Multipitch Atlas

La Snoopy directe

Paroi de la Fissure · Ailefroide · France

Easy to bailBolting confidence: high

Nine pitches of sustained 6a on featured granite behind the campsite, the hard counterpart to À tire d'ailefroide. It gets better from pitch 4, a steep wall on pockets and edges that leads into a superb layback and is the short 6b crux. The last two pitches are slab.

The Paroi de la Fissure above Ailefroide, with the long crack that names it; La Snoopy directe climbs the face to its leftPhoto: L. Besson · CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo

The Paroi de la Fissure above Ailefroide, with the long crack that names it; La Snoopy directe climbs the face to its leftPhoto: L. Besson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hardest pitch
6b
Pitches
9
Length
210 m
Approach
–
Aspect
NE
North-east-facing
Rope
2×45 m
walk-off) or 2×50 m (abseil

The route

Overview

La Snoopy directe is the fully bolted line beside the old, partly equipped Snoopy on the Paroi de la Fissure, the wall across the torrent from the Ailefroide campsite. The first three pitches are a warm-up; from pitch 4 the climbing is steep, varied and sustained around 6a on very featured rock. The 6b is a short section on pitch 4 and a second harder move comes at the start of pitch 8. It is on glue-ins from bottom to top and recent parties all describe the protection as generous. Being ten minutes from the tents, it is one of the busiest harder routes in the valley.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthBoltsNotes
P15c40 m13 boltsLooks unpromising from below but is pleasant and a good warm-up.
P26a40 m11 boltsNot the best pitch and not sustained.
P35c38 m9 boltsOne good section.
P46b30 m12 boltsThe crux and a superb pitch: a steep wall on pockets and edges, then a magnificent layback. The 6b is not easy but is very short.
P56a35 m13 boltsVery good again.
P66a30 m9 boltsStill very good.
P75c32 m9 boltsAt the belay the original Snoopy arrives from the right and crosses the route.
P86a+40 m13 boltsStraight up a slab; the start is the second hardest move of the route.
P96a35 m9 boltsSlab to the top.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Ailefroide (1500 m) is at the head of the Vallouise valley: from Briançon go to L'Argentière-la-Bessée (railway station on the Marseille, Gap, Briançon line), then Vallouise, Pelvoux and Ailefroide. A seasonal bus runs between Briançon and the Pré de Madame Carle. The road is closed in winter at Pelvoux-les-Claux. Ailefroide has a large campsite and every route here is reached on foot from it.

On foot

The wall is behind the Ailefroide campsite. From the campsite reception follow the small tarmac road into the site for 200 m, then cross the river by a bridge on the left. The route starts left of La Snoopy. No source gives a time; camptocamp records 40 m of height gain.

Map of the walk-in

  • Route base
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the base of the route.

Coordinates · route base

44.88126, 6.44681

Parking

44.88434, 6.45069

Ailefroide (camptocamp waypoint 106735)

Point from camptocamp route 133787 geometry, within about 150 m of the crag waypoint 39018 and of theCrag's point for the route

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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.

Getting down

Descent

On foot: a steep, sometimes exposed path with cables heads east and returns to the foot of the wall in about 30 min. By abseil: use the chained line of À tire d'ailefroide (six abseils). Its first station is that route's top belay, east of where La Snoopy directe finishes (cairn); the stations are then west of À tire d'ailefroide, with the fifth 5 m west of its third belay and the sixth 2 m east of its second. You land in the gorge among single-pitch routes. There is also a line of six 50 m abseils down La Snoopy directe itself, but it runs through the climbing (notably the 6b pitch) and is meant for retreat only.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Easy to bail

Camptocamp states that there is a line of six 50 m abseils down the route itself, kept for retreat because it runs through the climbing. The independent chained abseil line of À tire d'ailefroide is close by on the same wall. A party behind a slow team in August 2026 turned round to avoid a storm.

Retreat from
The route's belays, on the in-route abseil line.
Point of no return
None documented.
Carry
2×50 m ropes.
Basis
Stated in the sourcesCamptocamp route text; no report describes the in-route abseils in detail.

Safety

Hazards

  • Crowds: an August 2026 party stuck behind three teams took 7 h and nearly got caught by a storm; the belays are not suited to several parties.
  • The walk-off is exposed in places and awkward in rain despite the cables and fixed ropes; one 2026 party advises keeping your harness on and clipping the cables.
  • If you abseil, you land among single-pitch climbers in the gorge.

Sun and weather

Conditions

North-east facing at 1540 to 1750 m. A June 2026 party had the sun until about 14:00 and found it hot; it is in shade later in the day. Storms build quickly on summer afternoons.

Usual season · Jun to Sep

Sun on the wall · NE-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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−015712182122171250
Mean daily low °C−7−7−4−038111173−3−6
Rain days 1 mm or more111011121417151312111212

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1496 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

Gear

13 quickdraws. Two 45 m ropes if you walk down, two 50 m ropes if you abseil. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
13
Rope
2×45 m (walk-off) or 2×50 m (abseil)
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

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 La Snoopy directe.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Be first on the route: a party that arrived at 7:00 was followed by three more.
  • A June 2026 party took 4 h 30 min up and 1 h 15 min down by abseil; another took 4 h and walked down.
  • The grades are felt to be fair to stiff, but every hard move is close to a bolt.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Length: camptocamp gives 210 m of height for the difficulties, but its pitch lengths add up to 320 m; theCrag lists 280 m.
  • Grades agree pitch for pitch between camptocamp and theCrag; theCrag users suggest 6b to 6b+ overall.
  • Aspect: north-east and north on camptocamp; the neighbouring route on the same wall is described as a north face that gets morning sun.

Provenance

Sources

Same area

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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.