Aiguille de Péclet
3,562 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,562 m
- Prominence
- 766 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr–May
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: F (Altituderando)
The most direct and usually easiest line, starting in the resort of Val Thorens (about 2,300 m): round the Tête Ronde, then up the broad, crevassed west-facing Glacier de Péclet with sustained slopes of about 40°, split by seracs into two lines, to a short 45° step below the summit. About 1,260 m of ascent in a day; mainly done in spring.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,295 m
- −52 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,562 m
- Time Up
- 5h 31m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 52m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the upper part of Val Thorens (about 2,300–2,350 m; in season the road towards the Combe de Thorens is cleared as far as the Chalet de la Combe near the Moraine lift) head south-east towards the rocky knoll of the Tête Ronde and pass it on its right, up a combe beside the Tête Ronde ridge to a flat area at about 2,800 m. Put on crampons and rope up at the foot of the Glacier de Péclet. The glacier rises in a broad, obvious slope, sustained at about 40° with gentler basins. Large seracs in the middle split it into two lines of similar difficulty that join again at about 3,200 m; keep to the right bank where crevasses allow. Above, the slope leads to a marked notch (where ski tourers leave their skis) and a final step of about 20 m at 45° to the summit. From below, the big rock mass on the right is the Roc des Saints-Pères, not the summit; the top is a snow notch and a small easy rock just right of a little white col. Descend the glacier, downclimbing the summit step facing in, or, if the west face is in poor condition, follow a faint track down easy rocks on the south side to the Glacier de Chavière and the Col de Thorens (3,105 m), then down to the resort. Late in the season the glacier is icier and more broken and much of the lower ground is scree.
Start
Val Thorens2,318 m
- Bus from Moûtiers station to Val Thorens.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Val Thorens → Aiguille de Péclet | 8.8 | 1,295 | 52 | 5h 31m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Val Thorens2,318 m
End of the cleared road towards the Combe de Thorens
- Feature: Tête Ronde2,719 m
Passed on its right (not on route line)
- Summit: Aiguille de Péclet3,562 m
Key Passages
- Central serac band on the Glacier de Péclet (two lines)
- Sustained 40° glacier slopes
- 20 m at 45° below the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The Aiguille de Péclet (3,561 m) is the highest summit of the Péclet-Polset chain in the south-western Vanoise, rising directly above Val Thorens. A glaciated pyramid between the Péclet, Chavière and Gébroulaz glaciers, it is climbed mainly in spring by a PD- glacier route from the resort.
The Aiguille de Péclet stands at the head of the Belleville valley, on the watershed between the Tarentaise (Val Thorens and Méribel), the Pralognan valley and the Maurienne at Modane. Three glaciers surround it: the Gébroulaz to the north and the Chavière to the south, both in the Vanoise National Park, and the Péclet to the west, in the park's outer zone above the Val Thorens ski area.
Because Val Thorens sits at about 2,300 m, the summit is only about 1,260 m above the resort and is usually climbed in a day, most often in spring on skis or on foot with crampons. The west face gives a broad but sustained glacier climb at about 40°; the south side via the Col de Thorens and a short steep couloir follows the line of the first ascent. The north ridge from the top of the Péclet funitel is a fine PD alternative. From the top the view takes in Mont Blanc, the Vanoise glaciers and the Écrins.
The glaciers are shrinking, so late-season conditions can differ markedly from the older descriptions. Approaches from Pralognan via the Refuge de Péclet-Polset and the Glacier de Gébroulaz, or from Méribel via the Refuge du Saut, are longer.
Climbing Notes
You need glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue) and confidence on 40–45° snow or ice; the altitude is moderate but the start at 2,300 m gives little time to acclimatise. Most parties climb it in a day from Val Thorens in April–June, when the glacier is well covered and the snow refreezes overnight. Start early: the slopes soften quickly and stonefall affects the west face later in the day. In summer the glacier becomes icier and more broken, and recent condition reports are scarce, so check with the Val Thorens guides' office or recent reports on Camptocamp or Skitour. Novices should go with an IFMGA guide.
History
The north fore-summit was first climbed on 22 August 1877 by Louis Boutan with André, Pierre and Victor Puiseux, by the east side and the north ridge. The main summit was first reached on 12 August 1878 by W. A. B. Coolidge with Christian Almer father and son, by the south side and the south-east ridge.
Season
Best Apr–May- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Ski-mountaineering for experienced parties; cold and short days
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering
- Mar
- Spring ski-mountaineering season begins
- Apr
- Classic spring ski ascent
- May
- Good snow cover on the glacier; early starts
- Jun
- Glacier still covered in a good year
- Jul
- Glacier increasingly icy and broken
- Aug
- Bare ice, open crevasses, stonefall
- Sep
- Dry, icy conditions
- Oct
- Early snow over open crevasses
- Nov
- Early winter
- Dec
- Possible after good early-winter snowfalls
Access & Permits
- Rules
- The Chavière and Gébroulaz sides lie in the core zone of the Vanoise National Park (dogs, drones and fires prohibited; bivouacking only near staffed huts); the Glacier de Péclet is in the park's outer zone
- In winter and spring the approach crosses the Val Thorens ski area; follow resort rules for uphill travel on pistes
- Getting There
Val Thorens; Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc (CMF); Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS); Geneva (GVA)
- Train to Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, then bus to Val Thorens
- Car: Moûtiers – Saint-Martin-de-Belleville – Val Thorens; paid parking in the resort
- Longer approaches from Pralognan-la-Vanoise via the Refuge de Péclet-Polset, or from Méribel via the Refuge du Saut
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Exposure
- Weather