With Stef and Florian, traversing the Pelvoux via the Coolidge couloir and Violettes glacier: moonlight, firm snow and a sunny drink back in Ailefroide.
After a very brief stop in the valley, just long enough to change my underwear and remind myself what fruit tastes like, I head back up to the Pelvoux hut to meet Stef and Florian, with whom I’ve already had a few adventures in the Écrins.
We have the hut almost to ourselves and enjoy the excellent beers and cooking of Mathieu, the new hut warden. Thanks for the welcome!
Coolidge couloir and Pointe Puiseux
We choose a very early start — too early, perhaps? — to catch sunrise, provided we don’t hang about! Around the longest days of the year, the sun gets up early, the rascal! So Mathieu wakes us at 2 am. Ouch, that hurts! Thankfully, his lovely jams and honey lift our spirits.
Conditions are perfect: we put our crampons on 200 metres above the hut and won’t take them off until the descent! An almost full moon lights our way. The overnight freeze is excellent; we’re certainly not complaining, especially when we see yesterday’s tracks! Thanks to those climbers, we have good steps to follow in the upper Coolidge couloir…
We share the ascent with two other rope teams today. Despite a good pace, we’re all a little late for sunrise, but still enjoy the beautiful early morning light.
The lack of acclimatisation makes itself felt higher up, but we reach the summit of the Pointe Puiseux at 6.30 am. A magnificent panorama of all the great Écrins summits and beyond, from Mont Ventoux to the Matterhorn!
Descending the Violettes glacier
As everyone knows, on the Pelvoux a second day begins when you reach the summit! We head onto the Violettes glacier. Conditions are perfect here too. No complicated crevasses to cross: we can simply enjoy the surroundings and look up!
After two abseils and the traverse beneath the seracs, we turn into the Serre de Riou, the winter route, where snow still lies down to 2350 metres. We alternate between sliding on our backsides and negotiating rock bands under the watchful eyes of the chamois. Rather efficient!
From there, we reach the broad ledge connecting with the Névé des Militaires… One last slide, and at around 11 am we’re close to the Pré de Madame Carle. A kind local woman gives us a lift back to our cars at the Sélé car park!
The day ends as it should, with a welcome drink on a sunny terrace in Ailefroide! The nap will be a good one!
Well done to both of you for completing this Pelvoux traverse in fine style, despite very little acclimatisation and less-than-perfect preparation!
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