Ice Climbing in the Western Alps

La Grave (France)


Philippe Bras is stepping out on the free-standing of Les Valseuses* (Ph. X. Jehl)*	Alberto Ceresa is enjoying a foggy morning on the second pitch of Les Moulins

Back to Icehome	Argentera	Bardonecchia	Ceillac	Fournel
Freissinieres	La Grave	Gressoney	Maurienne	Varaita

General characteristics of the site:

The Romanche river cuts a long and deep valley running from the Lautaret pass down to the plain of Bourg d'Oisans. This marvellous and complex valley is oriented along an east-west direction, and this fact hints to the ice climbing potential of the area. I will say something about the 10 km long section of valley comprised between La Grave and the Chambon lake which is sometimes refered to as the Malaval gorge (Combe de Malaval). This area is very rich in icefalls which form on both sides of the valley. The guidebooks mention over 70 climbs here and most of them are several pitch long.

As a general rule the characteristics of the icefalls depend strongly on their exposition: the icefalls on the orographic left are exposed to the cold northern sky and they are usually in condition from early December until March. The icefalls on the opposite side have a southern exposition and last for a shorter time, and their conditions depend more critically on the weather history. This situation of relative uncertainty is more than compensated by the fact that the icefalls on the south face of the Malaval gorge are the most impressive ice climbs of the area and they are among the longest icefalls in Europe. In good frost this is an amazing and outstanding site.

Favourable period:

Sadly the icefalls on the south face are in condition for only a short time. The face is in shadow from mid-December until the end of January, and this is the usual limit of existence of the ice here. Sometimes during a cold spell the icefalls can be more long lived than this but everything can change in a matter of a few days. An essential fact to keep in mind is the danger from above. The upper slopes under the Plateau d'en Paris are prone to load lots of snow and to host abundancy of wind slabs. It is important to have a clear understanding of the snow situation when climbing here.

Fortunately the icefalls on the North face are more reliably in conditions and they are more long lived than their South face cousins. Some of the climbs at les Fréaux are already in conditions at the beginning of December and they can push their existance until March. In general the avalanche danger is much lower here than on the South-facing climbs.

How to get there.

From Briançon drive north toward the Lautaret pass (RN91). At the Lautaret pass stop for the great view on the Pic Gaspard and Meije and then start the descent to La Grave (about 45' from Briançon if the road is in good conditions). Drive throught the village and stop at the parking of the cable car for the Le Pylôn fall. Continue to Les Fréaux for the other climbs of this sector.

Sleeping, eating, walking around:

La Grave is a lovely village in a superb situation, since it is located exactly under the Meije north face. And I am saying under because the mountain really is an imposing view over the houses at the bottom of this narrow, inescapable valley. In many ways the view of la Meije from La Grave is wilder, much closer and more imposing than the view of Mont Blanc from Chamonix, but I must admit that I have a strong personal bias.

In the villages around there are plenty of places to stay, but most establishments are concentrated in La Grave. As far as eating is concerned I will only mention two places that I particularly like. La Pierre Farabo is a restaurant on the left, right in front of the parking lot that precedes the descent to the cable car (as seen coming from the Lautaret pass). Bruno Soleymieux, the owner I believe, is a local guide and he knows a lot about the icefalls around and don't be afraid of asking him too many questions. He doesn't bite, or, at least, he has never biten me: at worst he might sell you a copy of his good topo-guide of the area.

If this place is too busy, which happened to be a common situation lately, try La Meijette, which is about 100 m before, on the left side of the road. This restaurant has a lovely terrace with a great view of the glaciers. This might be too cold in mid winter, but you should try it in the summer...

When walking around there, please don't miss to pay a visit to history and to the XII century romanic church and its peaceful tiny cemetery. This is a good place to ponder on the futility of human endeavour...

Useful phone numbers:

Mountain rescue (Gendarmerie La Grave):	476 79 91 02
Bureau des guide (La Grave):	476 79 90 21
Stages: Philippe Brass (Le Freney D'Oisans):	476 80 14 75
Gite Le Relais des Campeurs (Les Fréaux-La Grave):	476 79 90 17
Tourist Office (La Grave):	476 79 90 05

Climbing guides and maps:

Cascades de Glace Oisans aux Six Vallees by F. Damilano and G. Perroux.

Haute Romanche by B. Soleymieux.

Institut Geographique National Top 25: 3436 ET Meije Pelvoux (1:25.000).

Institut Geographique National Top 25: 3435 OT (1:25.000).

Institut Geographique National IGN 241 Massif des Ecrins Meije Pelvoux (1:25.000).

The Climbs:

Back to Icehome	Argentera	Bardonecchia	Ceillac	Fournel
Freissinieres	La Grave	Gressoney	Maurienne	Varaita

I would be happy of receiving your comments, material to be added to the guide, images, or anything else that comes to mind. Send everything to Gimmi Ratto gimmi@in.pi.cnr.it