Aiguille de Chambeyron
3,412 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,412 m
- Prominence
- 771 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 5 check notes
- danger scan: Lac Noir → Brèche Nérot-Vernet: straight line 1151 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Lac Noir → Brèche Nérot-Vernet: straight line 1151 m above the last hut/bivouac
- Lac Noir → Brèche Nérot-Vernet: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path 2581 m > 1.8× straight 1151 m + slack, 1.2 km)
- Brèche Nérot-Vernet → Aiguille de Chambeyron: dem (snap_failed, 0.3 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Couloir Gastaldi
Sources differ: PD (fr.wikipedia (south face, short pitches of low III)) · 3b (French rock), engagement III (Camptocamp)
A long, loose and route-finding-heavy scramble from the Refuge du Chambeyron past the Lac Long to the scree cone of the Couloir Gastaldi, then up the couloir and a ledge system to the Brèche Nérot-Vernet (3,251 m), along the ridge and back onto the south face to a 20 m summit block (3b). About 1,530 m from Fouillouse; usually done from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 9.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,550 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,412 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 19m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 16m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Fouillouse (about 1,900 m) the signed path climbs to the Refuge du Chambeyron (2,626 m) on the shore of Lac Premier. Continue on the GR towards the Lac des Neuf Couleurs; after Lac Long leave the path and head for the south face, passing between Lac Noir and Lac de l'Étoile through boulders, to the large scree cone at the foot of the Couloir Gastaldi, the gully that drops from just east of the main summit (about 2h30 from Fouillouse). Climb the cone and the couloir, mostly on its left. Where the couloir bends left below a compact wall, follow an easy outward-sloping ledge to the right to a shoulder, then a slightly exposed traverse, a slab with a fixed handrail (2b) and a ramp lead to the Brèche Nérot-Vernet (3,251 m). Follow the ridge for about 20 m (3a), turn a gendarme on the right and return to the south face at a small col. Traverse slightly downwards to the head of the Couloir Gastaldi, then climb up and left below the summit and take the 20 m summit block on its left side (3b) to the cross. A white-marked line to the right of the couloir has been painted in recent years; it is a little more technical but on better rock and rejoins the topo line at the brèche. About 2 hours from the foot of the couloir. Descend the same way (about 3h30 to Fouillouse); a 15 m abseil from the summit cross eases the first section. Note the line carefully on the way up: cairns are sparse and the ledge system is easy to lose, particularly in fog. Stonefall from other parties is a real risk in the lower Couloir Gastaldi, which also holds snow late into the season. Camptocamp and recent reports consider the route at its best with a little snow in spring, early summer or autumn.
Start
Fouillouse1,873 m
- No regular service to Fouillouse; seasonal buses up the Ubaye valley from Barcelonnette were not verified
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fouillouse → Refuge du Chambeyron | 5.7 | 752 | 0 | 3h 13m |
| 2 | Refuge du Chambeyron → Aiguille de Chambeyron | 3.4 | 797 | 5 | 3h 05m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Fouillouse1,873 m
- Hut: Refuge du Chambeyron2,619 m
- Feature: Lac Long2,786 m
- Feature: Lac Noir2,813 m
Pass between Lac Noir and Lac de l'Étoile through boulders
- Col: Brèche Nérot-Vernet3,172 m
- Summit: Aiguille de Chambeyron3,412 m
Key Passages
- Scree cone at the foot of the Couloir Gastaldi
- Outward-sloping ledge and slab with fixed handrail (2b) below the Brèche Nérot-Vernet
- Ridge above the brèche (3a) and descending traverse back to the head of the Couloir Gastaldi
- 20 m summit block (3b)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of the Ubaye, of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and of Provence (3,412 m), a pale limestone and calcschist tower above a plateau of high lakes. The normal route is a long, loose PD- scramble from the Refuge du Chambeyron that rewards careful route-finding more than climbing skill.
