Grand Pic de Belledonne
2,977 m
France
Also known as Gran Pico de BelledonneAlso known as
Gran Pico de Belledonne
- Elevation
- 2,977 m
- Prominence
- 1,053 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- 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? 2 check notes
- the line does not follow 'Lac Blanc', the route's namesake (1119 m away): mislabelled
- waypoints not on the route line: Lac Blanc (190 m off the trail)
Sources differ: F (altituderando.com topo (many commenters suggest PD/PD+)) · F/PD- (guidebook quoted on altituderando.com for the historic line) · 3c free climbing (French), engagement II; one avoidable 4c step at the col (Camptocamp)
The usual way up the highest summit of Belledonne: a long approach from Pré Marcel (1,281 m) past the Refuge Jean Collet and Lac Blanc to the Col de la Balmette (2,667 m), reached by a 35–45° snow couloir or loose rock, then about 300 m of route-finding on broken, often rotten rock with a III move and two fixed cables up the north ridge and east face. About 1,700 m of ascent; usually two days.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 9.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,885 m
- −208 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,977 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 7h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 5h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Pré Marcel car park (1,281 m) above Sainte-Agnès, follow the track and then the GR 549 south, flat at first and then steeply up to the Refuge Jean Collet (1,950 m), about 2 hours. Continue to Lac Blanc (2,161 m), either by dropping about 70 m and climbing a good path over the rock step below the lake, or by an airy path with cables on the higher GR line; allow about 3 hours from Pré Marcel. Pass left of the lake towards the remnants of the Freydane glacier. The Col de la Balmette is the southernmost notch at the foot of the Grand Pic's north ridge. In winter, spring and early summer it is reached by a long, narrow snow couloir that steepens to 40–45°; in dry conditions climb loose ground and rock ledges on the side of the couloir, and about 30 m below the col take a cairned ledge to the right to avoid a short vertical step (4c, one bolt) at the col itself. Lac Blanc to the col takes about 1¾ hours. From the col, gain the north ridge (bolted belay about 15 m higher), climb 50 m of easy rock to a platform, then follow the 'normal' variant: a short step (3b) and an easy but airy ledge traverse left into a north-east-facing couloir alongside the ridge, with a move of III. Leave it on the left and climb scree and ledges bearing left on the east face, following cairns (some lead straight up and are wrong). Steeper slabs are climbed with the help of a fixed cable (memorial plaque), then a small chimney and a second cable lead right to easy broken rock and the summit. Allow 1¼–3 hours from the col. Descend the same way. The rock is loose throughout, cairns are often swept away by snow, and route-finding in mist above big drops is genuinely dangerous; many parties abseil or down-climb the couloir on a 50 m rope. The east-side approach from Le Rivier d'Allemont via the Rif Premier chalets joins at the Col de la Balmette.
Start
Pré Marcel1,300 m
- No practical public transport to Pré Marcel; buses run from Grenoble up the Grésivaudan valley, but the trailhead is about 1,000 m higher above Sainte-Agnès.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pré Marcel → Refuge Jean Collet | 5.2 | 740 | 104 | 3h 19m |
| 2 | Refuge Jean Collet → Grand Pic de Belledonne | 4.6 | 1,143 | 98 | 4h 35m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Pré Marcel1,300 m
- Hut: Refuge Jean Collet1,937 m
- Feature: Lac Blanc2,663 m
not on route line
- Feature: Lac de Freydane2,439 m
- Col: Col de la Balmette2,629 m
- Summit: Grand Pic de Belledonne2,977 m
Key Passages
- Couloir below the Col de la Balmette (35–45° snow or loose rock)
- Optional 4c step at the col (avoidable by a ledge 30 m lower)
- Airy ledge traverse into the NE couloir with a move of III
- Two fixed cables on steep slabs below the summit
- Route-finding on the descent
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest summit of the Belledonne range (2,977 m), a dark, broken rock peak towering over Grenoble and the Grésivaudan valley. Even the normal route is a serious little alpine climb: loose rock, a snow couloir in early summer, two fixed cables and tricky route-finding.
