Climbing in Briançon
Mountime | 22 giu 2023 |
The area surrounding the town of Briançon is famous in the climbing community. Indeed, the Oisans region offers numerous opportunities to all climbing enthusiasts: from high mountain routes to bouldering areas within walking distance of the car park.
We are three guides and business partners to give ourselves three days off: Franz Salvaterra, Fede Monegatti and Franz Nardelli.
The weather is uncertain, so we decide to head for Briançon, given the enormous range of possibilities it offers.
We set off at 20:00 from the Rovereto Sud exit, and after several hours of travelling, we arrived at a small grassy clearing above the village of Les Vigneaux. Just enough time to prepare the tent, and we collapse into our sleeping bags, having reluctantly set the alarm clock for 6 am.
We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
Tète d'Aval, Ranxerox 600m (17 pitches) 7a/S2/III
The moka mumbles on the gas stove, a quick breakfast and off we go.
The view is fantastic: we are at 2,000 metres, and snow abounds on the northern slopes of the mountains in front of us. The weather is excellent, but thunderstorms are expected in the early afternoon. We have to walk a good hour or so, the path is well beaten, and the attack is marked with RX in yellow paint. We leave our down jackets at the base, in hindsight, we could also leave a rucksack and shoes.
The 'classic' of the wall is the Ranxerox route, which can boast of being included in the selection of 'legendary routes' of the famous French mountaineer Aranaud Petit. We are, therefore, here for you.
The lower part is up to Federico. It is beautiful, but the style is very technical and needs a little digested. We don't walk the first pitches. The middle section is up to Franz Nardelli. The second 7a is not apparent, and generally, the grades are not given away. The climbing is exciting, there isn't a single moveable handhold, and you always have to think about moves, topples, drops, and replacements. The climbing is pleasant, never dangerous or long, but not even axillary, this Cambon (who has opened everything here) knows how to do it.
To have fun, it is good to have a good 6c on sight, otherwise, several rests must be considered even on the most accessible pitches.
The final pillar, as described, is the top, a series of extraordinarily technical and magnificent pitches where you must keep your eyes open to interpret the line on the compact rock.
Above the peaks behind us, some not-very-reassuring mounds were forming. Despite the warnings, we tried to force our hand and continue our ascent. With one pitch to go, the rain reached us despite Franz Salvaterra having climbed the last spectacular slab pitches in record time.
Regretting missing the last pitch, we rappel down the route to the ledge, on the left, we descend the steep gully and find shelter in a cave with drywall. We have a lighter, and there is some dry brushwood, so we decide to take a break for an hour to dry out and see if it stops raining. It is pleasant to dry off in front of the fire with our clothes smoking and our hands regaining feeling.
Unfortunately, we see that the bad weather has no intention of giving us any respite, so we start abseiling again. A rappelling line has been rigged on the wall, which starts at the upper edge of the large roof, where the "Ballade des Enfers" route comes out. The abseils are straightforward, but the feeling of having no margin for error is not pleasant; fortunately, everything goes well.
Ranxerox, as a whole, is a magnificent sports route. The exotic charm, the views and the excellent company also play in its favour, contributing significantly to making the day memorable.
As far as the report is concerned, there are quite a few, we were happy with that of Francesco Piardi's guidebook (Arrampicate nelle Alpi), to whom we are grateful for his excellent work and for inspiring the trip.
Attention must be paid to the junctions with other routes on the ledges. Pitch 10 and 11 (traverse to the right and straight onto the athletic blade) connect naturally, it is not advisable to connect any of the others. Little material is needed, 12 quickdraws, lanyards, and two 50 or 60m ropes. For a more homogenous climb on grade 6c, Arnaud Petit, in his new guidebook "Nouvelles Parois de Légende" (unfortunately only in French), recommends the combination of Ranxerox+Mémoire de l'Au+Ranxerox. This could be a good idea for those who suffer on the 7a.
Completely wet, we drive with the warm-up on full blast to Briançon, and after a pizza in the only restaurant open, we check into the hotel.
The next day, it rains in the morning, so we take it easy by walking around the village and then, in a few minutes by car, we drive to the crag Le Traverses et la Vignette. We chose the sector next to the tower, just above the road, because it is dry and relatively sheltered, and in any case, would not climb in severe rain.
It's a somewhat strange metamorphosed limestone crag, the climbing is athletic on long pitches, many holds carved or retouched. Excellent, nothing special, but all in all, it's what suits us.
In the evening, we indulge in a hearty raclette dinner in a restaurant within the walls of Briançon and sleep in a chalet in Les Vigneaux.
Ailefroide, secteur Eboulement, Le deserte du tartare 450m 6c+/S2/III
The fine weather is back, and in the little time we have, we want to explore the area and see as much as possible, so we decide to change areas.
There are at least five different rock types in the Oisans, today, it's granite's turn.
Early in the morning, we drive up the narrow, alpine valley to Ailefroide, at the foot of the Pelvoux. Outside the car, it is 5 degrees, no one is around, and everything in the camping area is closed.
We leave the car and head for the attack, the access is short, about twenty minutes. Once again, the place is lovely, very green, lots of water, reminiscent of the smaller but wider Daone Valley. There is a rock in abundance, and you can immediately see the prevailing style of the routes: they are buttresses with slabs, often leaning and very articulated, on the top of which are pastures that form the base of the high mountain ramparts of Pelvoux, Barre des Ecrins and others.
It is an ideal place to do long (even very long) routes of medium difficulty and well equipped. There are many routes on 5a/6b, we choose one of the challenging ones: Le Desert du Tartare. It is a 15-pitch climb opened by locals in 2004. Seen from below, the Eboulement sector (meaning landslide) doesn't blow your mind, it's a disjointed, leaning wall, but you can tell immediately that there are exciting sectors.
The first pitches are mediocre, especially the second, which makes you climb a traverse two metres off the ground to avoid a walkable gully. The third pitch, defined as the key, climbs a smooth slab easily circumvented on the left, avoiding a few fixes and returning shortly afterwards. In the guidebook, the slab is given a grade of 7a+, but in our opinion, it barely reaches 6c+, with a couple of haphazard moves where you must stay on your toes.
With the fourth pitch, the wall straightens out, and we enter the exciting part. The climbing becomes athletic in places, and the next six pitches are all of quality. To reach the 'summit', we climb all 15 pitches, but it must be said that the last two can easily be avoided, they are little more than steep meadows.
Overall, we are satisfied with these beautiful days, the period we chose was perfect in terms of conditions and temperatures, definitely not routes to do in the summer sun.
We will return, it is an ideal place to breathe in the rejuvenating air. The people in the area are very down-to-earth, and the dwellings also reflect the relaxed atmosphere. Inexpensive, inconspicuous cottages with rusty tin roofs and cheap cars on the side, uncluttered shops and boutiques with a concept of cleanliness that winks at South America, goods on ramshackle shelves and slow shop assistants.
The perfect location to question life's priorities and enjoy a little imperfection.
If you too would like to experience the thrill of climbing in Briançon with Mountime guides, fill in the questionnaire on the website or write to [email protected].
Happy adventures from the Mountime guides!