Pic Sans Nom
3,913 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,913 m
- Prominence
- 340 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jun
- 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: Col W du Pelvoux → Pic Sans Nom: straight line 494 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Col W du Pelvoux → Pic Sans Nom: straight line 494 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Col W du Pelvoux → Pic Sans Nom: sustained 51° > 45° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 494 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- low confidence 0.45
- Bosse de Sialouze → Col W du Pelvoux: glacier (snap_failed, 1.2 km)
- Col W du Pelvoux → Pic Sans Nom: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 0.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Glacier de Sialouze, South summit couloir
The only relatively easy way up, rarely climbed: from the Refuge du Pelvoux (about 2,700 m) over the rock barriers and moraine to the Bosse de Sialouze, up the Glacier de Sialouze towards the Col W du Pelvoux, then a long, almost level traverse across the loose south-east face and a 100–150 m snow couloir to the summit. Graded PD, but on snow and very poor rock.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 10.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,465 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,913 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 9h 38m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 24m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Ailefroide walk up the Celse Nière valley and the path to the Refuge du Pelvoux (about 2,700 m). From the hut climb the first rock band to the north (recce it the evening before; steps of about II), then a path to the crest of the left-bank moraine of the Glacier de l'Homme, a level traverse exposed to serac fall from the Glacier du Clot de l'Homme at its start, and snow or scree slopes to the flat area north of the Bosse de Sialouze (3,229 m). Rope up and follow the Glacier de Sialouze north-north-west, keeping the crevassed zone on the left, towards the Col W du Pelvoux (3,573 m), about 3 hours from the hut to the Pelvoux cols. Below the col, leave the glacier by a short gully (an abseil anchor is in place for the descent) onto the south-east face of the Pic Sans Nom below its east shoulder, and traverse almost horizontally, rising slightly, across the whole face to the foot of the snow couloir that falls from the summit on the south side. Climb the couloir for 100–150 m to the top. The rock on the face is rotten and stones fall frequently. Descend the same way, about 2½–3 hours from the summit to the hut: go down the summit couloir, traverse the whole face towards the Col du Pelvoux, and do not try to drop to the Glacier de Sialouze too early. Camptocamp notes that the route is very rarely used and is not necessarily the most practical or safest; many parties prefer harder but sounder lines.
Start
Ailefroide1,495 m
- Train to L'Argentière-la-Bessée, then bus up the Vallouise; summer services to Ailefroide were not confirmed.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ailefroide → Refuge du Pelvoux | 7.5 | 1,216 | 19 | 5h 02m |
| 2 | Refuge du Pelvoux → Pic Sans Nom | 3.1 | 1,249 | 25 | 4h 36m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Ailefroide1,495 m
- Hut: Refuge du Pelvoux2,688 m
- Feature: Bosse de Sialouze3,190 m
Pass to the north of it onto the glacier
- Col: Col W du Pelvoux3,563 m
- Summit: Pic Sans Nom3,913 m
Key Passages
- Rock barriers above the Refuge du Pelvoux
- Traverse under serac fall from the Glacier du Clot de l'Homme
- Long, loose traverse of the SE face
- Summit snow couloir (100–150 m)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 45%Overview
The Pic Sans Nom (3,913 m), the 'nameless peak', is a huge granite and gneiss block between Mont Pelvoux and the Ailefroide in the Écrins. Its north side above the Glacier Noir is a great wall of hard classic and modern climbs, while the PD normal route on the south-east side is loose, rarely used and serious.
The Pic Sans Nom sits in the middle of the long, steep ridge that runs south-west from Mont Pelvoux to the Ailefroide, with the Pic du Coup de Sabre (3,699 m) as a western subsidiary summit. Its north face, rising above the Glacier Noir, is one of the major walls of the Écrins, with lines such as the north-west couloir, the Chapoutot-Lemoine and the George-Russenberger, and modern rock routes like Aurore Nucléaire.
The south side, bounded by the Glacier du Coup de Sabre and the Glacier de Sialouze, gives the only relatively easy access. The normal route from the Refuge du Pelvoux crosses the Glacier de Sialouze and then traverses the south-east face on snow and bad rock. It is graded PD, but Camptocamp counts the Pic Sans Nom among the most difficult summits of the massif: every route has a long and delicate descent, and the normal route itself is rarely climbed.
The mountain lies in the core zone of the Écrins National Park.
Climbing Notes
Treat the Pic Sans Nom as a serious mountain even by its normal route: you need glacier skills, fast movement on loose rock and snow, and the judgement to find a line on a face with little traffic and frequent stonefall. Stay at the Refuge du Pelvoux (booking required; staffed late May to late August), recce the rock barriers above the hut the evening before, and leave early, as the slopes towards the Bosse de Sialouze face east and soften quickly. Early summer, with snow on the glacier and in the summit couloir, is usually the best time. A guide is strongly recommended for anyone without experience of loose Écrins terrain.
History
The first ascent was made on 10 July 1877 by John Brise Colgrove and Richard Pendlebury with the guides Gabriel and Joseph Spechtenhauser, by the south-east side. The second ascent, in 1879, was by Antoine Giraud-Lézin, Paul Guillemin, Émile Pic and André Salvador de Quatrefages, also by the south-east side. W. A. B. Coolidge, Frederick Gardiner and the Almers followed in 1880. The east ridge and south-east face were first climbed on 20 June 1907 by Edward Lisle Strutt with Aloïs and Joseph Pollinger.
Season
Best Jun- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Possible
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter; north-side couloirs only for experts
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Spring snow; north-west couloir sometimes skied by experts
- May
- Hut opens late May; deep snow
- Jun
- Good snow cover on the glacier and summit couloir
- Jul
- Conditions deteriorate as snow melts; stonefall increases
- Aug
- Hut staffing ends late August; dry, loose terrain
- Sep
- Unstaffed hut; dry and loose
- Oct
- Early snow
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Refuge du Pelvoux (FFCAM) online via refugedupelvoux.ffcam.fr or by phone (+33 9 70 02 05 74). It is staffed continuously from late May to late August, plus the Ascension and Pentecost weekends depending on conditions; outside that period pay for the night afterwards online.
- Rules
- The mountain lies in the core zone of the Écrins National Park; park regulations apply (check current rules on dogs, bivouacking and drones with the park)
- Getting There
Vallouise-Pelvoux; L'Argentière-la-Bessée; Briançon
Turin (TRN); Grenoble Alpes-Isère (GNB)
- Train to L'Argentière-la-Bessée (Briançon line), then bus up the Vallouise; summer services as far as Ailefroide were not confirmed
- Car: L'Argentière-la-Bessée – Vallouise – Ailefroide; car park at the end of the road beyond the campsite, then the Celse Nière path to the Refuge du Pelvoux
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,700 m
Refuge du PelvouxRefugeStaffedBooking required
Staffed late May to late August, plus Ascension and Pentecost weekends depending on conditions