Tête de la Maye – south face · La Bérarde (Écrins) · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A long, gentle introduction to multipitch: about fifteen pitches of easy-angled granite slab and short cracked steps, almost all at 4b, with one 5b move. The hikers' path crosses the route, giving easy escapes after pitches 6, 7, 8 and 13. Sunny from early morning.
The route
Douce Maye is the rightmost bolted line on the south face and one of its two easiest long routes. It strings together short sections of sound, playful rock separated by grass ledges and walking, and the rock improves as you gain height. Since the 2022 rebolt it is used by clubs for teaching belays and rope management, and you can climb all or part of it thanks to the escapes onto the footpath. There is little sense of exposure; the reward is the view over La Bérarde and the upper Vénéon.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4b | A few steps, then a slightly grassy ramp rising right. Belay to be linked, on the right at the end of a diagonal ledge. |
| P2 | 4b | A fine easy-angled slab. |
| P3 | 5b | Easy flakes towards the bolt, then one harder move; belay on a terrace to the right. |
| P4 | 4b | After this pitch traverse left for 30 to 40 m along a grassy ledge to find the continuation. The direct line above the belay is grassier and was not re-equipped. |
| P5 | 4b | A diagonal crack, started on the right. |
| P6 | 3c/4a | A grassy finish. Easy escape by the path. |
| P7 | 4b | Easy escape by the path at the end. |
| P8 | 3b | A step that can be turned on the left. The route crosses the footpath here: go straight up towards a bolt just above it. |
| P9 | 4b | A pleasant curving gully of slab and crack. |
| P10 | 4b | – |
| P11 | 2 | Easy ground. |
| P12 | 4b | A crack leading left; ignore the bolt out to the right. |
| P13 | 3b | Easy escape by the path at the end. The belays invite you to split this pitch in two. |
| P14 | 4c | A flared crack. |
| P15 | 3b | Slabs and some grass to finish. |
Getting there
La Bérarde is the last hamlet of the Vénéon valley, at the end of the D530 from Bourg d'Oisans (Grenoble side). A flood on 21 June 2024 wrecked much of the hamlet and swept away the car park in the riverbed, and road access has been restricted since. In summer 2025 the road was closed to general traffic beyond Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans, with shuttles from Bourg d'Oisans. In 2026 a June party found the road still closed with a shuttle promised for July; a party on 18 August took the first shuttle from Bourg d'Oisans at 06:20 and was in La Bérarde at 07:25; and a report dated 9 September 2026 says the hamlet can be reached by car again, with parking beside the reception chalet out of respect for residents. Check the current rules before you travel: the Maison du Département de l'Isère in Bourg d'Oisans (04 76 80 03 48) and the Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans town hall publish them. Do not count on the pre-flood shops and lodging; confirm what is open.
From La Bérarde start up the Châtelleret hut path and leave it leftwards at the 'falaise d'escalade' sign. A path contours west to below the start of Pujolidal, the spur that descends lowest, where a tricolour flag painted on a rock marks the national park boundary. A cairn on the right marks a track that rises rightwards along the cliff. Pass a zone of black overhangs to a small grassy cirque. At its lowest point on the right a faded white inscription marks the start; if in doubt it is the rightmost line of hangers on the cliff, with two close bolts visible. Camptocamp gives the start as 44.938 N, 6.29185 E. Allow 45 minutes.
Loading map
The point marks the base of the route.
Parking
La Bérarde road end and trailhead (camptocamp waypoint 106909). The riverbed car park was destroyed in 2024; check current access and where parking is allowed
Point from start coordinates stated in the camptocamp description of route 55818
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: 44.93800, 6.29185 (route base) · Parking: 44.93268, 6.29186
Getting down
Go left to the Tête de la Maye footpath, which is equipped with cables on its steep sections and lower down joins the path from the Étançons valley. Camptocamp says 45 minutes; a 2023 party took 1 h 15, and adds 20 minutes if you first go up to the summit.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
You can leave the route on foot at four points: camptocamp lists easy escapes by the footpath at the end of pitches 6, 7, 8 and 13. Below pitch 6 there is no described retreat, and the belays are plain bolts without chains, so abseiling means leaving gear.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
Full south-facing granite between about 1,900 and 2,500 m. Camptocamp gives May to October depending on snow, and warns that it is very hot in midsummer; the wall takes the sun early. Slabs with drainage streaks can stay wet after rain. This is a mountain setting: watch for afternoon storms, and note a June 2026 report of no phone signal on the face. A September 2023 party found pitches 1, 2 and 5 still damp at midday after morning rain, though the bolts are close enough to pull through.
Sun on the wall · S-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 La Bérarde (Écrins) are not available yet
What to carry
12 quickdraws. Slings and karabiners to build every belay, since none is chained. A single 50 m rope; the descent is on foot. Helmet.
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 Douce Maye.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
France · La Bérarde (Écrins)
The great classic of the Tête de la Maye: 13 pitches of rounded granite slab above La Bérarde with nothing athletic until the last hard pitch, a flake and wide crack of 5c+ that everyone remembers. Recently rebolted and very closely protected. It is camptocamp's reference route for the overall grade D.
5c+13 pitches350 m
France · La Bérarde (Écrins)
One of the easiest long routes on the Tête de la Maye: thirteen short pitches of low-angle granite slab, mostly grade 3 to 4, broken by a few steeper steps. The exception is the first pitch, a steep 5a/5b wall that is clearly the hardest and best climbing on the route.
5b13 pitches300 m
France · La Bérarde (Écrins)
The longest route on the Tête de la Maye at this grade and by far the most popular: fourteen pitches, sustained at 5b with three pitches of 5c. Steep steps, slabs, a roof, a layback crack on a pillar and a few grass ledges. The fives feel honest and only one 5b move is obligatory.
5c14 pitches400 m
France · La Bérarde (Écrins)
Fifteen pitches up the steeper centre of the face: steep cracks and walls in the first third, then a long sequence of sometimes very thin friction slabs. Mostly 5c to 6a+ with one short 6b+ that goes at A0. Rated among the best on the wall and much quieter than its famous neighbour.
6b+15 pitches400 m
Around 5b · about 15 pitches
Italy · Val d'Ossola
A long, sunny friction-slab route of about 35 m pitches on excellent rock, ideal for learning footwork. The hardest move is a short crack-and-chimney finish on the last pitch. Allow about 3 h up and 1 h down.
5b13 pitches430 m
Switzerland · Wiwanni (Baltschiedertal)
A 17-pitch bolted ridge to a 3001 m summit. Three slab and wall pitches of 5a and 5b come first, then a long run of grade 3 and 4 on the crest that many parties climb moving together, with one fine 5a in the middle. A full mountain day: the summit ridge beyond the last bolt and the scrambling descent are part of it.
5b17 pitches400 m
Read the cautions
France · Dévoluy
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.
5b12 pitches300 m
Read the cautions
Italy · Aosta Valley
The easiest route on the big east face of Mont Chétif, the rocky pyramid that stands over Courmayeur. Twelve short pitches of well-featured rock, mostly 4b, lead to a steep little corner on pitch 10 that is the one hard passage. You finish a few minutes below a summit with one of the great views of the south side of Mont Blanc.
5b12 pitches250 m
Read the cautions
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.