Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif

Frederic Chevaillot, is a mountaineer and an accomplished photographer. These two passions have taken him all around the world, from Sinai to Poland, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, but he has lost none of his love for the wide-open spaces and marvellous light of the Ecrins. He decided to live in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans, where he is one of the village's few year-round inhabitants, so he can continue to explore the area throughout the seasons. He regularly contributes to outdoor magazines and has illustrated several books, including La Meije, reine de l'Oisans (with Pierre Chapoutot, Hoebeke, 2000), and Les plus beaux raids a skis (with Mario Colonel and Jean-Rene Minelli, Arthaud, 2004). Paul Grobel is a mountain guide who loves sharing his expertise and experience with clients throughout the year, specialising in mountaineering, ski tours and expeditions to distant lands. Two ski traverses of the Alps, from Austria to the Mediterranean, have broadened his knowledge of the area's summits and the culture of the people who live in these high places. Expeditions to the Arctic and the desert confirmed the joy he feels from being in wild and remote places. In recent years he has specialised in leading expeditions to Nepal, but the Ecrins, close to his home in La Grave, remains his favourite massif. Jean-Rene Minelli is a mountain guide in La Berarde. He has climbed throughout the Alps and the Pyrenees, as well as in many other mountain areas across the globe, generally with clients. However, it is at Ornon, in the heart of the Oisans, that he has set up his base camp. Many years of mountaineering have not dampened his enthusiasm for the magic of the high mountains, where he prefers novelty to performance. His passion for sharing and his hyperactivity have led him to contribute regularly to the outdoor press and to write a number of books. With Frederic Chevaillot he wrote Sommets des Ecrins, les plus belles courses faciles and Ecrins, ascensions choisies, both published by Glenat, as well as Les plus beaux raids a skis, written with Mario Colonel, illustrated by Frederic Chevaillot and published by Arthaud.

Introduction 1 Aiguille du Golon: Via the Lombard Glacier 2 Pic Jocelme: South Face 3 Pic de la Grave: North Face 4 Dme du Montier: Pic de Pormillouse, Pic du Pif Traverse 5 Roche Faurio: South-East Face 6 Pic Coolidge: South Ridge 7 Grande Ruine: Pointe Brevoort North Face 8 Tte de Lauranoure: North Slope & North-West Ridge 9 Pointes de la Pilatte: North Face & Ridge 10 Les Rouies: South-East Face & Traverse 11 Dme de Neige des crins: North Face 12 Tte des Ftoules: North/North-East Ridge 13 Rteau (East Summit): South Ridge 14 Aiguille Dibona: North Ridge 15 Tte Nord du Replat: South-East Ridge 16 Roche Paillon: South Couloir & Traverse to Col mile Pic 17 Meije Orientale: North-East Ridge 18 Montagne des Agneaux: South-East Ridge 19 From the Promontoire to the Aigle: Traverse of the North Face 20 Col Claire: North Face 21 Pic Central de la Meije: Doigt de Dieu North-East Face 22 Roche de la Muzelle: North Ridge & Traverse 23 Mont Pelvoux: Traverse and Descent via the Glacier des Violettes 24 Barre des crins: Traverse of the Ridge 25 Traverse of The Ailefroide: From the Orientale to the Centrale Practical information, hut access