Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif: Classic snow, rock & mixed climbs

Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif showcases the Ecrins' most beautiful summits through a selection of the area's best lower grade snow, rock and mixed climbs. Authors Frederic Chevaillot, Paul Grobel and Jean-Rene Minelli have chosen 25 classic Ecrins routes – graded between F and AD – that have come to be regarded as classics due to their quality, their altitude or, simply, their easy access. These routes provide the essential pleasures of mountaineering: getting off the beaten track, enjoying the pure mountain air and delighting in the charms of the high mountains. Most of these routes are at the boundary between hiking and technical alpinism and should be within the capabilities of any fit hiker-mountaineer. Routes and peaks featured include: the Aiguille du Goleon; the north ridge of the Aiguille Dibona; the south ridge of Pic Coolidge; the north-east face of the Meije Orientale; and the traverse of the Barre des Ecrins ridge, plus many more. Each route features a detailed and comprehensive route description, a sketch map and a route summary detailing the start point, difficulty, timings, height gain, best time of year and the gear required. A conscious decision was made to limit the selection to relatively easy climbs, and so the routes described in this book – a mere fraction of the climbs in the magnificent Ecrins Massif – should be within the capabilities of almost all mountaineers.