Multipitch Atlas

Ailefroide

France

Ailefroide is a granite slab and pillar valley at 1,500 m in the Écrins, above Vallouise. Its Cambon-style bolted multipitches are rebolted with funding from the Vallouise-Pelvoux commune. The season runs June to October. Base yourself at the big Ailefroide campsite, reached from Briançon or L'Argentière-la-Bessée via Vallouise.

Routes
3
Grade span
5c
Longest route: Les Pets des Rupricaprins
450 m

Where and when

Location and climate

When to go where

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Ailefroide hamlet, at the foot of the walls · 1,496 m

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−015712182122171250
Mean daily low °C−7−7−4−038111173−3−6
Rain days 1 mm or more111011121417151312111212

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1496 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

3 routes

Routes in Ailefroide

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The Palavar slabs above Ailefroide; Palavar-les-Flots follows the leaning pillar on the left

France · Ailefroide

Palavar-les-Flots

Ailefroide's best-known easy long route: a consistent run of 4th-grade slab and pillar climbing with two harder steps (5b+ on L4, a 5c friction move on L8). It is very popular, so start early.

5c12 pitches310 m

Hand-drawn sketch topo of Orage d'étoiles, Ailefroide

France · Ailefroide

Orage d'étoiles

One of the best-known slab routes at Ailefroide: eleven pitches up the big inclined plane on the foothills of the Pelvoux, directly above the village. The style never changes, slab from bottom to top, mostly 5b with two pitches of 5c. The approach gully, damaged by a rockfall in 2013, is the serious part of the day.

5c11 pitches300 m

Read the cautions

Climber on pitch 3 or 4 of Les Pets des Rupricaprins, La Draye, Ailefroide

France · Ailefroide

Les Pets des Rupricaprins

A long, sunny outing up a series of granite steps, consistently in the 5th grade, finishing with a great view over La Draye. Grassy ramps separate the tiers, so the climbing never feels exposed.

5c14 pitches450 m

Local words

At the crag and in town

All words and calls

French

corde
rope
dégaine
quickdraw
spit, goujon
bolt
plaquette
bolt hanger
relais
belay, anchor
Sec !
Take!
Du mou !
Slack!
Avale !
Take in!

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