The Aiguille de Chambeyron rises at the north-eastern corner of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, on a side ridge about a kilometre from the main Franco-Italian watershed between the upper Ubaye and the Chambeyron valley. It is the highest point of the Chambeyron massif and the highest Alpine summit south of Monte Viso, yet it is hidden from the valley by its foothills and is climbed less often than its more visible neighbour, the Brec de Chambeyron (3,389 m). The rock belongs to the Chambeyron nappe: calcschists and pinkish Malm limestone that is often loose.
The usual base is the Refuge du Chambeyron (2,626 m) on Lac Premier, part of a plateau of lakes that includes Lac Long and the Lac des Neuf Couleurs. From there the normal route climbs the scree cone and gully of the Couloir Gastaldi, then a system of ledges, a short ridge and a 20 m summit block on the south face. Difficulties never exceed about III-, but the terrain is exposed, stonefall-prone and easy to lose. On the north and north-west sides small remnants of the Marinet and Chauvet glaciers survive, among the southernmost in the French Alps, and offer spring snow couloirs for experienced parties.
The Chambeyron is a good objective for walkers moving into easy alpinism who are comfortable on loose rock and can use a rope for short exposed steps. Expect a long day of scree and a remote, quiet setting rather than a crowded classic.
Climbing Notes
The ascent involves about 1,530 m from Fouillouse, so most parties sleep at the Refuge du Chambeyron and climb the next morning: about 2 hours from the foot of the couloir to the summit and 3h30 back to Fouillouse according to Camptocamp. You need to be at ease scrambling on loose rock up to about III-, with a few exposed passages, and able to find a route on a poorly cairned face. Take a short rope for the summit block and the descent (a 15 m abseil from the cross helps), a helmet, and an ice axe and crampons while snow lingers in the Couloir Gastaldi.
Start early and keep away from parties above you in the couloir, where stones are easily dislodged. Fog can rise quickly from the Marinet side; turn back if you lose the line. Guides in Barcelonnette and the Ubaye valley offer the ascent. The harder east-ridge variant from the brèche (AD, IV) has better rock, and spring snow routes reach the brèche from the Marinet glacier (up to 40°).
History
W. A. B. Coolidge and the guides Christian Almer father and son made the first ascent on 28 July 1879 from Maljasset by the west side (Vallon de Chauvet), now known as the Coolidge route. On 28 August 1883 James Nérot with Antoine Giraud Lézin, Antoine Jouve and Joseph Risoul reached the summit from the notch now called the Brèche Nérot-Vernet, approached from the north. The south side of the brèche, today's normal route, was first descended by E., G. and H. Vernet on 19 August 1895. Jean Coste climbed the north-face couloir that bears his name in 1926. The name may derive from a word for a hemp field or from the Provençal 'chambeiroun' (gaiters).
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut winter room only
- Feb
- Winter; ski touring in the Chambeyron cirque
- Mar
- Ski touring and snow routes for experienced parties; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring snow couloirs on the north side; avalanche risk
- May
- Snow in the couloir; hut unguarded
- Jun
- Hut guarded from mid-June; snow in the Couloir Gastaldi helps on the scree
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; couloir dry and more prone to stonefall
- Sep
- Hut guarded to mid-September; quieter
- Oct
- Possible early snow; hut unguarded (winter room)
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Refuge du Chambeyron online via refugeduchambeyron.ffcam.fr during the guarded season (mid-June to mid-September). Outside that period a 20-place unguarded part with blankets, a stove and dry toilets is open; there is no water supply and no gas.
- Fees
- Refuge du Chambeyron overnight fees; outside the guarded season a contribution (EUR 10 per person per night on the hut website) is paid on site or online
- Getting There
Barcelonnette; Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye
Turin (TRN) or Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE)
- By car: from Barcelonnette up the Ubaye valley (D900, then D902) to Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, then the narrow road to the hamlet of Fouillouse and its car park (about 1,875 m)
- From Italy: over the Col de Larche (Colle della Maddalena) from Cuneo to the Ubaye valley
- Public transport to Fouillouse was not verified
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,626 m
Refuge du ChambeyronHutStaffedBooking required
69 beds · Guarded mid-June to mid-September (Camptocamp lists 18 June – 18 September); 20-place unguarded section the rest of the year