UKC

I"m off to the Ecrins next week to climb the aiguille dibona via the voie du nains and the normal route. Anyone know what the bolt spacing and route finding is like on the voie du nains? i understand supplementing the bolts with a rack is useful but interested if it's the odd bolt on each pitch or more, which would be more useful for route finding.

Also, according to the hut there is no snow on the approach to the nains but snow remains on the decent from the normal route. Is this on hazardous terrain? i'm inclined to not take boots/crampons as the snow should have softened by the time we get on it.

Cheers

Mark

It's been a while, and fixed gear can change, but there used to be quite a few old pegs and bits of tat.  Route-finding is straightforward.

You can expect it to be busy.

I'd take at least a light axe for the descent.

Don't go up if there's any possibility of an electrical storm.

Wow, for some reason I expected that whole area to be out of bounds since the floods last year.

Can you still get there by vehicle etc.?

I remember only using approach shoes and poles to descend, after first traversing over the ridge and going up the back of the Dibona (was a year or so before the pandemic).  I think it was a kind of snow basin type thing.  I almost certainly would have had microspikes, and probably used them.

The route up itself was fun and not too hard.  I can't do hard things.  Biggest problem probably just sighting the next bolt.  They sometimes are spaced where it gets easier.  You can climb anywhere, so it is sometimes too easy to go the wrong way.  But you can recover without probs.  The crux is low down and more obvious.  For that they suggest a cam could be useful, and I would have had my 0.75 and 1 camalot, + 4,6,8 nuts, which I take on all of that sort of bolted climbing.

We did the Aiguille Centrale du Soreiller: Arête S the next day.  Good fun.  Best to have 2x50m ropes for the abseil on that.

Thanks.
I understand there’s pegs and tat on the N ridge but is that true of the voie du nains as well? 
 

and presumably the need for at least an axe means the consequences of a slip could be quite high?

Thanks Bruce, you can get to les étages but you have to get a shuttle from st Christophe and book that in advance. 
 

sounds like planning on some snow gear is prudent!

Cheers,  I just had a look.  That's quite useful, if just a little awkward. 

With the heat they've been getting, I wouldn't think it would be a big deal,  But the hut folk should be able to let you know.