Dôme des Ecrins travel guide

The splendour of the Alps at your feet and the elation of pushing yourself to the limit. Good physical condition and the assistance of a guide are all that are necessary to make this dream come true: tried for you, by us.

On the first morning, we left the parking lot at Pré de Mme Carle, above Pelvoux, and reached the welcoming Glacier Blanc mountain hut with no great difficulty. The afternoon was somewhat more taxing, as we crossed the scree on the moraine prior to arriving at the Ecrins mountain hut, 3,170 metres high. With a wake-up time of 3.30 a.m., the night was short. Our first hike across the glacier was lit by the glow of head lamps and the rays of the moon. After a short descent, to the foot of the north face of Dome des Ecrins, we traded our walking sticks for ice axes. We attached crampons to the soles of our climbing boots, and, roped together, we timidly followed our guide's steps. This continued for an hour or so, and then we started the steeper upward climb on the glacier. "Breathe with your mouth wide open", advised our guide Gérard Pailheret, "That way you inhale as much oxygen as possible for the blood that irrigates your muscles. Keep a regular pace, it’s your head that gives the orders, not your feet!" During these few hours, the sun was slowly rising. Still 300 metres to go before reaching the top. The black mountainsides and glittering ice of the Ecrins range are awe-inspiring. The Dome des Ecrins however, with its snowy cap, seems somehow reassuring. Following five hours of exertion, the summit at last - 4,015 metres!

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