Meije
3,983 m
France
Also known as La Meije, მეჟე, +1Also known as
La Meije · მეჟე · Grand Pic de la Meije
- Elevation
- 3,983 m
- Prominence
- 821 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 15 Dec 2025
The Refuge du Châtelleret (2,225 m) on the southern approach, damaged by a torrential flood in July 2023, was officially closed on 15 December 2025.
camptocamp.orgAdvisoryReported 19 Aug 2026
The fixed rope at the bottom of the Enfetchores (La Grave approach to the Brèche de la Meije) was reported in very poor condition and not to be used on 19 August 2026.
camptocamp.org
Routes
2Approximate 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? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Refuge du Promontoire → Glacier Carré: straight line 692 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Refuge du Promontoire → Glacier Carré: straight line 692 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Refuge du Promontoire → Glacier Carré: straight line: 80° over 25 m (> 60°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Refuge du Promontoire → Glacier Carré: sustained 75° > 45° on a straight line
- danger scan: Glacier Carré → Brèche du Glacier Carré: straight line 22 m above the last hut/bivouac
- DEM 25 m before the summit is 3921 m vs summit elevation 3983 m (DEM too coarse for the summit block?)
- Refuge du Promontoire → Glacier Carré: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 0.7 km)
- Glacier Carré → Brèche du Glacier Carré: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: straight line 22 m steeper than 45° (50°), 0.0 km)
Sources differ: Camptocamp: AD, engagement III, free 4a, obligatory 3c (Camptocamp) · AD+ (Commonly quoted in guidebooks and guide-company listings for the Grand Pic by the Promontoire)
The 1877 first-ascent line: from the Refuge du Promontoire (3,092 m) up the Promontoire ridge, the Duhamel couloir, the Castelnau wall, the Pas du Chat and the small Glacier Carré, then the west-face slabs and the Cheval Rouge to the Grand Pic. About 900 m of route-finding on rock up to UIAA III/IV, descended the same way with five abseils from the summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 10.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,383 m
- −117 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,983 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 9h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 28m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The route is a two-day outing. The classic approach is from La Bérarde up the Vallon des Étançons, past the Refuge du Châtelleret, to the Refuge du Promontoire, perched on the rock spur at 3,092 m (about 4–5 hours, 1,300–1,400 m of ascent; early in the season the last slopes below the hut are snowy). Since the June 2024 Vénéon floods La Bérarde itself is closed: in summer 2026 a shuttle ran from Venosc to Combe Noire, about 300 m short of the hamlet, and walkers had to bypass the closed zone. The Châtelleret hut was damaged by a torrential flood in July 2023 and officially closed in December 2025. The alternative approach from La Grave takes the cable car to Peyrou d'Amont (2,400 m), climbs the Enfetchores rock spur (PD, a fixed rope near the bottom reported badly damaged in August 2026) and the Glacier de la Meije to the Brèche de la Meije (3,357 m), then descends south to the hut. From the hut, the Pas du Crapaud (3b) leads onto the Promontoire ridge, followed up to the Campement des Demoiselles; slabs and pegged chimneys (3a) on the left bank lead into the Duhamel couloir (snow, ice and stonefall). Above the Pyramide Duhamel (3,460 m) a terrace leads to the Castelnau slab and wall (3b) and a long rising traverse on ledges below the Glacier Carré, then the Dos d'Âne (3b), the Dalle des Autrichiens (4a, the technical crux) and the Pas du Chat (3b), where the rock changes from granite to gneiss. Cross or skirt the Glacier Carré (35–40°) to the Brèche du Glacier Carré (3,790 m), then climb the west-face slabs to the Cheval Rouge (3c) and the Chapeau du Capucin (3c) and follow the ridge to the summit statuette of the Virgin. Allow 4–6 hours from the hut. Descend the same way: five abseils down the west face of the Grand Pic, back across the Glacier Carré and a series of abseils and down-climbing to the hut, then on to the valley. The ledges below the Glacier Carré have been more exposed to rockfall since a major collapse below the Pic du Glacier Carré on 7 August 2018; a variant was opened afterwards, and the hut guardians post current conditions in season. The route is long, complex and committing for its grade, and thunderstorms on the ridge are serious; most parties without detailed knowledge of the line hire a guide.