The Grand Pic de Belledonne is the highest of the three 'Pics de Belledonne', with the Pic Central and the Croix de Belledonne, which stand above the shrinking Freydane glacier and form the familiar skyline east of Grenoble. Unlike the limestone pre-Alps across the valley, Belledonne is a crystalline range, steep and wild. The couloir between the Grand Pic and the Pic Central bears the name of the alpinist Auguste Reynier.
Most people stand on the Croix de Belledonne, a hiking summit with a cross; the Grand Pic, only a few hundred metres away, is a different proposition. Its normal route reaches the Col de la Balmette by a steep snow or scree couloir and then winds up the north ridge and east face on loose ledges, with a move of III and two fixed cables. The rock is poor, cairns are swept away by snow each year, and the descent in poor visibility is notoriously hard to find. Recent climbers warn against going alone.
The usual base is the Refuge Jean Collet on the Grésivaudan side; climbers from the Oisans side approach from Le Rivier d'Allemont. The Traversée des Trois Pics (AD+) is the classic ridge outing of the massif.
Climbing Notes
This is an alpine route, not a scramble for hikers: you need to move confidently on loose, exposed rock, handle a rope for a short III step and abseils, and use crampons and ice axe in the couloir until it melts out (usually by mid-August). Fitness for about 1,700 m of ascent is needed; most parties split it into two days with a night at the Refuge Jean Collet or a bivouac near Lac Blanc, and many take much longer than the published 6 hours.
Wear a helmet throughout. Avoid going alone, start early, and only go in settled, clear weather: in mist the upper face has few landmarks above big drops. A GPS track helps on the descent. Hiring an IFMGA guide from Grenoble or the Grésivaudan valley is a good idea for a first visit.
The Refuge Jean Collet is staffed from mid-June to mid-September (bookings by phone, mandatory; cash or cheque only); its winter room with 8 places is always open.
History
The first ascent on 16 August 1859 by Étienne Favier, Stéphane Chapuis, Alphonse Michel and Frédéric Perrin came up the Eau d'Olle side past the Lac de Belledonne (Camptocamp also gives 1858 as possible). Favier repeated it on 17 August 1873 with his son, Émile Viallet and Auguste Michel. The Société des Touristes du Dauphiné built a refuge above the Lac de Belledonne in 1875; it is now a ruin. Auguste Reynier made the first ascent via the Freydane glacier in 1891. The first winter ascent was made on 17–18 February 1896 by Paul d'Aiguebelle, Louis Bouchayer and Ernest Thorant during the first winter traverse of the three peaks. The north ridge was first climbed on 9 September 1913, and Gaston Rébuffat and Michel Chevalier climbed the north side in 1944.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter mountaineering only
- Feb
- Winter; avalanche risk on the approach
- Mar
- Ski touring to the Freydane area; summit for experienced winter climbers only
- Apr
- Spring snow; the couloir to the Col de la Balmette is a 40–45° snow climb
- May
- Snow climb conditions; hut unstaffed
- Jun
- Hut staffed from mid-June; snow in the couloir and on the ridge
- Jul
- Main season; snow patches early in the month
- Aug
- Usually snow-free after mid-August and technically easier, but looser
- Sep
- Hut staffed until mid-September; dry, loose rock
- Oct
- Possible before snowfall; short days, verglas in shaded sections
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge Jean Collet: reservations mandatory by phone (09 70 03 57 76) during the staffed season; arrive by 18:00. Bivouac spots near the hut cannot be reserved but bivouac meals can.
- Fees
- Refuge Jean Collet: half-board and overnight fees; cash or cheque only
- Getting There
Sainte-Agnès; Grenoble for services
Grenoble-Isère (GNB); Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS)
- Car: from Villard-Bonnot in the Grésivaudan valley take the D290 to Sainte-Agnès, the D280 to the Col des Mouilles (1,021 m) and the small road to the Pré Marcel car park (1,281 m)
- Alternative start: La Souille (1,358 m) via the Clos track above Sainte-Agnès or Saint-Mury, saving about an hour
- East side: from Allemont in the Eau d'Olle valley to Le Rivier d'Allemont or Le Molard, then via the Rif Premier chalets
- Trains and buses reach Grenoble and the Grésivaudan valley; no public transport to the trailheads
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche
- Glacier
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,950 m
Refuge Jean ColletRefugeStaffedBooking required
34 beds · Staffed 15 June to about mid-September; winter room with 8 places always open