Tour of the Oisans (GR54 in the Ecrins)

Trip undertaken 28 August to 3 September 2005


Travelling companions: Richard Pratt and Hayden Measham. Self guided and accessed via Grenoble.


Guide books: Tour of the Oisans by Andrew Harper, and The Ecrins National Park by Kev Reynolds (both Cicerone Press).


Day 1

Left the Hotel Oberland in Bourg d’Oisans at 0830. Adequate hotel with friendly staff and very focused on road biking clientele. Bought food in the town centre and headed across the valley to start the ascent of the GR54 path, leading steeply north in the direction of Huez. Passing the side of la Cascade campsite we were soon ‘enjoying’ slippery rocks and chains to assist on the steeper sections. Then we managed to miss a right hand turn on the path and had an epic on a steep muddy woodland track on the east side of the Cascade de Sarenne. Very unpleasant. Moral of the story is: keep your eyes peeled for the GR red and white markers and if you find yourself on unstable, overgrown and increasingly scary terrain, you’re probably not on a GR path! So we backtracked and after 15 minutes relocated ourselves on to the right path. Rocky scrambles leading to a pleasant woodland path took us to la Ville, then easy forest paths to Maronne and le Rosay before a steep descent to the Sarenne valley, picking up the easy main trail out of Huez.
We climbed up into the narrowing valley with a quick refreshment break at the Gite d’Etape above Combe Haut, followed by a long plod past the Cabanes de Sarenne and Col de Sarenne (1999m), arriving at 1400.
Lunch stop here with big views down into the Ferrand valley and the village of Clarans le Haut, some 600m below our feet. It was a lofty perch for lunch.

View from Col de Sarenne 1999m

A good path takes you swiftly down to Clarans le Haut (one hour) and then there was easy walking down the valley to the very attractive village of Clarans le Bas.
A short descent took us to a river crossing across a footbridge, before the final steep pull up a shaly ridge to Besse at 1530m, our final destination, arriving about 1700. Super little village with nice hotel, Hotel Alpin, with friendly young hosts. Good crepes and Kronenbourg rounded off the day!

Hotel Alpin, Besse

Day 2

Start of day 2

The day dawned clear with bright blue skies. Had a decent breakfast and got going about 0845, taking the valley north east of Besse on a broad easy track for about 1.5 Kms. Then steep contouring path took us to Col Nazie (1902m) with great views N.E. to Pic du Lac Blanc 3323m and the Glacier de Sarenne immediately to the south of it. Then a very sustained zigzag ascent to Col Bichet at 2245m, reaching the top by about 1045 (two hours from start). A 15 minute break in a fresh easterly wind revived us and we then had an easy moorland crossing and slow plod up to Col de Souchet at 2362m, gaining fine views of the northern aspects of the Ecrins, with superb views of the 3982m high la Meije and the steep Glacier de la Girose falling into the heavily wooded Valle de la Romanche.

Ascent to Col Bichet

Moorland crossing to Col Souchet

This was followed by a great ‘balcon’ walk from the col, leading us across the Plateau d’Emparis and the slowly descending to a fine viewpoint above le Chazelet where we had a leisurely lunch out of the wind.

Northern edge of the Ecrins

Towards la Meije 

Path down to le Chazelet

GR54 to le Chazelet

The early afternoon was dominated by a long zigzag descent of about 400m to the beautifully situated le Chazelet (mainly new ski chalets though), then down the road to les Terrasses before a final, weary descent across the meadows to la Grave where we checked in to the Auberge Edelweiss.

Valle de la Romanche

la Grave, Ecrins National Park

Nice beer garden overlooking la Meije. The hotel, run by Dutch lady Marlon and partner Robin Gray (who used to be associated with adventure holiday company Exodus), mainly caters for extreme skiers and the mountain biking fraternity. Hayden invested in new boots, having suffered with his old pair and having resorted to walking in sandals for much of the walk so far (not recommended!).


Day 3


A long day ahead! We left the village after buying some pizza for lunch, getting on our way by 0850. Dropped down to the river, then followed a contouring path through the woods before going more steeply up through the woods to cross the ridge high above the valley, climbing to 1756m on a very quiet path.

Ecrins National Park

We crossed into the Ecrins National Park (which means that the GR red and white waymarks become almost non-existent) and crossed the river again at Pont de Brebis after about 2 hours. Encountering our first tourists for over two days we then walked up a wide valley, before pulling steeply away from the crowds (well, OK, about 10 other walkers), climbing up a rock band on zigzags and surrounded by huge waterfalls in all directions in an area known as ‘Les Voutes’. This was followed by an interminable plod in very hot sunshine, passing the Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arene (2077m), and eventually reaching the Col d’Arsine (2340m) where we had a well-deserved lunch break.

