Tête de la Maye – south face · La Bérarde (Écrins) · France
Bail not documentedBolting confidence: high
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.
The route
Also written 'Du 5 à tire-larigot', this is the classic of the wall, with 127 logged outings. It starts 30 m right of the big cave and climbs about 520 m of rope length to within ten minutes of the summit. The climbing is varied for granite: a cracked wall, a roof turned on the left, a superb slab, an athletic crack on the edge of a pillar and a very thin slab high up. Recent parties stress that the grades are not soft but that the bolting is excellent and the harder moves can be aided. It is a long day once the descent is added.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 35 m | A steep cracked wall. Trend slightly left at mid-height to a grassy ledge (optional belay), cross it and belay at the right edge of the next short step. |
| P2 | 5c | 40 m | Climb a corner for 4 m, traverse left under an overhang and pull over it (athletic) to a wide grassy ledge. Use long quickdraws against drag. |
| P3 | 5b | 35 m | Up the grass for 10 m to a corner; climb it and continue on slab. |
| P4 | 5b | 45 m | A first steep wall, then a magnificent slab. 14 bolts, the most on the route. |
| P5 | 3b | 35 m | Stepped ground, slightly right then straight, towards an overhang and a well-marked crack. Belay under the overhang. |
| P6 | 5c | 40 m | A first crack (5b), then move left to another crack on the edge of a pillar: an athletic 5c layback. |
| P7 | 5b | 40 m | Continue to easier stepped ground. The belay here is poorly placed; clip in long for comfort. |
| P8 | 3b | 40 m | Up the steps to a belay on the left bank of a gully. |
| P9 | 5b | 45 m | Cross the gully, climb a steep wall on the left and work gradually back right. |
| P10 | 4b | 40 m | Rising rightwards to a vertical cracked wall. The two belay bolts are far apart: bring a long sling. |
| P11 | 5c | 45 m | Climb the wall to a ledge, then a very thin slab on the left to a crack, left by the right. Belay under a small roof. |
| P12 | 5b | 20 m | Traverse 5 m right and cross the roof to a ledge. Belay at the foot of the next step. |
| P13 | 5b | 20 m | A short step by a slab, then an overhanging wall on big holds and grassy steps to the right. Can be linked with pitch 12 if you manage the drag. |
| P14 | 3b | 40 m | A series of small steps to the top. |
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.
About 200 m before La Bérarde take the path towards the cliff. Reach the base of the spur where Pujolidal starts and continue left along the path towards the cave that is obvious from below. The start is 30 m right of the cave, with a figure 5 scratched on the rock; a 6a+ variation start lies a few metres to the left. Camptocamp gives 45 minutes; parties from the campsite report 30 to 45.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start 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 camptocamp waypoint 39728 (Tête de la Maye summit; the routes start on the south face several hundred metres to the south)
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: 44.94392, 6.28912 (crag) · Parking: 44.93268, 6.29186
Getting down
From the top follow tracks to the summit of the Tête de la Maye in about 10 minutes, or go directly to the col where the footpath starts down. Walk off by the waymarked Tête de la Maye footpath, which has cables and metal steps on its steeper sections, back to La Bérarde. Allow 1 hour to 1 h 30.
Retreat
Bail not documented
No source describes retreating from this route. The belays are bolted but mostly unlinked and not rigged for abseil, and the route wanders across ledges and a gully. Several grass ledges cross the face, but none is described as a way off.
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 late August 2026 party waited over two hours for the sun to dry the face.
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
A single 50 m rope and 15 quickdraws (one to redirect at the third belay plus 14 on pitch 4), several of them long. Slings to link the belay bolts, including a long one for R10. Étriers or a couple of slings if you expect to aid the 5c moves. 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 Du V à tire-larigot.
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)
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.
5b15 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 5c · about 14 pitches
Spain · Riglos & Agüero (Mallos)
A long beginner's big route on good conglomerate at a moderate angle. Pitches can be linked in pairs with a 60 m rope. A four-pitch headwall with a couple of panzas finishes high above the Gállego valley.
5c14 pitches375 m
France · Ailefroide
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
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Thirteen short pitches, mostly grade 4, with two 5c steps. The longest pitch is 45 m. A big day of easy mileage in the sun above the palm grove.
5c13 pitches340 m
France · Aravis
A long, gentle climb up the slabs and runnels of the Jallouvre's south-east flank, like the neighbouring Voie des Cristaux but with more real climbing. Fifteen short-lived pitches are broken by three or four walking links; the moves of grade 5 are brief and well protected. A good place to practise multipitch routines.
5c15 pitches400 m
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.