A proper little adventure off the back of Flégère with steep touring, exposed climbing and a short abseil

Statistics

4 - 5

hrs

789

m

1,935

m

51

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Difficult

Description

Take the pomme right to the top of Flégère and ski to the edge of the Crouches piste.

There will be a boundary marking the end of the pisted section which takes you on to a long and obvious traverse.

If you want to save on climbing, take the high traverse but the lower traverse is equally a good option.

Both will lead you to the main ascent. Start skinning in a north.

Once you have left the cover of the Aiguilles Crouches ridge line you will see the Col du Belvédère on your left (another classic route in the area).

Continue north until you get to the foot of the Col du Beugeant where you begin your ascent.

Depending on the conditions, you can choose how much you want to skin and how much you want to bootpack. When you arrive at the top, get your crampons on and begin the easy yet exposed climb.

It's recommended that you rope up and bring several quickdraws and a couple of medium cams. Once you've climbed this section, there will be a belay setup ready.

Abseil the short 10m pitch into the line. The top of the line is very steep so some choose to use the additional fixed rope to ascend down.

Your other option is to make some conservative turns if you're not extremely experienced.

There's a short drop at the bottom which leads onto another steep section so a fall could lead to serious injury. Once out of this pitch, open up on the natural path down to the valley floor and search the slopes for good snow. Make the long and undulating exit out through the Berard Valley to Le Buet where you can grab a drink and get the train back to your car.