The Tour de la Meije: four days of ski mountaineering on one of the finest tours in the Alps, with an ascent of the Grande Ruine along the way.
Four days of ski mountaineering on one of the finest tours of its kind in the Alps: the Tour de la Meije! We opt for the grand tour, adding an ascent of the Grande Ruine on the second day. Mission accomplished in style with Pierre, Loïc, Pierre and Noémie. Brilliant sunshine, good snow conditions, feasts in the huts, plenty of laughs and naps... The good life, basically!
Our itinerary:
- Day 1: climb to Refuge Adèle Planchard
- Day 2: Grande Ruine summit / Col de la Casse Déserte / Refuge du Châtelleret
- Day 3: Brèche de la Meije / Serret du Savon / Refuge de l’Aigle
- Day 4: descent of the Glacier de l’Homme
Spring is a gentle season for ski tourers... Down in the valley, little flowers and butterflies... then, not too far away, snow and endless oceans of corn snow just waiting for our skis at exactly the right time! Stable snowpack, wall-to-wall blue skies and a motivated crew: all the lights are green! The doors to the high mountains are opening for us!
For these four days of skiing around the Meije, I’ve gathered together a fine Savoyard–Hautes-Alpes–Picardy crew: Pierre from the neighbouring mountains, Noémie and Pierre, eager to get going again after our three days in the Queyras, and Loïc, our worthy representative from Picardy, whom I first met last year during an introduction to mountaineering...
For everyone (erm... except me!), heading off for this long, this high and on skis is a first! And doing it around the Meije, on one of the most famous high-altitude ski tours in the Alps, sets the bar pretty high for whatever comes next!
DAY 1 – Climb to Adèle Planchard
Cast off the lines! There’s always a fair bit of inertia to overcome on the first day: getting everyone together, gathering all the gear, fitting it all into a backpack—and preferably not one that weighs a ton...
By around 10.30am, we’re finally ready and our little crew leaves the harbour of Le Pied du Col, bound for Adèle Planchard. Skis on our packs for half an hour or so before we can put them on during the climb towards the Pas d’Anna Falque. On the way, I point out Refuge de l’Aigle and the Glacier de l’Homme:
“In four days, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be skiing down there!”
I can tell from their faces that not everyone is entirely convinced!
The climb to Adèle Planchard is absolutely beautiful, but it’s clearly no Sunday stroll with Grandma—with all due respect to grandmas... Just over 1,400m of ascent packed into surprisingly few kilometres...
A few dozen kick turns later and a few litres of sweat lighter, we arrive at the hut! Strangely enough, nobody seems keen to keep climbing for a little extra descent... I just don’t understand!
Adèle Planchard... One of the highest huts in the massif, so naturally you have to earn it. Aurélien and Noémie, who are looking after the hut, more than live up to the place! What would these four walls be without the energy and friendliness of the hut keepers? Thanks to both of them for such a good time...
DAY 2 – Grande Ruine Summit / Col de la Casse Déserte / Refuge du Châtelleret
Good news: today, if everything goes according to plan, we actually get to ski downhill!
Nothing unusual on the programme this morning: first, sunrise before breakfast.
A quick look at today’s objective, Pointe Brevoort, the summit of the Grande Ruine... No need for an excessively early start, which is always good news!
We climb steadily to the Brèche Giraud-Lézin, where we leave our skis before launching our summit assault on Pointe Brevoort via the couloir, which is in excellent condition... for people on foot. A perfect opportunity to learn or brush up on crampon technique on steep ground! A nice little introduction!
We take our time at the summit and soak up the exceptional panorama. For many of us, it’s a first experience at this altitude. It feels so good to be up here! Especially knowing that we’ve now got (almost) nothing left to do but descend 1,600m!
And on skis!
Today’s wind, strangely barely noticeable at the summit, has prevented the snow on the Grande Ruine from transforming. We have to be cunning and hunt around for the smoothest patches... but, by unanimous agreement, we award these first turns a respectable “could be worse”.
