Ice Climbing: tackling the ice falls
© M. Durand
Every winter, the Ecrins country becomes the Mecca of an extreme sport which combines physical effort with the experience of beauty. Ice climbing, in other words.
Climbing frozen waterfalls has become the ultimate passion of winter mountain enthusiasts. They head deep into the valleys of Freissinières, Fournel and Vallouise, where the sun never shines sufficiently to melt those enormous stalactites, tens, and sometimes hundreds, of metres long.
Amateur ice climbers, equipped with helmets, eyeshades, harnesses, crampons and ices axes set off in the company of a guide or an instructor who knows how to gauge with certainty whether an ice formation is solid enough to be approached. Climbers use front pointed crampons and ice axes to hoist themselves up. Climbing a vertical surface is particularly strenuous, there is less effort involved when the "frozen curtain" is on a slope.
This activity has become so popular that every January L'Argentière-la-Bessée hosts "Ice Climbing Ecrins", an event created in 1991 by Gérard Pailheiret, a local mountain guide. For several days, ice climbers from all over the world compete with one another on the frozen walls around the area. Free introductory courses and free entrance to adventure film screenings in the evenings.
Contact us
Gérard Pailheiret
Ice Fall
05120 L'Argentière la Bessée
(0033) (0)4 92 23 05 27
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Topic : Landscapes and nature
Published on : 2008/12/23
Tags : ice falls
