The smile of the White Glacier

Contact us
Refuge du Glacier blanc
05
(0033) (0)4 92 23 50 24
(0033) (0)4 92 20 11 15
Booking compulsory for all mountain refuges. Overnight stay: from 5,25 to 21 €. Meal: 15,50 € - Breakfast: 6 €.
 Website
See the access map

Dôme des Ecrins: braving your first "4000er"
Discover
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!

Bureau des guides du Pays des Ecrins
05290 Vallouise
(0033) (0)4 92 23 32 29
 E-mail contact
 Website

Mountain canals and the irrigation system
Discover
Buried under snow in wintertime and victims of drought in summer, European mountain dwellers have succeeded in domesticating a multitude of waterways over time. During the Middle Ages, a closely knit irrigation network was created, composed of canals, ditches and conduits of hollowed larch trunks, regulated by a system of water gates. This enabled arable land at an altitude to retrieve some of the water from the mountain streams rushing down the side of the Pendine mountain and through the coomb of Narreyroux.

Partially abandoned today, this heritage dug out of the earth, and even rock, now keeps the wandering hiker company. All along the interpretive trails in the Ecrins, such as the Béalet trail, or the path to the Rocher Pointu, there is a proliferation of ferns, bird cherries, dog roses, bellflowers and wood cranesbill, thanks to these ancient man-made waterways. "The trails help to understand how the natural milieu functions in our mountain environment”, explains Valérie Roullier, who is in charge of land management in the municipality of Puy Saint-Vincent. Water and shade are also a welcome source of refreshment when the summer sun is at its hottest.

Mairie de Puy Saint-Vincent
Les Alberts
05290 Puy Saint Vincent
(0033) (0)4 92 23 30 66
The interpretive path in Puy Saint-Vincent, along the Béal and Prés canals, should be open to the public by the end of spring 2009.

Gîte-Refuge de l'Ecole
Discover
Completely isolated in a hamlet perched at the entrance to the National Park, at the heart of the Ecrins country, this is somewhere you can get away from it all. It is also an obligatory stop-over for hikers wishing to discover one of the most beautiful walking routes in the area.

Gîte-refuge de l'Ecole
05310 Freissinières
(0033) (0)6 99 90 49 57
Half board 38 €, Full board 50 €, meals from 15,50 €.

La Juliane guesthouse
Discover
In the Ecrins country, where respect for the environment is paramount, La Juliane is a paragon of ecological virtue. Almost entirely energy self-sufficient, it is moreover situated in a superb setting.

Gîte-refuge de la Juliane
Le Martouret
05340 Pelvoux
(0033) (0)6 77 85 40 90
(0033) (0)4 92 23 47 49
From 37 € (dormitory) to 41,50 € (room) for half-board
 Website

Chalet-étape du col de la Pousterle
Discover
This chalet belongs to geologist Bernard Bonhomme. As well as being a hostel, it has snacks, drinks and set meals on offer.

Chalet-étape du col de la Pousterle
col de la Pousterle
05120 L'Argentière-la-Bessée
(0033) (0)4 92 23 14 55
 E-mail contact

The Pays des Ecrins Tourist Office
Discover
To prepare your stay in the Ecrins, find information on accommodation, restaurants, places to visit...

Office de Tourisme du Pays des Ecrins
23, avenue de la République
05120 L'Argentière-la-Bessée
(0033) (0)8 10 00 11 12
 Website