Pavé du Chardonnet · Cerces · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A long, easy mountain route above the Chardonnet hut in the upper Clarée valley: ten pitches of slabs, a chimney, grooved grey rock and a crest, linked by ledges and one 75 m walk. It is never sustained, with the 5c on a slabby traverse, and the best pitches are near the top. The setting is the attraction; the descent gully is the price.
The route
The Pavé du Chardonnet is a 2600 m limestone tower above the Refuge du Chardonnet, on the Névache side of the Cerces. 'Dessine-moi un 4 sup', opened in 1996, wanders up its south-east side from step to step in ten pitches between 3 and 5c. It is a route for the outing more than the moves: pitches are separated by grassy ledges and comfortable stances, and one section is a 75 m walk along a ledge. The climbing that there is, on sculpted grey limestone, is good, and the fracture near the top called the 'window' gives the route some character. Getting down the gully behind the summit takes care and time.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 5 bolts | A slab, then a short step. Comfortable belay on a ledge. |
| P2 | 5b+ | 9 bolts | Start on the right and climb a chimney, leaving it on the right to reach a comfortable belay a little higher. Gulliver grades this pitch VI A0. |
| P3 | 4c | 6 bolts | Given as 4+. Walk straight up from the belay and climb the step by an easy gully. A first belay is possible on the ledge, but the right one is 7 or 8 m left at the back of the ledge; the pitch is over 50 m. |
| P4 | 5b | 6 bolts | A wall, then trend left to a comfortable platform. |
| P5 | 4c | 4 bolts | Given as 4+. Straight up, then a pillar by its left side to a ledge. From here walk 75 m right along the ledge, following a few cairns, to the next belay. |
| P6 | 5c | 8 bolts | A slabby traverse first, then avoid an overhang to climb a flake. The best pitch and the crux; the bolts are fairly close. |
| P7 | 4c | 4 bolts | Given as 4+. Walk straight up from the belay, then climb a step to the ledge of the 'window', where the crest of the Pavé is cut through. The belay is to the right along the ledge. |
| P8 | 5a/b | 8 bolts | A fine pitch, slab first and then the crest. Comfortable belay. |
| P9 | 4c | 8 bolts | Given as 4+. A long pitch keeping right of the crest. New chain and rings at the belay in 2025. |
| P10 | 3 | – | Short. The summit is then reached by a ledge on the right, a step of grade 2 and 90 m of easy, exposed ridge to a large cairn. |
Getting there
From Briançon drive up the Clarée valley to Névache and on to the Chalets de Fontcouverte (1861 m), where the road is followed by a campsite and the trailhead. From mid-July to the end of August the upper valley road is closed to uphill motor traffic from 8:30 to 18:00: go up earlier, or park free at Roubion at the entrance to Névache and take the shuttles (free to Névache Ville-Haute, paying on to Fontcouverte). In summer and winter seasons bus line L7 runs from Briançon station to Névache.
About 1 h 30 from Fontcouverte. Walk to the Refuge du Chardonnet (2223 m) in 30 to 45 minutes, then follow the path towards the Col du Chardonnet. After about 20 minutes turn right, cross the stream and reach the foot of the Pavé, then climb the left side of the scree (cairn). The start is on a slab at the foot of an enormous block, not obvious from afar; above it you can see the chimney of pitch 2, and to the right a ramp with a faded cord marks the access to 'Retour en Névachie'. A steeper alternative leaves from just after the Fontcouverte campsite by the Chalets du Queyrellin.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Névache, Fontcouverte trailhead (camptocamp waypoint 104309)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 42359 (Pavé du Chardonnet 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: 45.02813, 6.52112 (crag) · Parking: 45.03402, 6.54534
Getting down
Just behind the summit cairn a maillon on two bolts gives a 50 m abseil into the gully behind the tower; a second anchor on a large block gives another 50 m abseil. That avoids the delicate upper part of the gully, which you would have to down-climb if you abseiled only 15 m. Below, descend steep loose scree to the foot of the Pavé; a 2024 party made a third 25 m abseil from a spike. Alternatively skip the last pitch, make two abseils from belay 10 to the ledge of the window, cross it westwards and make a free-hanging 25 m abseil into the descent gully. Allow 1 to 3 hours from the top to the path.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp says the route can be abseiled but advises against it because of the many stony ledges to cross, and notes that the first belays have no maillons. The ledges do offer ways off: from the tenth belay two abseils lead to the window ledge and a 25 m abseil from there reaches the descent gully.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing between about 2250 and 2600 m: sun from early morning until mid-afternoon in summer. The season is roughly mid-June to September, matching the hut's opening (mid-June to mid-September), though ascents are recorded into October and early November in dry autumns. Storms build quickly here in summer afternoons: one 2025 party finished the last pitches and the abseils in rain. Allow 4 to 5 hours on the route and a full day car to car.
Sun on the wall · SE-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 Cerces are not available yet
What to carry
10 quickdraws (14 to link pitches 6 and 7) and 2×50 m ropes for the descent abseils. Slings for the belays. Helmet essential.
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 Dessine-moi un 4 sup.
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.