Start
La Bérarde1,716 m
- La Grave – Peyrou d'Amont cable car (summer, roughly early June to mid-September) for the northern approach via the Brèche de la Meije
- Bus to Bourg-d'Oisans, then in July–August the regional shuttle (paid, bookable) from Venosc up the Vénéon valley to Combe Noire near La Bérarde. Alternatively bus to La Grave on the Grenoble–Briançon line and the La Grave cable car to Peyrou d'Amont for the Enfetchores approach.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Bérarde → Refuge du Promontoire | 9.6 | 1,382 | 8 | 5h 49m |
| 2 | Refuge du Promontoire → Grand Pic de la Meije | 0.9 | 1,001 | 109 | 3h 40m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: La Bérarde1,716 m
Hamlet closed since the June 2024 floods; in summer 2026 the shuttle terminus was Combe Noire, about 300 m before it
- Feature: Refuge du Châtelleret2,226 m
Damaged by flood July 2023, officially closed December 2025; not available for overnight stays
- Hut: Refuge du Promontoire3,091 m
- Feature: Pyramide Duhamel3,447 m
not on route line
- Feature: Glacier Carré3,859 m
- Col: Brèche du Glacier Carré3,825 m
- Summit: Grand Pic de la Meije3,983 m
Key Passages
- Pas du Crapaud (3b) above the hut
- Duhamel couloir (snow, ice, stonefall)
- Castelnau slab and wall (3b)
- Ledges below the Glacier Carré (rockfall zone since 2018)
- Dalle des Autrichiens (4a)
- Pas du Chat (3b)
- Glacier Carré (35–40°)
- Cheval Rouge and Chapeau du Capucin (3c)
- Five abseils down the west face on descent
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The 3,983 m Grand Pic de la Meije rises above La Grave in the Écrins, a jagged ridge of granite and gneiss that was the last major Alpine summit to be climbed. Even the normal route is a long, committing rock climb (AD) with route-finding, a small hanging glacier and abseil descent.
The Meije is a long east–west crest of several summits on the northern edge of the Massif des Écrins: the Grand Pic (3,983 m), the Doigt de Dieu or Pic Central (about 3,973 m) and the Meije Orientale (3,891 m). Its north face drops in hanging glaciers above the Romanche valley and the village of La Grave; the south side falls in steep walls above the Vallon des Étançons and La Bérarde. It is not quite a 4,000 m peak, but it is widely regarded as one of the finest and most serious summits in the Alps.
There is no walking route to the top. The normal route from the Refuge du Promontoire (3,092 m) climbs about 900 m of rock, snow and ice on the south face, with moves up to French 4a, the small Glacier Carré near the top, and abseils on descent; the traverse of the ridges to the Refuge de l'Aigle (D-) is one of the most sought-after classic ridge routes in the range. Speed and route-finding matter more than raw climbing ability, and many parties are caught out by the length of the day and by afternoon storms.
Access has become harder since 2024. The Vénéon floods of 21 June 2024 devastated La Bérarde, the traditional base, and the hamlet remained closed in 2026, with a summer shuttle running only as far as Combe Noire. The Châtelleret hut on the southern approach was damaged by a flood in 2023 and officially closed in December 2025. The northern approach from La Grave by cable car and the Brèche de la Meije is now often the more practical option.
Climbing Notes
Be fluent and fast on mixed rock up to French 4a/UIAA IV- in mountain boots, able to abseil efficiently, and comfortable on short snow and ice slopes up to 40°. Most of the difficulty is route-finding on a big face, so many climbers hire an IFMGA guide (typically one or two clients) or study a detailed topo. Acclimatise beforehand with a couple of nights above 3,000 m.
