Pointe de la Vuzelle – north face · Vanoise (Grand Bec) · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A long, easy mountain route up the shady north face of the Pointe de la Vuzelle, finishing at a summit cross above the Refuge du Grand Bec. The climbing is in the first two pitches and the seventh; the rest is short steps of 3b to 5a linked by walking pitches over grass and unstable scree. Go for the outing and the summit, not for sustained rock.
Very well bolted, but it is mountain terrain: loose rock, scree-covered walking pitches and an exposed scramble off the summit ridge.
The route
Eau de mai climbs about 300 m of quartzite on the north face of the Pointe de la Vuzelle, the small peak that stands above the Refuge du Grand Bec. It was bolted between 2013 and 2015 as an accessible mountain route: twelve short pitches, none harder than 5b apart from one move of 5c at the start of the second pitch that you can pull through on a bolt. Opinions are split. Most parties log it as a pleasant, well-bolted day in a fine setting, but a 2018 party disliked the loose rock and the scree pitches, and the rock does need care away from the steep sections. It finishes at the first cross on the summit ridge, with a short, exposed scramble down to the hut.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | Two successive steps, mostly 5a with a harder move. One of the better pitches. |
| P2 | 5c | A particularly steep step: the first move is the hardest of the route (given 5b with one move of 5c, and a 2018 party thought it harder still). The bolts are close enough to pull on. Slow to dry. |
| P3 | 5a | Sections of 4b, 5a and 4a. |
| P4 | 4a | Easy climbing at about 4a. |
| P5 | 3b | A short pitch, 3b at most, that can be linked with the next one. |
| P6 | easy | Easy ground on foot across very unstable scree. No grade is given. |
| P7 | 5b | Mostly 5a with one move of 5b. A 2018 party found loose blocks on this pitch. |
| P8 | easy | Easy mixed ground of rock, grass and scree. No grade is given. |
| P9 | 4b | From the belay go about 20 m left to a bolt marked with a piece of cord, then 4a to 4b. |
| P10 | 4a | 3c to 4a. |
| P11 | 3b | 3b at most. Follow the bolts marked with cord to a belay in the middle of a slab. |
| P12 | 5a | 4b to 5a to a belay on a large block at the top. You come out at the first cross, on the hut side of the summit ridge. |
Getting there
From Moûtiers drive towards Pralognan-la-Vanoise. After the village of Le Planay take the small road on the left towards Chambéranger and continue up the steep hairpins to Plan Fournier (about 1720 m), where you can park. A forest track continues to a higher car park in the trees at about 1850 m, the usual start for the Refuge du Grand Bec; its last 600 m are rough, and parties in 2020 and 2021 found the track rutted and unsuitable for low cars, so many stop at about 1770 to 1800 m.
From Plan Fournier or the upper car park follow the path towards the Refuge du Grand Bec. Once out of the forest you can pick out the grassy shoulder that leads to the foot of the route and a small cave just right of the start. Level with the route, a cairn and a rock with the route name painted on it mark where to leave the hut path; a line of cairns leads up the grassy shoulder, then you traverse to the cliff. The first bolt carries a piece of cord. Parties report 45 min to 1 h from the upper car park, and up to 1 h 30 from Plan Fournier. From the hut itself the start is about 15 min away.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Forest parking above Plan Fournier at about 1800 m, 600 m before the end of the track (camptocamp access waypoint 104249, Chambéranger); the last part of the track is rough
Point from camptocamp waypoint 353356 (Pointe de la Vuzelle summit; the route climbs the north face below it). The route's own camptocamp point was not used.
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: 45.41560, 6.72844 (crag) · Parking: 45.42761, 6.71656
Getting down
About 30 min to the hut. From the first cross follow the crest of the ridge as closely as you can towards the Refuge du Grand Bec; a few bolts let you belay a tired or nervous partner, and a 2018 party made a short abseil from one of them. A 2021 party calls this ridge quite exposed and says it needs a lot of care. The other option given is to pick a way down the face on the hut side, between grass slopes and rock outcrops. From the hut walk back down the path, about 1 h to 1 h 30 to the car.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
A 2021 party states that with a 2×50 m abseil rope you can retreat from the lower part of the route, where the belays are linked and have a maillon, up to the third belay. Higher up nothing is rigged for abseiling and the line wanders across scree ledges with walking pitches, so the practical way off from there is to finish, at grades of 5a or less with one move of 5b.
Safety
Sun and weather
North-facing between about 2200 and 2500 m, in the shade most of the day: parties use it as a heatwave route, and a September 2024 party found it cold in the wind. Camptocamp warns against going after heavy rain, as the steep, hard pitches can take several days to dry, although a June 2025 party found dry rock the day after a storm. Logged ascents run from 21 June to 7 September. The Refuge du Grand Bec is wardened from mid-June to mid-September.
Sun on the wall · N-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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −9 | −8 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 2 | −5 | −9 |
| Mean daily low °C | −16 | −16 | −13 | −9 | −6 | −1 | 2 | 2 | −2 | −6 | −12 | −16 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2779 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
12 quickdraws at least, a few slings to cut rope drag, a single 50 m rope and a helmet. Camptocamp describes the pitches as 20 to 30 m, but a 2021 party says two of them are about 45 m. The same party recommends 2×50 m so that you can abseil off the lower part if you need to. No cams or nuts.
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 Eau de mai.
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.