Prorel North Shoulder (Epaule)

The 2566 metre summit of the Prorel dominates the Chantemerle and Briancon sectors and there are rideable routes on every aspect, ranging from the fairly straightforward to the highly exposed. The hike to the summit is up the west ridge and generally takes 20-30 minutes. If the climb is icy it is much more comfortable to use crampons as there are one or two places where you really don’t want to fall. The exact route depends on snow conditions and it is often necessary to move away from the ridge a bit and find a passage through the rocks on the first half of the climb. The north shoulder can be completely magic on its day. This convex slope needs a fairly deep snowpack and doesn’t handle wind well so it isn’t epic all that often. When it is though you’ll want to race back round and do it all again. From the summit, head north, leaving the couloir entrance to your right and keep to the shoulder, still heading north. Once the trees start, either cut left to the top of the Aiguillette chairlift or continue off piste through the often excellent trees. You can rejoin the Aiguillette piste (to the skier’s left) any time you’ve had enough. If you reach a snow covered road (roughly 500 vertical metres below), don’t go any lower or you’ll have a lot of walking to do. Instead, walk or skate to the left, following the road until you see the bottom of the Aiguillette chairlift or the piste.