Pic de l'Aiguille – face est (Col de Gleize) · Dévoluy · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
Twelve pitches of easy slab on water-worn runnels up the east face of the Pic de l'Aiguille, above Gap, finishing on a summit at 2140 m. Never harder than 5b and mostly 5a, but long: allow four to five hours. The bolts are well placed and spaced, the rock is very grippy, and stonefall from the ledges and from walkers on the summit is the main thing to watch.
Soundly re-equipped but spaced on easy slabs, with unchained belays and regular stonefall from the ledges and the summit.
The route
The east face of the Pic de l'Aiguille is a broad sweep of pale limestone slabs at the southern edge of the Dévoluy, reached from the Col de Gleize above Gap. À l'aise Gleize shares its first four pitches with La Barule des Barulots, then slants right for four pitches of slab and runnels to gain the ridge, which it follows to the top. The climbing is homogeneous and friendly, a good first long route for a party that is steady at 5b a little above the bolts. Do not underestimate the length: there are about 430 m of climbing. Some parties find the camptocamp grades generous and say little exceeds 4c apart from a few moves.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 45 m | 11 bolts | 5a to 5b, then 4c. Slant up right to a small ledge with two bolts close together on the right, then climb a pillar on the left, where the first bolt is a little hidden. A 'B' with an arrow pointing left marks the continuation of La Barule; a painted pebble with an arrow to the right marks À l'aise Gleize. Straight up to the belay. Manage the rope drag. A direct start above the plaque is sustained grade 6. |
| P2 | 5a | 30 m | 4 bolts | Traverse a little left on a slab (two bolts), then easy ground straight up. The belay bolts are not linked. |
| P3 | 5b | 45 m | 11 bolts | A fine easy-angled slab, then a vague corner straight up. Do not go to a lone hanger on the right. The belay is below an earthy step; a second belay 5 m higher is better for what follows. |
| P4 | 3a | 30 m | 2 bolts | Walk and scramble leftwards through vegetation onto a big terrace (ignore a belay at 15 m), then a little left to the foot of the big slabs, where the belay is a thread and three bolts. The two bolts of La Barule are 10 m to the left. This terrace is exposed to stonefall. |
| P5 | 5a/b | 25 m | – | The first of four pitches of slab and runnels slanting right. Camptocamp counts 5 or 6 bolts. |
| P6 | 5a/b | 35 m | – | More runnels, 6 or 7 bolts. The belay is well to the left at the end of a short earthy ramp, marked by a bolt and a green arrow. Do not go straight up the small pillar with two old, widely spaced hangers. |
| P7 | 5a/b | 40 m | 8 bolts | Slab and runnels. |
| P8 | 5a/b | 30 m | 8 bolts | Slab to gain the ridge. |
| P9 | 5a | 25 m | 5 bolts | A thin move to leave the ridge on the left. |
| P10 | 4c | 40 m | 9 bolts | Easier climbing. |
| P11 | 5a | 43 m | – | Slightly grassy slab. |
| P12 | 5a | 42 m | 4 bolts | Easy to a step on the left, which you cross with one 5a move on big holds, then walking. The belay is at the foot of a last short, easy step, which is not protected. |
Getting there
From Gap drive up to the Col Bayard on the N85 and take the road to the Col de Gleize (1696 m). The car park is at the col, on the left of the road when coming from the Col Bayard. An alternative start is from the hairpin at about 1570 m on the same road, in front of a barrier at the start of a track.
From the Col de Gleize follow the track that leaves the col horizontally to the north-east and take the waymarked path via the Chanarette spring, crossing the Lauzon ski tow and a piste. The path joins a dirt track: follow it north for 20 m, then take the path that climbs (very muddy in spring) and crosses the Aiguille ski tow. Continue north to the scree of the Grand Clot, below the east face. Leave the path at an information board about wildlife and follow cairns and a well-worn track up the scree, finishing up its true right side and traversing level to the first bolts. The start is 10 m left of a memorial plaque under the big slab, shared with La Barule des Barulots: the inscription 'Les Barulots' and a painted pebble with the route name mark it. Parties take 40 to 50 minutes; camptocamp gives 45 minutes to 1 h 30 depending on the start.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Col de Gleize car park (camptocamp waypoint 214492)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 40035 (Pic de l'Aiguille summit)
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 44.64088, 6.04867 (crag) · Parking: 44.62250, 6.04806
Getting down
From the summit follow the south ridge on a track with easy but airy and sometimes exposed passages to a small saddle at 2101 m between the Aiguille and the Pic de Gleize. Take the left-hand path straight down to the Col de Gleize (the right-hand one goes over the Pic de Gleize). If you started from the 1570 m hairpin, descend the east side on tracks and grass to rejoin the approach. Parties take 50 minutes to an hour.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp says the belays are mostly linked but not equipped for abseiling, with a few maillons in place. Retreat therefore means abseiling from bolted belays and leaving your own gear, and pitches of up to 45 m need two ropes. No source describes an escape on foot from the face.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
East to south-east facing, from about 1840 m to 2140 m, in the sun all day in summer and sheltered from the wind on the first six pitches. It gets warm on the rock by late morning. Reports run from mid-May to early November; the approach path is muddy in spring.
Sun on the wall · E-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Dévoluy are not available yet
What to carry
11 quickdraws, not counting extenders and belays, and a 50 m single rope (or 2×50 m). Take slings or cord for the belays, which are not chained. With more quickdraws a confident party can move together on the easier pitches.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to À l'aise Gleize.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.