Fortunately, the other side has much better skiing in store for us...
Another first on today’s programme: roped skiing on a steep slope!
There are two options at the col: descend on crampons to skier’s right... or keep our skis on and tackle the steep slope to the left...
Decision made!
A little guide cock-up: wanting to ski light, I throw my rope down the slope, start skiing and happily cruise straight past it before eventually noticing my companions trying to signal something to me...
Never mind. It’s such a pleasure climbing back up on skis using sidesteps!
Anyway...
One of the final technical sections of the day still lies ahead before the ocean of perfect corn snow that is supposed to deliver us straight to a table at the hut...
We go straight through the middle of the glacial step, which at the moment seems to me the safest option and, what’s more, can be skied without a rope. But watch out: with this year’s thin snow cover, the holes won’t take long to open up!! A crevasse is already beginning to appear at the top of the step...
The passage on the left bank requires some pretty solid sideslipping skills if you want to get through without a rope...
Technical operations over. Time for corn snow!
What a pleasure this descent is, weaving through all these playful little bowls! After yesterday’s rather thankless day, today is pure happiness!
We collectively wash up on the terrace of the Châtelleret for a proper sunbath, omelette on the plate and beer in hand, contemplating, chatting and laughing...
Before the nap.
The hard life of the ski mountaineer!
DAY 3 – Brèche de la Meije / Serret du Savon / Refuge de l’Aigle
Today is no walk in the park!
We’re heading for Refuge de l’Aigle... The longest stage in terms of ascent—1,500m—the most technical, and all of it at altitude!
But it’s also the most beautiful, with an incredible high-mountain atmosphere beneath the north face and an exceptionally elegant route.
The previous two days have completely convinced me of everyone’s abilities. And there’s another big plus: the group has really clicked and we’ve now become a proper rope team, laughing together and helping each other out...
I like that!
We start with a modest little climb to the Brèche de la Meije: 1,100m first thing in the morning, which goes down surprisingly well in the cool air...
We reach the foot of the brèche with the first rays of sunshine and the atmosphere changes instantly: it’s getting seriously warm!
A good snack break in this rather extraordinary place, with two completely different worlds on either side: the warm, welcoming corn snow of the Étançons and the spellbinding but slightly intimidating atmosphere of the Glacier de la Meije...
And La Grave, far below!
After this little refuelling stop, it’s time for the serious manoeuvres again.
The 60m rope I’ve been carrying with immense joy for the past three days allows us to cross the bergschrund in a single rappel—with the added bonus of a little mountain-goat leap!!
Lowering for the whole crew and a Julio hook for the captain...
I get the feeling my companions are slightly puzzled by the Julio hook—a releasable system that allows you, for example, to descend 60m using a single 60m rope!
It’s also possible to downclimb the section in crampons...
And off we go on an incredible journey across the Glacier de la Meije...
The passage on the right bank below the brèche is still in condition, although perhaps not for much longer if we don’t get any more snow. In the following photo, the route goes right over on the left, between the crevasse and the steep bulge of ice. The snowy strip is about two metres wide—you can’t really see it in the photo, but there’s ice even beneath the white section.
Otherwise, it would probably go quite well by making a wide detour to the right in the photo... although that means climbing a little more afterwards.
After the traverse, we put the skins back on and climb to the foot of the Gravelotte... A crevasse is beginning to open near the top, but for the moment it goes very well...
A small serac at the beginning of the climb...
When removing our skins, we make sure not to stop underneath the seracs, which doesn’t seem to be the case with the existing track...
Happy to be passing through here downhill and with skis on my feet—the last time it was exactly the opposite!
An express stop beneath the seracs: no hanging around here!
And finally, the highlight of the day: the Serret du Savon!
Tip top!
All that remains is to traverse to the utterly legendary Refuge de l’Aigle!!
