With Jacques and Oliv, we traverse La Meije in three days. From the Promontoire to the Aigle hut, a long-held dream comes true on the ridges of the Écrins.
Last year, the terrible summer weather left very few opportunities to carry out the Meije Crossing... Jacques, Oliv, and I had settled for mixed-terrain runs, in conditions that were unbelievable for that time (30 to 40 cm of fresh snow and a heavy blizzard): Paillon Rock Traverse - Emile Pic, Cordier Snow Traverse...
A year later, it’s a whole different story! It’s a heat wave, and the mountains are dry—a little too dry, even! The term “refreeze” has disappeared from mountaineering dictionaries! Not great for snow routes, but excellent for rock climbing—as long as the glacier access routes remain passable....
So this year we’re taking on Jacques’s big dream: the Meije traverse. We’ll spread the climb out over three days, spending the nights at the Promontoire and the Aigle. The weather window is perfect—everything’s going great!
Nothing beats a good snack before tackling the climb
Today, we’re tackling the climb up the Enfetchores. It’s a fairly enjoyable 1,000-meter climb along this beautiful rocky spur...
Then a short stretch across the glacier to the Meije breach and a crevasse that’s getting wider and wider!
View of the glacier above Les Enfetchores
And after the descent from La Brèche, the Promontoire mountain hut—the day's final stop!
Spread out comfortably on the patio couches!
The weather update and tips from Fredi, the caretaker, plus a little rum planteur on the house!! La Meije is definitely in good hands, with Fredi and Nathalie at the promontory and Louis and Laura at L'Aigle...
D-Day: My day starts with this sweet little line: “Damn it, Nico, what the hell are you doing? It’s 3:30 a.m.!”... Turns out I totally messed up my alarm!! I jump out of bed, wolf down two slices of toast, and throw my backpack on... In the end, I’m ready before my buddies: “So, guys, what are you doing?”...
During the night, after the Pas de Crapaud, we make our way along the ridge and then into the Duhamel Couloir. We find our rhythm... We have the whole day ahead of us, no thunderstorms in the forecast, and we’ll sleep again at the Aigle... Peace and quiet!
We reached the foot of the Castelnau Wall as day broke.
I'm arriving at Dos d'Ane...
And Oliv comes out on top! Flawless granite...
We make our way past the notches, a small overhang, and then we’re on the “Austrian Slab,” which we climb up the dihedral...
Oliv and Jacques at the exit of the "Dalle des Autrichiens"
Not the Chat, but the Glacier Carré... Let's keep going. The glacier is in excellent condition with a nice diagonal track...
Here we are at the base of the Grand Pic. It’s smooth sailing all the way to the Cheval Rouge. Oliv and Jacques are reveling in these legendary sections!
Oliv in the Capuchin's Hat.
On the short stretch of ridge leading to the Grand Pic
9:30 a.m.: Hallelujah!
When genius points to the sky...
But that's only halfway through the race! There's still a little way to go before we get to the crêpes at L'Aigle!
The climbs up the Grand Pic, the Zsigmondy Gap, and the Zsigmondy Couloir—all made of ice!
At the end of the couloir, Oliv decides his ice axe has served its purpose and lets it fall onto the north face!
The ridges are very dry, so we take off our crampons and continue on our way.
We were stopped at the third ledge due to an emergency (nothing serious—just a sprained knee). We took a three-quarter-hour break and admired the view...
We continued climbing along the ridge without incident. The Doigt de Dieu lay before us—we were finally getting the hang of this traverse!
The glacier is still quite passable, even if it won't last forever. A few large snow bridges will soon become a problem!!
4:30 p.m.: We ran aground at L'Aigle. Everyone is overjoyed... After the doubts of the previous day, Jacques is savoring this great success—which he truly earned—even more than we are! We’re happy to spend a quiet evening here and head back down at first light tomorrow...
Especially since breakfast is such a treat, with real bread, cake, and homemade jams... Not to mention that famous spread!
At daybreak, we set off on the 3-hour descent, with a beautiful anvil-shaped cloud to the east!
Congratulations to both of you on this wonderful trip that went off without a hitch!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1 — Up to the Promontoire
- Around 1,000 m of ascent via the Enfetchores, then across the Brèche de la Meije and overnight at the Promontoire hut.
Day 2 — Grand Pic, ridge traverse and the Aigle hut
- We reach the Grand Pic at 9:30am, then abseil, climb the icy Zsigmondy couloir and traverse to the Doigt de Dieu. After a pause for a rescue at the third tooth, we reach the Aigle at 4:30pm. Jacques savours a dream come true.
Day 3 — Descent at first light
- After breakfast at the Aigle hut, we set off at dawn for the three-hour descent.
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