Zigzags en route to Col d'Arsine

Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arene (2077m)

Then, moving east, we passed aquamarine blue glacial lakes, before a long series of zigzags down unstable ground brought us to Lac de la Douche. Knees needed a rest here! Then a final drop through the woods on a broad path to le Casset, where the knackered team resorted to Coke and ice cream before the final level valley walk to our destination of the day, the Auberge Choucas in Monêtier les Bains (also known to skiers as Serre Chevalier 1500). A very comfortable hotel, rather more upmarket than we really needed, but lovely all the same, with fine dining and some indulgent wine choices which raised a few eyebrows when we settled the account the following morning! Outstanding cheese. Bed by 2130!

Glacial lakes below Col d'Arsine

View back on day 3 from le Casset

Day 4



We had a slow start as the hotel breakfast only available form 0800…very late for the walking fraternity! Finally got going at 0850, walking across the wrong bridge (Hayden had the map though!!) and crossing over pastureland before climbing up steeply rising woodland tracks for three hours to reach the Col de l’ Eychauda (the last 45 minutes on unpleasant gravel ski lift service roads). An unattractive col, though with big views to the east and west in very hot and dry conditions. 

View from descent after Col de l'Eychauda

We took a traversing path due south, then a long series of zigzags lost us 600m before lunch at 1300 looking down the Vallee de Chambran at ~1900m. Stopped a little later for more ice cream at Chambran before a valley plod in increasing heat, before turning N.W. into the valley leading to Ailefroide. Then came the surprise. Looked simple on the map…but reality on the ground was somewhat different. A nasty little path, with many ups and downs, crossing unstable scree slopes and ravines, plus largely overgrown with spiky plants. Nice! One hour 10 minutes to Ailefroide said the sign. Don’t believe a word of it! One hour 40 minutes later, duly humbled, we arrived in Ailefroide, crossed the glacial torrent and reached our hotel for the night, the Hotel Engilberge. 

Horrible little path to Ailefroide

A fabulous setting though, with towering rock walls, up to 2000m above us, all around. Enjoyed much needed beer and reflected on a walk that started 8 hours earlier.


Day 5


Started at 0830 with the simple objective of climbing up to the Refuge Cezanne, now known as the Refuge de la Pre de Madame Carle, at 1874m. A very easy walk, some on the road but mostly on a rough, overgrown track. After a coffee we set off for the Refuge Glacier Blanc (can’t keep a good team down!) and zoomed up easy zigzag paths to 2380m where we decided we wouldn’t have time to get to the refuge, have lunch and get down in time for a taxi already booked to get us down the valley to our penultimate overnight stop at Vallouise. So, we had a quick stop on the smooth, striated granite blocks overlooking the snout of the fine Glacier Blanc and in sight of the refuge 250m above.

Glacier Blanc

Barre des Ecrins above Glacier Neige

Glacier Blanc

We left our perch at 1115 and reached the valley bottom 400m below just over one hour later, with fine views up to Glacier Neige and the Barre des Ecrins 4102m to the west and Mont Pelvoux 3943m immediately above us to the south. Omelettes and local (Briançon) brewed beer at Refuge de la Pre de Madame Carle, then a 1 ¼ hour yomp back down the valley to Ailefroide. Great scenery here, with marmots and chamois seen below the huge rock walls and cascaded on either side of the valley.
Taxi down to Vallouise where we checked into the Hotel le Vallois. Pleasant enough village with a brew pub and some unusual chalet architecture, with many levels (hay lofts) and use of stone arches on the lower elevations (but we’re now only 50Kms from Italy).


Day 6


Now out of season, so forced to take an early taxi to Briançon and managed to check in to the hospitable Hotel Edelweiss, just below the historic old fortified town.
Impressive town, worth a visit, a decent lunch at a restaurant overlooking the valley to the north of the town and all was well with the world!

Briançon

Summary


A more challenging route than the Tour du Mont Blanc, with some long days and, to the north, more shaly slippery paths than were expected.
We only did the opening sections of the GR54 and it gets more challenging later in the route, with some very long, isolated days with mountain refuges the only overnight options. But we’ll be back…the area is unspoilt, virtually undiscovered by the wider walking community (most Brits going to the Ecrins will be going to rock climb), and spectacular.

Morocco

August 2005

A very brief visit to Morocco, via Marrakech, and then into the High Atlas Mountains for a couple of days walking. We based ourselves in Oukaïmeden, about 80km south of Marrakech, which also happens to be a ski resort in the winter. 

Interesting, rocky walking, passing Berber villages along the way. Kids begging were a problem.

