UKC

Hi All, I am looking for scrambling options for my second week in the French Alps. Week one is near Grenoble but I could move. 

Currently Vanoise circuit looks promising but obviously just a trek I would be keen to find scrambles I could do either there are at another location. 

It'll be just me so no rope etc, am comfortable on terrain akin to the Cuillin ridge. 

Any tips or sources of information would be great, thanks. 

Take care! I think that scrambles in the Alps are pretty much graded climbs, F or PD - so lots of readily availble Alpine climbing guides will have plenty listed.

I used to have a guide, '50 summits sans corde' - some were OK, I definitely got spanked on one though!

I'm deeply devoted to the Vanoise, lovely mountain country, but have to admit that unfortunately the rock, especially on the middle-level peaks and ridges, often tends to be chossy, like Weetabix.  If anything it seems to be getting worse with glacier retreat.  There are various easy peaks around 3000m that offer reasonable ridge scrambles but you'll often need to climb a certain amount of snow to get on to them.  You can get a flavour of Vanoise scrambling by going up to the Col de l'Iseran above Val d'Isere and doing the four rocky peaklets south-westwards from the col (Pointe des Lessieres - Pelaou Blanc).  That was quite a straightforward Cuillin-ish experience as I recall.  Away off to the SW of the main Glacier de la Vanoise, the Pointe de l'Echelle gives a good clean scramble by its south ridge from the Col du Ravin Noir but that's quite a high-mountain experience.  Maybe other UKCers can suggest better options.

I did La Dent Parrachee in the Vanoise. The summit ridge is nice but the scree approach was absolutely horrendous being dangerously loose and at a high angle near the top.  I'd second that the rock can be awful.