UKC

Can anyone recommend any non glacier, easy beginner routes in the Aguille Rouge area of Chamonix? Something I could safely do alone (in the grade I/II scrambling range)? 

Unfortunately i cant think on anything in the grade 1/2 range. The following are both closer to grade 3 but often soloed.

Frêtes des Charmoz (PD)

Traversée des Crochues (PD+ 4a)

the normal route on the aiguille de belvedere has 1 very short section which is harder than that (barely 4 or 5m), the rest is technically easy grade 1 territory, but with some complex route finding to actually summit due to the pizza-box choss of the summit block. Its non glacial but has a large almost perenial snow patch on the approach/descent.

There are loads of easy ridge scrambles just down from the top of the Brevant in the Mic et Mousse and brevant sport crags area. non are named routes but you could just wander around picking lines which take your fancy. in early summer when the hollows and gullies are still all full of snow it feels very alpine without any exposure or seriousness and you can have a good half day playing around.

I guess you could do the Crochues Traverse in the reverse direction to the North Summit and even the main summit and then turn around. I think Webster is right and some boulder hopping and scrambling could be put together around the Brevent.

The Belvedere is a great recommendation, but the summit block is super choss, the Rockfax description is wrong there

Its always best to assume that the chamonix rockfax i.e. wrongfax/little book of lies is more often than not, wrong...

its great for finding your way to the routes (probably the best guidebook for finding crags), but once on the route you are definitely going to want at least 1 other source!

“There are loads of easy ridge scrambles just down from the top of the Brevant in the Mic et Mousse and brevant sport crags area”

This sounds like the sort of thing I’m looking for. Although it seems crazy to me there aren’t a few scrambling routes aimed more at hikers etc.

thats because anything in the alps that could be considered a hikers 'scramble' gets equipped with chains and ladders so that bimblies can get up/down it!

many mountaineering routes are little more than scrambles, but they require glacial travel etc and are in the high mountains with all the other seriousness and commitment that goes with it. Any ridge climb up to about PD is only a scramble by UK standards, but you might need to cross a glacier to get to it, and getting down may be harder than getting up!

the best 'hikers scramble' i can think of in the chamonix area is the croix de fer up above Le tour beyond the top of tete de balm. its very short but has stunning views and some serious exposure for a walkers path!

Pic Janvier is a good scramble from Flégère.  Its much better than it looks from the index piste.  There are 2 short abseils on it so you would need a rope.  You can access it either by doing the Evettes via ferrata first (well sign posted from Flégère) or miss the via ferrata and scramble to the start.  Worth getting the index lift down as its a tedious walk down.  Pic Janvier isn't marked on either the IGN or the Swiss map but its the ridge above the Tête des Évettes.  

https://www.camptocamp.org/routes/895896/en/la-flegere-via-des-evettes-pic-...

If you are happy on more serious terrain the ridge from the Glière to the top of the Pouce is PD- ish but route finding isn't always obvious.  

Here are a few ideas:

http://www.alpine-club.org.uk/funalps/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Fun-Scramb...

great list Gus