Pic Ouest de Combeynot
3,155 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,155 m
- Prominence
- 815 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- 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? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Lac de Combeynot → Brèche de Combeynot: straight line 1998 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Lac de Combeynot → Brèche de Combeynot: sustained 46° > 40° on a straight line
- danger scan: Lac de Combeynot → Brèche de Combeynot: straight line dips 315 m below both ends
- ascent 2000 m vs net gain 1527 m (+31%)
- DIN time up 8.79 h vs published 3.75 h (+134%)
- DIN time down 6.76 h vs published 3.0 h (+125%)
- Les Boussardes → Lac de Combeynot: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 7.1 km)
- Lac de Combeynot → Brèche de Combeynot: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path dips 174 m below both endpoints (ridge style scramble), 2.0 km)
Sources differ: R5 (bivouak.net hiking scale) (bivouak.net)
A long, steep day of about 1,550–1,650 m from the Guisane valley: a good path to the Lac de Combeynot (2,555 m), then unmarked scree, a loose gully and a very steep scree slope to the ridge near the Brèche de Combeynot, and an exposed, loose ridge with two gendarmes to bypass (I) to the summit. About 3¾ hours up, 3 hours down.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 9.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,000 m
- −473 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,155 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 47m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start from the small car park near the Boussardes farm (1,626 m), reached by turning off the Briançon–Lautaret road (D1091) at Le Lauzet, about 5.6 km past Le Monêtier-les-Bains, and crossing the Guisane. A signed path climbs steeply west through forest into the Vallon du Fontenil, leaves the trees at about 2,000 m and follows the left bank through meadows to the Lac de Combeynot (2,555 m), 1½–1¾ hours from the car. Above the lake there is no marked path. Follow a visible track up scree to the right of the lake, round a small rock band to a flat area at about 2,700–2,750 m (cairns, lingering snow patches), and continue west along the foot of the cliffs. At about 2,865 m turn north into a wide, loose scree gully; keep to its right side along a small rib to limit exposure to rockfall from the bands below the Brèche de Combeynot. At the top, do not head south-west into loose ground ringed by small cliffs; instead toil up a very steep scree slope to the ridge at the Brèche de Combeynot (3,061 m) or point 3,108 m. From the ridge, follow it south-west, staying on or just below the crest and bypassing two gendarmes on the left (south) side by loose ledges and short downclimbs, to a shallow col (3,096 m), then climb two short steps (I) to the summit. The Pic Est de Combeynot (3,145 m) is an easier side trip from the brèche and the two can be linked along the ridge. Descend the same way; the loose scree makes the descent slow. Not recommended when the rock is wet.
Start
Les Boussardes1,627 m
- Not verified; the trailhead is a short walk from Le Lauzet on the main Briançon–Col du Lautaret road (D1091).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Boussardes → Pic Ouest de Combeynot | 9.4 | 2,000 | 473 | 8h 47m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Les Boussardes1,627 m
Car park just across the Guisane bridge, signed path to Lac de Combeynot
- Feature: Lac de Combeynot3,061 m
- Col: Brèche de Combeynot3,050 m
Reached by a steep scree gully and slope; start of the ridge
- Summit: Pic Ouest de Combeynot3,155 m
Key Passages
- Unmarked scree above the Lac de Combeynot
- Loose gully below the Brèche de Combeynot (keep right)
- Very steep scree slope to the ridge
- Bypassing two gendarmes on the south side of the ridge
- Two short steps (I) to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 62%Overview
The highest point (3,155 m) of the small Combeynot massif between the Col du Lautaret and the Guisane valley, in the Écrins National Park. A long, steep scree-and-ridge outing graded F, with views over La Meije and the Barre des Écrins.
The Combeynot massif is a compact group of 3,000 m summits on the north-eastern edge of the Écrins, rising above the Col du Lautaret and Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Its two main tops, the Pic Ouest (3,155 m) and the Pic Est (3,145 m), stand either side of the Brèche de Combeynot above a cirque holding the Lac de Combeynot. The west summit is a few metres higher; the east summit is easier and has the better view down the Guisane, while the west looks across the Romanche to the Grande Ruine and the Barre des Écrins.
The usual summer route is a demanding day rather than a technical climb: about 1,550 m of ascent from Les Boussardes, a good path as far as the lake, then unmarked scree, a loose gully exposed to stonefall and a very steep scree slope to the ridge. The final ridge is narrow and loose, with two gendarmes to bypass and short sections of easy climbing. It suits experienced scramblers comfortable on poor rock; it is not a place to be in wet weather.
In winter and spring the north side above the Col du Lautaret is a classic, steep ski-touring objective, and the Combeynot also has snow and ice gullies on its north faces.
Climbing Notes
Expect a full day (7–8 hours) with about 1,550 m of ascent, much of it on steep, tiring scree. Sure-footedness on loose, exposed ground and some scrambling experience are essential; inexperienced people should be roped on the ridge, and a helmet is advisable for the gully. Snow patches persist in the combe into early summer, when an ice axe can help. Go in settled, dry weather from July to September and start early. The route lies in the core of the Écrins National Park: dogs are forbidden, even on a lead, and drones and fires are not allowed.
History
The first known ascent was made on 18 August 1878 by Jean Clot and André Salvador de Quatrefages, from the north side of the Brèche de Combeynot and the north-east ridge. W. A. B. Coolidge and Henri Ferrand both published accounts of ascents from the north in 1884.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; steep north-side ski-touring for experts only
- Feb
- Winter; ski-touring only
- Mar
- Ski-touring from the Col du Lautaret (steep, avalanche-prone)
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring
- May
- Snow on the scree and gully
- Jun
- Snow patches in the combe and gully; ice axe useful
- Jul
- Main season; start early to avoid storms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Often stable and quiet
- Oct
- Short days; early snow possible
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Core of the Parc national des Écrins: dogs are banned even on a lead or carried; camping is not allowed; a one-night bivouac is allowed only from 19:00 to 09:00 and more than an hour's walk from roads and from the core boundary
- Écrins core: no fires (stoves only), no drones or other motorised flight below 1,000 m above ground, no mountain bikes, no picking plants or removing minerals
- Getting There
Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Serre Chevalier); Briançon
Turin (TRN); Grenoble Alpes-Isère (GNB)
- Car: from Briançon take the D1091 towards the Col du Lautaret; about 5.6 km past Le Monêtier-les-Bains turn left to Le Lauzet, then left towards the Boussardes farm, cross the Guisane and park on the right (1,626 m)
- Train to Briançon; onward public transport to Le Lauzet was not verified
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche