Description

This is one of the most stunning mountains in the Cerces, offering a nice couloir line up it.

There is a lot of traversing to get to it, which can put people off, but making the effort is worthwhile.

From the parking follow the path to the village of L’Alpe du Lauzet You climb up a tight path past a waterfall, then a flat section to the village (sometimes, in a fat snow year, you can only see the roofs of the buildings in winter).

From the village climb east up the steep slope through some bigger boulders.

At the top of this steeper section head north into the Torrent du Rif valley.

Here you have some options: you can stay high on the right-hand slope (which can be hard if icy) or drop into the valley and skin up the valley on less of an angle. From the 2603m spot hight make your way up and behind some rocks and into the couloir.

From there it's a climb to the top. Descend the couloir and then head back into the Rif valley.

Now comes the balancing act of getting back across the traverse without having to put skins back on.

Once back above the steeper section ski back down to the small village and then descend the tracks past the waterfall - the snow here is often poor and or icy so care is needed.

This is a popular venue for touring so the parking can get busy in the main holiday seasons.