With Sylvain, Nico, Walter and Gilles, I climb the Dôme des Écrins over two days: fresh snow, doubts at the hut and clear skies for our summit day.
It’s already been three months since I’ve been running up the Alpe, crampons on my feet, watching the mountain dry out day by day… This summer has truly been hot and not very generous with rain! The bottom line: the snow routes are bone dry, and the glaciers are wide open.
Fortunately, just before we’re reunited with a fine Paris-Nice—or rather, Nice-Paris—team, a fleeting but effective spell of bad weather has blanketed the hills with snow. A stroke of luck that’s going to make life up there a little more pleasant!
Sylvain, Nico, Walter, and Gilles are making a quick trip to the Écrins to try The ascent of the Dôme des Écrins via the standard route, our local star at over 4,000 meters. A symbolic altitude that draws many people to this peak rather than to other, more modest ones.
Ideally, to get the most out of this high-altitude adventure, you should spread the climb over three days or more. Since we’re short on time, we’re attempting it in two days, without prior acclimatization. Some of us will certainly feel it!
Day 1 — Hike to the Écrins Mountain Hut
On the first day, we hike up to the Écrins mountain hut. Along the way, we take the opportunity to do a few dance steps on the glacier… and take a look around.
The Dome is playing hard to get and stays hidden in the clouds all day. The climbing parties coming down haven’t seen a thing and are freezing. This is shaping up to be quite a day! In the evening, the wind starts blowing hard, too. With the fresh snow on the ground, it’s not necessarily a sure thing for the Dôme… But who cares! There’s always something to do in the area anyway.
We don’t let it get us down, and a pre-climb drink keeps everyone’s spirits up! I’ll admit that the stress and endless questions on the eve of a climb are much less familiar to me now than they were when I first started mountaineering. There’s an essential element of letting go in the high mountains. You have to accept that you’ll have to deal with a host of uncertainties: it would be pure vanity to claim you can control everything…
In short, my friends go to bed with a big question mark in their heads. As for me, I’m extending the evening with my coworkers over a modest bottle of génépi. By the time I finally allow myself to lie down, there’s no trace of brain activity left!
Day 2 — Ascent of the Dôme des Écrins via the standard route
The wind blew hard last night, lashing the shelter and making the climbers a little more hesitant. However, when we woke up at 4:30 a.m., it had calmed down considerably and cleared the sky completely. Things are looking pretty good! Strangely enough, no one is rushing to breakfast this morning. Maybe it has something to do with having to break trail again?
Right from the start, I make sure to set a pace that suits the group, taking into account our lack of acclimatization. Everything is going smoothly. The fresh snow makes it easier for us to move around than on ice, and the group ahead of us has left us a great trail.
The least tired among us are making the most of this morning’s atmosphere: powder snow, almost autumnal light, impressive seracs, and gaping crevasses—one of which we cross using a ladder. Not to mention the view, which is perfect today.
The first rays of sunshine…
Nice seracs—stay put!
With Roche Faurio in the background...
A guide to laying tiles—true craftsmanship.
At the end of the "redillone de la muerte"!
Come on, guys, it's totally flat over there.
Perfect weather conditions today: as we climb, the wind dies down! A short technical section to cross the bergschrund, and here we are at the summit!
A wide-open weather window and a playful, carefree mood—what else? The next ski-in, ski-out trip?
Practical Info / Route Topo
J1 — Walk to the Refuge des Écrins
- We walk up to the hut, stopping for some glacier practice along the way. The Dôme stays hidden in cloud, while fresh snow and strong winds leave questions about the following day’s conditions.
J2 — Normal route on the Dôme des Écrins
- A 4.30 a.m. wake-up beneath clear skies. We climb through fresh snow at a pace suited to the group, then cross the bergschrund to reach the summit. The wind eases as we gain height, and the views deliver.
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