Two days of beginner mountaineering with Vincent and Jérémie in the Écrins: glacier skills, the Pic d’Arsine traverse and a summit above the clouds.
After a brief, festive visit to the valley, I meet Jérémie and Vincent at the Refuge du Glacier Blanc for two days of beginner mountaineering and a skills refresher!
Day 1 — Revisiting the basics on the Glacier Blanc
We spend the first afternoon on the glacier, cramponing in every direction… A chance to learn and relearn the basics. Then we take a little tour into the heart of the glacier, where the crevasses are still well covered at this early point in the season…
Summer finally seems ready to settle in, and the day ends on the terrace with a view of the Pelvoux…
Day 2 — Pic d’Arsine traverse
4 a.m.… Today we’re heading for the Pic d’Arsine traverse, a lovely little early-season route when snow covers the scree on the Pointe Cézanne. The route climbs sustained slopes, then follows a couloir onto a broad ridge. Just the right amount of technical terrain for Vincent and Jérémie…
We have the summit of the Pic d’Arsine all to ourselves today… In fact, however hard we look, there aren’t many mountaineers anywhere nearby! We linger up there… To the north, the view stretches across an enormous sea of clouds. Magnificent.
On the descent, we add a little variation by following the ridge to the col. Nothing difficult, but a wonderfully engaging setting!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1 — Learning and refreshing glacier skills
- I meet Vincent and Jérémie at the Refuge du Glacier Blanc. We spend the afternoon learning and revisiting crampon techniques, then exploring the glacier. The day ends on the terrace facing the Pelvoux.
Day 2 — Pic d’Arsine traverse above the clouds
- A 4 a.m. start takes us onto an early-season traverse: sustained slopes, a couloir and a broad snowy ridge. We enjoy a summit all to ourselves above a sea of clouds, then follow the ridge to the col on the descent.
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