Typical itinerary: day 1, walk to the Refuge du Promontoire, either from the Vénéon valley via the Vallon des Étançons (4–5 hours) or from La Grave by cable car to Peyrou d'Amont and over the Brèche de la Meije by the Enfetchores (a PD glacier and rock route in itself). Day 2, pre-dawn start, 4–6 hours to the Grand Pic, then the same way down with abseils, or continue on the traverse to the Refuge de l'Aigle and descend to Villar-d'Arène the next morning.
The Promontoire holds only 30 people in season, so book early, and check the hut's conditions page and the current Vénéon access rules before setting out. Go in dry, cold, settled weather and be ready to turn back if storms build.
History
Between 1860 and 1877 there were some 28 recorded attempts on the Grand Pic. Emmanuel Boileau de Castelnau, with Pierre Gaspard and his son, made the first ascent on 16 August 1877 by the south-face route that is still the normal route, bivouacking on the descent. On 26 July 1885 Ludwig Purtscheller and the brothers Emil and Otto Zsigmondy made the first traverse between the Pic Central and the Grand Pic, across the gap now called the Brèche Zsigmondy; within two weeks Emil Zsigmondy was killed attempting the south face. The first winter ascent was made on 16–17 March 1926 by Daniel Armand-Delille and Pierre Dalloz. On 15 May 1964 a rockfall lowered the Brèche Zsigmondy by about 25 m. On 7 August 2018 a large collapse below the Pic du Glacier Carré increased rockfall exposure on the normal route.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter ascents only for experienced alpinists
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Huts staffed from mid/late March for ski touring; summit is a serious winter climb
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring season at the huts
- May
- Face still snowy; huts close in early May
- Jun
- Huts staffed from early June; route often snowy and icy
- Jul
- Main season; Vénéon shuttle runs from early July
- Aug
- Main season; watch for storms and rockfall in heat
- Sep
- Huts unstaffed from early September; often dry and quiet
- Oct
- Short days, early snow; huts unstaffed
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge du Promontoire (FFCAM): online via refugedupromontoire.ffcam.fr or +33 4 76 80 51 67 (out of season +33 6 19 70 13 35). Refuge de l'Aigle (FFCAM): refugedelaigle.ffcam.fr, +33 4 76 79 94 74.
- Fees
- Regional Vénéon shuttle (summer 2026): EUR 4.80 per single trip plus EUR 0.50 booking fee
- La Grave cable car to Peyrou d'Amont (summer)
- Rules
- The mountain lies in the core zone of the Écrins National Park, where park regulations apply (for example, dogs are not allowed)
- La Bérarde hamlet was closed to vehicles and through-passage in 2026 following the June 2024 floods; in July–August the D530 beyond Les Étages was restricted to residents, professionals and walkers with hut reservations
- The Refuge du Châtelleret has been closed since December 2025
- Getting There
La Grave (north side); Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans and Bourg-d'Oisans (Vénéon valley)
Grenoble-Isère (GNB) or Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS); Turin (TRN) via Briançon
- La Grave: bus on the Grenoble–Bourg-d'Oisans–Briançon line; by car on the D1091 over the Col du Lautaret
- La Grave cable car (La Grave – Peyrou d'Amont – Col des Ruillans), summer 2026 season 6 June – 13 September
- Vénéon valley: drive or bus to Bourg-d'Oisans and Venosc; in July–August park between Bourg-d'Oisans and Saint-Christophe and take the regional shuttle to Combe Noire (about 300 m from La Bérarde)
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Glacier
- Crevasses
Huts & Shelters
2- 3,092 m
Refuge du PromontoireRefugeStaffed
30 beds · Staffed mid-March to early May and early June to the first weekend of September; 18-place unstaffed room otherwise
- 3,440 m
Refuge de l'AigleRefugeStaffed
30 beds · Staffed late March to early May (2026: 27 March – 3 May) and early June to early September; winter room otherwise