Mount Aiguille

From Chichilianne drive up to La Richardière and continue on the forest track to the meadow car park at about 1,190 m (no camping here: it is the village's drinking-water catchment). Walk up to the Col de l'Aupet (1,650 m), then right along the crest to the foot of Mont Aiguille's north-west face and north-east beneath it, past a memorial plaque, a large couloir and the Pilier de la Vierge, to grassy ledges where parties gear up. A large wrought-iron peg marks the start, at about 1,750 m. Allow 1.5 hours. The route takes about 3 hours in some twelve pitches. A diagonal ramp (II) and short chimneys (III) lead to terraces, then a descending traverse picks up a cable for an airy 60 m pitch to a platform below the Vierge. A gully (III) and ledges lead to the Passage des Meules, a cabled traverse on a ledge under an overhang, below the final chimney. This is climbed in two cabled pitches (III+ then IV) and widens to loose ground below the summit plateau; take care not to knock stones onto the parties below. The summit (2,087 m) is a short walk to the left across the meadows. The descent (about 3 hours to the car) is shared by every route on the mountain and should not be underestimated: walk south-west to the large cairn and the commemorative plaque, then down the Tubulaires couloir (downclimbing, loose rock) to two cables leading to chained anchors. Abseil 30 m, then 45 m into a deep gorge, and a final 10 m abseil, before ledges lead back north-east to the approach path. The route is crowded on fine weekends; stones dislodged by other parties and by ibex are the main hazard. Climbable from May to October.