Clocher de Planpraz (Aiguilles Rouges) · Chamonix valley · France
Eight south-facing pitches above Planpraz, facing Mont Blanc: five up a first buttress, a short abseil and walk, then three more to the summit of the Clocher de Planpraz. Slabs, cracks and aretes, steady at 5b and 5c, with an exposed 6a arete to finish that most parties call the best pitch. Very popular in July and August.
6aVI+5.10a8 pitches · 240 mBail with caveats
Cocher-Cochon climbs the south side of the Clocher de Planpraz, a small rock tower above the middle station of the Brévent lift. The route comes in two parts: five pitches up a first buttress to the top of a gendarme, a short abseil and a few minutes' walk, then three pitches to the summit of the Clocher. The climbing is steady at 5b and 5c on slabs, cracks and aretes, and the last pitch is an exposed 6a arete that every report singles out. It was bolted in 2000 and recent parties describe the bolting as excellent. Some find the grades stiff, and the fourth, seventh and eighth pitches feel exposed.
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4aIV5.4 | 30 m | An easy warm-up up a slabby corner and rib with grassy ledges, then a short buttress and a step right to a belay on one bolt and a peg. Several parties skip it and start at the first belay. Rockfax grades it 4b. |
| P2 | 5cVI5.9 | 30 m | Follow the arete just right of the crest on good holds to a steep pull on thin holds, then a slab rightwards to a belay on a narrow ledge. |
| P3 | 5bVI-5.8 | 40 m | Traverse a little right, then climb about 30 m of fine slab and wall before stepping right to a comfortable belay ledge. |
| P4 | 5c+VI/VI+5.9+ | 25 m | More slab, then a pillar or crack-corner with one athletic move that can be aided (A0), and a traverse left to a small grassy terrace. Rockfax grades it 6a. |
| P5 | 5aV+5.7 | 25 m | Cross the gully behind the belay and follow the rib and ridge, with a short steep wall, to the top of the gendarme. Then make an awkward 14 to 15 m abseil to the boulders and walk about 5 minutes north along the foot of the walls to the next pitch. |
| P6 | 5cVI5.9 | 30 m | Steep cracks in a grey wall with two starts: 5b on the left, or 6a+ about 5 m to the right. They join after 5 m and lead up a cracked slab to an uncomfortable hanging belay. A 2026 party found the 6a+ start interesting and not too hard. |
| P7 | 5bVI-5.8 | 20 m | Finish the slab, follow the crest of the ridge, then step off left and traverse back right, slightly downwards, to an exposed ledge at the foot of the final arete. Rockfax grades it 5a. |
| P8 | 6aVI+5.10a | 40 m | The pitch of the route. Climb the arete for about 10 m, then move right through a steeper section onto the south-west ridge (5c obligatory) and follow it in a superb position to the summit of the Clocher. An easier 4c line follows a wide crack in the slab on the right, but it is described as committing and its gear looked older to a 2026 party. |
From Chamonix take the Brévent gondola to its middle station at Planpraz (2000 m). A June 2026 party caught the first lift at 8:35. The route depends on the lift unless you walk up from the valley.
About 30 minutes. From Planpraz follow the path towards Lac Cornu for 15 minutes. In the middle of the scree, at a cairn, go up the first combe on the left for 15 minutes, keeping left of a rocky knoll; there is another cairn higher in the combe. The Clocher is the tower high up on the right. The route starts at the toe of a small buttress, where a marker bolt sits about 1.5 m off the ground.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from camptocamp waypoint 39723 (Le Clocher de Planpraz summit)
Contains the route point.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 45.94694, 6.84583 (crag)
From the summit of the Clocher, abseil 25 m to its foot on the left; camptocamp says the rope only just reaches. Then follow the walkers' path from the col back to Planpraz, about 25 minutes. On a windy day, feed the rope down as you go rather than throwing it.
Bail with caveats
The route is split in two by an abseil and a short walk after pitch 5, and the last pitch has several escapes onto the descent path. Retreat from the first five pitches is not documented, but the belays are bolted and linked and the pitches are 25 to 40 m, so abseiling is likely possible, but pitches 3 and 8 (40 m) are longer than a single 60 m rope reaches in one abseil.
About 12 quickdraws. A single 60 m rope; a 2025 party found a single 50 m rope enough. Slings and cord for the belays. Helmet. One 2020 report suggests a few nuts if you avoid the loose blocks on the last pitch by moving right into the crack.
South-facing, from about 2200 m to the 2412 m summit, so it gets the sun for most of the day. It is a summer route that relies on the Planpraz lift. In heatwaves start early; in mist or wind the top can be cool. Expect crowds on fine weekends in July and August, with queues at the last two belays.
Forecast · next 7 days · 2412 m
Loading the forecast.
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| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 2412 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 8 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −4 | −3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 1 | −4 |
| Mean daily low °C | −12 | −11 | −8 | −5 | −0 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | −1 | −7 | −11 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 2011 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Straight-line distances, up to 30 km.
No reports yet.
France · Chamonix valley
Nineteen very short pitches of easy slab above Les Bois, never harder than 4b and bolted like a climbing school. It is the standard first multipitch of the Chamonix valley, long enough to feel like a real outing and finishing at a mountain café with a view of the Mer de Glace.
4bIV+5.519 pitches260 m
France · Chamonix valley
A short, friendly slab route on the sunny gneiss of the Chéserys, facing the Mont Blanc range. Five pitches with one vertical step of 4c, chain belays and an abseil descent make it a standard introduction to multipitch climbing.
4cV5.65 pitches150 m
France · Chamonix valley
The great classic of the Aiguilles Rouges: six varied pitches of gneiss, ten minutes downhill from the Brévent cable car and finishing at its top station, with Mont Blanc opposite. The crux is a short, physical corner crack and the last pitch is a long, clean corner. It is extremely popular.
6a+VII-5.10b6 pitches200 m
France · Chamonix valley
A direct line up the big south-facing slabs of Barberine: three pitches of friction slab to warm up, then steeper, technical walls on small holds. The two top pitches are graded 6b+ and 6c+ if you step round the bolts and 7a if you climb straight up them; 6c is obligatory.
7aVIII5.11d7 pitches230 m
Around 6a · about 8 pitches
France · Calanques
The classic of the Socle de la Candelle, the big plinth of white limestone below the Grande Candelle. Eight pitches slanting right to left, sustained at 5c with a 6a slab, steep and athletic for the grade and well polished by sixty years of traffic. Often combined with a route on the Candelle above for one of the great days out in the Calanques.
6aVI+5.10a8 pitches170 m
Read the cautions
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Eight pitches up the middle of the Levant wall, with the 6a on the first pitch and steady 5a–5c above. Morning sun. Camptocamp rates the commitment a little higher than the gorge-floor routes because of the length.
6aVI+5.10a8 pitches320 m
Italy · Arco & Valle del Sarca
A popular plaisir line up the lower south-west wall of Piccolo Dain, starting at the gate of the weir in Sarche. Cracks and small corners lead to a fine 6a slab on water drops, then a long corner pitch. Expect queues: three routes share the opening traverse.
6aVI+5.10a8 pitches235 m
Switzerland · Gastlosen
A modern eight-pitch plaisir route up the east side of the Gross Turm, with a summit you can scramble to from the last belay. Mostly 5a to 5c on slabs and small pillars, with one delicate 6a traverse on pitch 3 that goes at 5c+ with a pull on a bolt. Pitches 3 and 4 feel stiff for the grade.
6aVI+5.10a8 pitches250 m
Compiled from published sources, last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.