put up some very hard and serious rock routes in the high Ecrins alps as well, often with remote settings and serious descents. So by extension, my suggestion of the Dibona gives lots of rock routes, some of them very hard, among the mountains but not really in the high mountains.

That guide book you reference, does it cover roadside Winter ice routes in the area, also is it mainly for the Eastern Ecrins or all of the massif?

In reply to Simon4:

Hi Simon

I see what you say about going to a specific area for a type of climbing, I was trying to say this has a bit of every thing.

I listed a lot of areas just outside the Ecrins park, as they are not that well known, some are bolted some not, in terms of time, I live about 15/20 mis down the valley from Ailefroide, and can get to all those venues in around 40 min, so ok for climbers based in the vallouise valley,

As for hard routes in the mountains things like voie unchimaka on sialouze south west face is defiantly up there.

For guide books there a west version of the Guidebook I mentioned for the west Ecrins.

for valley ice climbs it's glacé et mixte en cascade this covers brianconnais, argentierois and embrunais, there is also a new guidebook to the Queyras cascades en Queyras pays du viso

And la grave isn't that far way as well?

Cheers

In reply to HenryC:

Thanks for the suggestions. We are heading out for a mixture of route types. I'll probably give the ABO- a miss as my 7a leading will be down to controlled circumstances rather than in an Alpine setting! Coconut Shake for example.

In reply to HenryC:

Hi Theeni

If you get a copy of the guidebook, you can get the sports one from needle sport, Or when your out here, I can give you some info on the good crags to visit around here, some of the older secteur's are a bit polished but loads of great stuff to.

Cheers