Leaving Marrakech

Entering the Atlas Mountain region

High Atlas, view to Mount Toubkal

Our guide, Haj

Berber village

French Alps

July 2005


Climbing with the very able assistance of mountain guide Ric Potter.

3 July

0730 Le Plan, Chamonix. Steadily rising track 45 minutes to La Floria, a very attractive chalet but closed this early in the morning! Mont Blanc massif was completely clear. Good views to the Midi-Plan traverse. Zigzags beyond La Floria, running close to La Flagere gondola but mainly hidden by trees.
Reached la Flagere by 1000 but it was crowded so didn’t stop and pressed on to Index de la Griere 2361m. Good traversing path to Lac Blanc, plenty of ascent/descent, taking 1 ¼ hours. Very crowded at Lac Blanc: beautiful Sunday outing for many, so went up to above 2400m, affording good views of Lac Blanc and the mountains either side of the Mer de Glace. Cool wind but hot sunshine.

Mont Blanc Massif, en route to L'Index

Aiguilles du Chardonnet and Argentiere, left, from Lac Blanc

Lac Blanc

Lazy afternoon at Chalet du Lac Blanc 2352m. Friendly service, good beer and dinner. Place was full of Brits, many with a Rambler’s Association TMB group. Small room with four Frenchmen for the night…lucky me!


4 July

Clear skies at 0630 but cloud built up quickly during the breakfast period. Chamois and Bouquetin close to chalet at this early hour. By 0730 Dome de Gouter already covered in cloud. Departed then, with steep descent down steps and ladders to Lacs des Cheserys. Stupidly took a wrong turn (read the map!) and had an epic on an old path with decaying handrails and bolts – soon realised the error of my ways, but this cost me 20 minutes.
Down to the Chalet des Cheserys 1998m by 0830 and turned left on to steeply descending path signed to Argentiere. Very steep but brilliantly constructed and reached Argentiere by 0940. Sky getting heavier but still bright. Took cable car up to Lognan 1960m and strolled up to Glacier d’Argentiere stopping at the ‘Point de Vue’ after 45 minutes. Big views of the seracs.

Argentiere Glacier

Then up further, climbing easy path on lateral moraine to the right of the glacier to p.3328m with views to Aiguille du Chardonnet and Aiguille d’Argentiere. Descended to cable car c. 1300 but stopped for lunch and the gathering storm, which hit shortly afterwards. Descended by cable car, then bus to Chamonix to meet Ric Potter, British Mountain Guide, who was to lead some mountaineering trips for the rest of the week.

5 July

On the road early to meet Ric at the Midi cable car station in Chamonix. Reached the top station by 0915 and went through the clouds into perfectly clear weather at 3800m. Superb. 

Aiguille du Midi Arête

Grandes Jorasses from the Aiguille du Midi Arête

Climbed down the Aig. du Midi Arête and crossed the glacier to the Cosmiques Hut. After a quick drink we set off to do the Cosmiques Arête at 1030, nipping ahead of some larger parties. First sections were on relatively easy rock, albeit quite exposed, interspersed with snow ridges and steep scrambling. We made good progress and after a 20m rope lower and some careful climbing around the various rock gendarmes and on steepening snow, we approached the upper section of the ridge which features the crux of the route, a rock wall with very few holds and an in situ etrier which is supposed to help (it didn’t!). Ric made it look relatively easy, but I had a nightmare on it, finally managing to get my leg on to the top of the piton and making the key move essential to getting up the damn thing after almost 10 minutes of grunting and swearing. I am not, and never will be, a rock climber! Then on to a series of awkward chimneys and with my breathing getting ever more rapid… a combination of nerves and altitude!

Starting the Cosmiques Arête

Cosmiques Arête, Aiguille du Midi

View to top of the Aiguille du Midi from the Cosmiques Arête

20m lower on the Cosmiques Arête

Classic mixed climbing on the Cosmiques Arête

Stumpy on the Cosmiques Arête

Ground getting a bit harder now!

The crux section of the route

Final exit chimneys on the Cosmiques Arête

Nearing the top of the Cosmiques Arête

View back to Mont Blanc from the Cosmiques Arête

Exit ladder at the top of the Cosmiques Arête

The final section of the ridge is straightforward and you basically climb across a flat section before ascending a ladder to a viewing platform that happened to be full of American and Japanese tourists on the day. Needless to say, we were famous for about four minutes!
Down to Chamonix by 1615 and a well earned beer. Although it only took 4 hours to do the route (with a lot of waiting for other parties to do pitches in the upper section) this was technically harder than anything I’d done in the mountains before and Ric rated it as AD, even though the Alpine Club guide book rates it as PD+ with the rider that ‘some sections are hard for this grade’. The route gave fantastic views of the Grande Jorasses, Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Blanc itself, with breathtaking drops down to the Bossons Glacier and Les Houches far below on the north side. A very satisfying day.