Time to rebuild the troops over an enormous crêpe and a beer... accompanied by a few fits of laughter that are undoubtedly caused by hypoxia!
Louis and Laura are the guardians of the new hut and give us a fantastic welcome, with loads of thoughtful little touches and food worthy of top chefs!
Don’t change a thing!
The Aigle needs you!
DAY 4 – Descent of the Glacier de l’Homme from Refuge de l’Aigle
If there’s one place where sunrise is worth its weight in peanuts, it has to be the Aigle!
What a pleasure to sit there taking it all in, bowl of tea or coffee in hand...
Before leaving the high mountains, my crew has one final request.
After skiing on glaciers, they now want to see what they look like from the inside—to actually go down into a crevasse!
I find a suitable spot for this kind of exploration not far from the hut. A few snow anchors are set up to secure everything and Loïc volunteers to test the strength of the whole arrangement and be the first to descend into the crevasse...
Which is at least 20m deep!
It’s also a good opportunity to demonstrate the rescue procedure...
Everyone gets their turn, with a little emotion thrown in for good measure!
After these little morning adventures, we head back to the hut, pack our bags, say goodbye to the guardians and set off towards the valley via the incredible descent of the Glacier de l’Homme.
It’s 10.30am, the snow has softened nicely and everything is looking good.
The passage beneath the serac is seriously impressive. I hardly need to explain that this isn’t the place to hang around—everyone has already worked that out for themselves!!
The rest is much more relaxing: endless corn snow, playful bowls and little sections of couloir, all in spectacular surroundings...
Today we’re getting our revenge for the first day: nothing but downhill!!
More photos coming very soon...
We manage to ski to within 100m on foot of the river, and from there it’s just a five-minute walk back to the car.
Perfect for us...
With the current warm temperatures, the amount of ski carrying will increase quickly.
A beautiful finish to the trip... We round things off at the Auberge du Pas de l’Âne in a manner entirely fitting with everything else:
Grandiose!
Practical Info / Route Topo
The Tour de la Meije on Skis in 4 Days
This classic Tour de la Meije ski mountaineering route takes place over four days, starting from Le Pied du Col. The itinerary links the Adèle Planchard, Châtelleret and Aigle huts. An ascent of the Grande Ruine is added to the programme on the second day, before crossing the Brèche de la Meije and returning via the Glacier de l’Homme.
Day 1 – Climb to Refuge Adèle Planchard
From Le Pied du Col, the first stage leads to Refuge Adèle Planchard. The climb involves just over 1,400m of ascent and sets the tone for the trip: the Tour de la Meije requires good endurance right from the start.
Day 2 – Grande Ruine, Casse Déserte and Châtelleret
The day begins with the ascent of Pointe Brevoort, the summit of the Grande Ruine. The route then crosses the Col des Neiges and Col de la Casse Déserte before a long descent to Refuge du Châtelleret. This stage combines ski touring with sections on crampons.
Day 3 – Brèche de la Meije, Serret du Savon and Refuge de l’Aigle
This is the longest and most technical stage of the tour, with around 1,500m of ascent. From the Châtelleret, we climb to the Brèche de la Meije. The traverse then continues across the Glacier de la Meije and over the Serret du Savon to reach Refuge de l’Aigle.
Day 4 – Descent of the Glacier de l’Homme
The final day is devoted to the descent of the Glacier de l’Homme, returning to the valley and Le Pied du Col. Snow cover determines how far down it is possible to ski before continuing on foot.
What Level Do You Need for the Tour de la Meije?
This route is aimed at ski tourers who are capable of completing long days at altitude and travelling on glaciers. Depending on the sections and conditions, you also need to be comfortable using crampons, a rope and abseiling equipment.
Snow, glacier and technical conditions must always be checked before setting out: this description reflects an itinerary completed under specific conditions and should not be taken as a description of permanent conditions.
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