Mont Pelvoux
3,943 m
France
Also known as Monte Pelvoux, Mont Pelvoux - Pointe PuiseuxAlso known as
Monte Pelvoux · Mont Pelvoux - Pointe Puiseux
- Elevation
- 3,943 m
- Prominence
- 448 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jun–Jul
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: PD (Parc national des Écrins / Pays des Écrins (40° snow, III/3a rock or mixed)) · Camptocamp: PD+, engagement II (Camptocamp)
The classic way up the Pelvoux: from Ailefroide to the Refuge du Pelvoux (2,704 m), then via the Col de la Bosse de Sialouze and the Sialouze glacier to a 300 m snow couloir at up to 40° that opens onto the broad summit glacier and the Pointe Puiseux. Usually in condition until about late July; later, the Rochers Rouges alongside replace it.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 10.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,457 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,943 m
- Time Up
- 9h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 12m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Ailefroide (1,510 m) follow the Sélé valley path, then the path to the Refuge du Pelvoux, perched on a rock promontory at 2,704 m (about 3.5 hours, 1,180 m). On summit day climb the small rock band behind the hut (find it the evening before), follow the path to the top of the moraine at about 2,920 m, cross the Clot de l'Homme torrent (serac-fall risk) and climb snowfields, slabs and scree to the Col de la Bosse de Sialouze (3,220 m), about 1.5–2 hours. Rope up and climb the Sialouze glacier towards the obvious couloir descending from the summit. The Couloir Coolidge rises about 300 m at up to 40° through a narrowing; its exit has become loose scree early in the summer, so take great care not to knock stones onto parties below. It ends at about 3,800 m on the Pelvoux glacier, a wide summit plateau; walk north-west up easy snow to the Pointe Puiseux (3,943 m), or north to the Pointe Durand (3,932 m). Allow 3–5 hours from the hut. Descend the same way, entering the couloir before about 10:00, or by the Rochers Rouges, a line of cairned ledges and gullies (one III chimney) on the rocks beside the couloir that becomes the normal route once the Coolidge is icy or bare, typically from late July. The other common option is the traverse down the Violettes glacier.
Start
Ailefroide1,486 m
- Train to L'Argentière-les-Écrins on the Gap–Briançon line; ZOU! bus line 543 towards Vallouise and Pelvoux; in July–August a shuttle runs between Ailefroide and the Pré de Madame Carle.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ailefroide → Refuge du Pelvoux | 7.5 | 1,211 | 0 | 4h 59m |
| 2 | Refuge du Pelvoux → Pointe Puiseux | 2.8 | 1,243 | 0 | 4h 29m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Ailefroide1,486 m
- Hut: Refuge du Pelvoux2,702 m
- Col: Col de la Bosse de Sialouze3,217 m
- Summit: Pointe Puiseux3,943 m
Key Passages
- Rock band behind the hut (recce the evening before)
- Clot de l'Homme torrent crossing below seracs
- Col de la Bosse de Sialouze
- Narrowing in the Couloir Coolidge (hard snow, up to 40°)
- Loose scree exit onto the Pelvoux glacier
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
A massive 3,946 m peak above Ailefroide in the Écrins, long thought to be the range's highest. A glaciated summit plateau with two tops, the Pointe Puiseux and the Pointe Durand, is reached by a 40° snow couloir (PD+) from the Refuge du Pelvoux.
Mont Pelvoux rises on the south-eastern edge of the Massif des Écrins, directly above the Vallouise and the climbing village of Ailefroide. Its broad bulk carries a summit ice cap, the Glacier du Pelvoux, with the Pointe Puiseux (the highest point) at its western edge and the Pointe Durand to the north-east. Until the Barre des Écrins was climbed in 1864 it was considered the highest summit of the massif.