6 July

A difficult day for decisions due to very mixed and unspecific weather forecast. Hung around at the café at the bottom of the Aig. du Midi cable car for an hour or so, bumping into another guide, Smiler Cuthbertson (Ecuador November 2004) and Steve Greenhalgh, his client, who’d also been in Ecuador with me. They were not going to go up that day because of the weather, but, in the end, we decided to press on, going up to the top and descending the arête in cloud…what a difference a day makes! The weather brightened as we made our way in the direction of the Cosmiques Hut so we decided to head across the Vallee Blanche to position ourselves at the Torino Hut in anticipation of better weather the following day.
Visibility worsened as we descended into the heavily crevassed zone below Pointe Lachenal and Ric used his GPS to navigate and mark waypoints for our return trip the following day. Tight rope needed on some big snow bridges crossing cavernous crevasses and a large avalanche was heard (but fortunately not seen!) somewhere towards the Mont Blanc du Tacul. Then a steady ascent up to the Torino hut with occasional glimpses of the Dent du Geant through the cloud. Arrived at the Torino hut 3375m in strong wind and snow early afternoon.

Summer holiday! At the Torino Hut

Val Veni from the Torino hut

Hut was not busy at all due to the weather, a capacious and rather old fashioned hut but with friendly service, good beer and food. During the evening, clouds cleared to afford views into Italy (steeply down to Courmayeur and Val Ferret / Val Veni) with spectacular views to the Peuterey Ridge and Mont Blanc itself. In the opposite direction views of the Grand Jorasses remained elusive and a decision was made to abandon the planned attempt on the Rochefort Arête due to expected strong winds and fresh snow on an icy base. In reality I think it’s too technical for me anyway…I’ll just look at the picture books!

7 July

Up at 0430 and on the hill by 0530, into strong winds with a dark cloud plume billowing off the Dent du Geant to our right as we left the hut. Our objective for the day, La Tour Ronde 3792m, by the South East Ridge. We descended to the Col du Flambeux, going around the base of Aig. du Toule and then up again, on a steepening route across fresh snow, into the Col d’Entreves. 

Ascent from Col du Flambeux

Classically, the S.E. Ridge is tackled from the col, but in deference to my dubious ability on rock, Ric elected to climb across the bergschrund and up some ‘Scottish’ terrain, directly to the saddle at Col Freshfield 3625m where we then climbed some straightforward rock with scrambling on mixed ground before surmounting a steeper rock wall just below the summit.

Ric crossing the bergschrund on ascent of Tour Ronde

First pitch above the bergschrund on the Tour Ronde

Ascent to Col Freshfield 

We topped out at 0950 ahead of other parties who’d done the whole ridge (and said that it had been tricky with the fresh snow). Huge views down to the Brenva Glacier and the Peuterey ridge to Mont Blanc, but windy weather and a lot of cloud constrained views to the east.

Nearing the summit of Tour Ronde

Summit in sight!

Tour Ronde summit, 3792m

On the way up I’d almost baled out twice due to my dislike of the terrain, a tricky bergschrund crossing, steep icy rock, and, at one point a small avalanche occurred just as I’d stepped off the snow on to some ice to the right. And, of course, some very unstylish climbing to get up one or two rock sections! Fortunately, we met another guide, Owen, a mate of Ric’s at the summit and we agreed to down climb to Col Freshfield together and then abseil back the way we’d come up. This we did, descending quickly, and after three and a half rope lengths (about 175m) we crossed the bergschrund back on the glacier.

Abseil down from Col Freshfield, 3625m

Abseil over the bergschrund

We had to cross some large snow bridges again, then turned north to regain the route back across the Vallee Blanche to get to the Cosmiques Hut for the night. A long grind, with poor visibility and occasional strong gust of wind, finally reaching the hut at 1515. A long day.
Again, a relatively empty hut, mainly populated by frustrated Brits who had gone up to do Mont Blanc but were now resigned to just doing the Cosmiques Arête due to poor snow conditions and high avalanche risk on Mont Blanc du Tacul. This was a potential final route for us, but conditions determined an early end of our trip. Beer, good dinner, usual disturbed hut night and descent via the Aig. du Midi lift the following morning.

8 July

Midi-Plan Ridge, for another day...

Descent from the Aig. du Midi, back to Les Contamines to dry gear then back to Chamonix for lunch with Ric. Bloody good food at ’le panier des 4 saisons’ (24 Galerie Blanc Neige, Rue Paccard, Chamonix: tel 04 50 53 98 77) – highly recommended!