Voie des Plaques to Rouget and the Dibona crossing - Soreiller Power Plant

A 3-day trip starting from the Soreiller refuge in Véneon (western Ecrins), to climb three iconic peaks in succession. First, the Rouget via the Plaques route (PD+), then the standard route up the Aiguille Dibona (PD), followed by the south ridge of the Aiguille Centrale du Soreiller (PD+). With daily elevation gains of less than 700 meters, climbing up to 3c/4a, compact granite, and a still-reasonable altitude make these routes beautiful and accessible for climbers with little or no climbing experience—provided you don’t suffer from severe vertigo.

It's so nice to see you again

After a year off, Alain is back, and we’ve lost count of how many seasons we’ve spent together… Technical difficulty is never the focus of our outings. What guides us is, first and foremost, the beauty of a route, a summit that calls to us, and reasonably solid rock.

For our first three days together, we’re heading to the Cirque du Soreiller and its namesake mountain hut, where we’ll spend two nights.

Hike to the Soreiller Shelter

Climbing at Le Soreiller always promises to be a real feast for the eyes! Beyond the unmissable and iconic Aiguille Dibona, the area offers some truly beautiful climbs. From steep, steep, steep multi-pitch routes to more leisurely ridge walks, there’s something for everyone—usually on 5-star granite!

Voie des Plaques in Rouget: You don't have to be tough to be beautiful

For our first outing, we headed to the Voie des Plaques at Le Rouget. It’s a route without any major difficulties, where you can simply enjoy climbing the line of weakness that leads to the summit—all without exceeding Grade III. A nice little warm-up climb for Alain, who can take his time admiring the surroundings.

A few short stretches and some sections of tight rope quickly get the better of the Rouget. We’re all alone in the world; the atmosphere is magnificent. Conditions are perfect today for a nice nap at the summit.

A scenic descent via the VN du Rouget, which joins the descent from Pic Gény. A few rappels, some downclimbing, and other local rock-climbing challenges.

The snowfields, still very much in evidence, give our legs a bit of a break on the way to the shelter, where we can collapse, proud of a job well done, over an omelet—with a view!

A relaxing afternoon in the mountains—there's nothing like it for recovery.

From the Dibona to the Aiguille Centrale

Today, we’re going to tackle the magnificent southern ridge of La Centrale. To spice up the climb, we decide to head first to the summit of Dibona, which has a north face that’s much more inviting than its other slopes; even though the climb is challenging, it doesn’t exceed Grade III.

After this little appetizer, we headed for the southern ridge of the central peak, which is the logical continuation after the Dibona. The climbing is on nearly flawless rock and is never too difficult. The setting is magnificent, with the Dibona’s backbone looking quite beautiful from this side as well. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Alone at the summit again today. The only downside is that the rocks at the summit make it impossible to take a nap!

We take in the view and let our minds wander among the mountains.

What a wonderful start to the trip—Alain’s smile says it all!