The normal route is a classic two-day outing: a 3.5-hour walk to the Refuge du Pelvoux, then a glacier approach and the Couloir Coolidge, a 300 m snow gully at up to 40°, onto the summit plateau. It is technically modest (PD/PD+) but long and at high altitude, on crevassed glaciers, with stonefall in the couloir once it loses its snow. Later in summer the Rochers Rouges, a cairned rock line beside the couloir, take over as the usual way up. The traverse down the Glacier des Violettes, with abseils and passages under seracs, is regarded as one of the finest routes of its grade in the Alps.
The mountain lies in the core zone of the Écrins National Park. Conditions have changed with warmer summers, and the park and local guides warn that some routes are more dangerous in July and August than they used to be.
Climbing Notes
You need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, confidence cramponing on 40° hard snow, and the fitness for a long summit day of about 1,250 m from the hut (and up to 2,400 m of descent if you traverse down to the valley the same day). Acclimatise with a night or two above 2,500 m and a shorter outing first; the Aiguille du Pelvoux from the same hut is a popular introductory climb.
Typical itinerary: day 1, Ailefroide to the Refuge du Pelvoux (3.5 hours). Day 2, start before dawn, 1.5–2 hours to the foot of the Couloir Coolidge, summit about 3–5 hours after leaving the hut, and either descend the same way, entering the couloir before about 10:00, or traverse down the Violettes glacier to the Pré de Madame Carle (10–11 hours in total).
The Coolidge is usually best until about late July; afterwards use the Rochers Rouges. Book the hut well ahead, as it fills quickly in summer, and ask the guardian or the Bureau des Guides des Écrins in Vallouise about current conditions.
History
The first ascent was made on 30 July 1828 by the military surveyor Adrien-Armand Durand with Alexis Liotard and Jacques-Étienne Mathéoud during a geodetic survey; they built a cairn on the Pointe Durand and Durand returned in 1830 to spend several days on the summit taking measurements. Victor Puiseux reached the higher western summit, now the Pointe Puiseux, in 1848 with Pierre-Antoine Barnéoud. Edward Whymper climbed it on 6 August 1861 with Reginald Macdonald and local guides. W. A. B. Coolidge with Christian Almer father and son made the first ascent of the Couloir Coolidge on 15 July 1881. The first winter ascent was made on 18 January 1925 by Daniel Armand-Delille and Jacques Meyer.
Season
Best Jun–Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions; hut unstaffed
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski ascents for experienced ski-mountaineers
- Apr
- Spring ski traverse possible in good snow
- May
- Hut staffed from late May; Ascension and Pentecost weekends
- Jun
- Couloir Coolidge usually in good snow
- Jul
- Main season; Coolidge until about late July, then the Rochers Rouges
- Aug
- Couloir often icy or bare; stonefall; use the Rochers Rouges
- Sep
- Hut unstaffed from late August; dry, icy conditions
- Oct
- Early snow; no water near the hut some autumns
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge du Pelvoux (FFCAM): online via refugedupelvoux.ffcam.fr, +33 9 70 02 05 74, refugedupelvoux@ffcam.fr. Book early: summer weekends fill quickly.
- Rules
- The route is in the core zone of the Écrins National Park, where specific regulations for outdoor sports apply
- Golden eagle nesting sensitivity zone along the approach (January–August): avoid disturbing cliffs as signed by the park
- Getting There
Vallouise-Pelvoux (Ailefroide)
Turin (TRN); Grenoble-Isère (GNB) or Marseille (MRS)
- Car: N94 Gap–Briançon, turn off at L'Argentière-la-Bessée to Vallouise, Pelvoux and Ailefroide; park in Ailefroide
- Train to L'Argentière-les-Écrins, then ZOU! bus line 543 towards Vallouise and Pelvoux
- In July–August a shuttle links Ailefroide and the Pré de Madame Carle
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,704 m
Refuge du PelvouxRefugeStaffedBooking required
54 beds · Staffed continuously from late May to late August, plus the Ascension and Pentecost weekends; 10-place unstaffed room otherwise