Multipitch Atlas

Les Pets des Rupricaprins

La Draye · Ailefroide · France

Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high

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.

Climber on pitch 3 or 4 of Les Pets des Rupricaprins, La Draye, AilefroidePhoto: joel v · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

Climber on pitch 3 or 4 of Les Pets des Rupricaprins, La Draye, AilefroidePhoto: joel v · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
5c
Pitches
14
Length
450 m
Approach
20 min
Aspect
S
South-facing
Rope
1×50 m

The route

Overview

A very long, sunny outing up the south-facing tiers below the Tête de la Draye, above Ailefroide: about 500 m from the start to the shoulder, with fourteen climbed pitches of granite slab and short walls linked by four walking sections on grass ledges. The climbing is sustained in the fifth grade, on excellent rock, with a hard first move and a single 5c step higher up. Because the face is a series of steps there is little sense of exposure, and many pitches can be avoided by grassy gullies just to the left. It is a full day; do not underestimate the length.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeNotes
P15b+A short, brutal first move, then 5b and 4b. The start was modified and three new bolts were found here in 2021. The Spanish camptocamp page grades the original move 6a/A0; it goes easily with a pull on the quickdraw. In the trees, so it stays wet after rain.
P25b4b/c, then 5b.
P34c4c, then 4a.
P45b–
P53b–
P65b+4c, then 5b+. Followed by 50 m of walking up a grass ledge slanting left (first 'garden').
P75a4c, then 5a. Followed by about 80 m on grass ledge and scree, straight up and then slanting right (second 'garden'; longer than the topo photo suggests).
P85b/c–
P95c4c, then 5b with one move of 5c.
P104b3b to 4b.
P114b3b to 4b. Followed by about 100 m slanting left over easy-angled slabs and grass, with cairns.
P124bFollowed by 30 m left along a grass ledge.
P134c4b, then 4c.
P145b+Short. Listed as 5b+ then 4b; a 2026 party found it simply 5b+. Above, five minutes of easy steps slanting right and then straight up lead to the summit meadow; most parties unrope here.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Ailefroide (1,500 m), at the head of the Vallouise valley: Briançon or L'Argentière-la-Bessée (railway station), then Vallouise, Pelvoux and Ailefroide. Seasonal bus on the Briançon to Pré de Madame Carle line; the road is closed in winter at Pelvoux. Park in the village; the walk starts from the centre.

On foot · about 20 min

About 20 minutes (2021 report). From the centre of Ailefroide cross the bridge and follow signs for Tête de la Draye / Chambran (GR waymarks and yellow marks). At the signpost level with a slab of the climbing school keep following Tête de la Draye / Chambran. Pass the turn-off for the Tête de la Draye, then about 30 m further the track to the Spit on Cup sector. The track to the route leaves 2–3 minutes further on, after a descent; it is fairly well trodden and cairned at the junction. It climbs steeply and passes the foot of the route Ein Zwei Draye. Cross a small stream, take the horizontal cairned line to the right and finish up alongside the scree to the start in a recess. There is no name at the base; the first bolt is 2 m up.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

44.89013, 6.44828

Parking

44.88434, 6.45069

Ailefroide (camptocamp access point)

Point from camptocamp waypoint 40628

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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

Walk off by the normal path from the Tête de la Draye; allow at least 1 h (1 h 10 in a 2021 report). It is a little exposed in places. Cables have been added. About 150 m lower there is a bolt at an exposed earthy passage, which was washed out by storms in 2023 and is well trodden again; a belay to protect it is 20 m before, just right of the path, on a rock outcrop.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Bail with caveats

You are rarely far from easy ground. camptocamp says many pitches can be avoided by convenient grass gullies just to the left, and the face is a series of short steps with walking links on grass ledges after pitches 6, 7, 11 and 12. No source describes abseiling the route or says where the gullies come out below, so treat them as likely escapes, not guaranteed ones, and expect them to be slippery when wet.

Retreat from
The grass gullies immediately left of the line, and the grass ledges between the tiers. Abseiling from the belays is not described.
Carry
The route is climbed on a single rope of at least 50 m. Carry a maillon or two and cord; an old camptocamp note says hangers had been removed from some upper belays, though they were reported in place in 2021 and 2022.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredcamptocamp states that many pitches are avoidable by grass gullies to the left and describes the grass links; reading those gullies as a way down is an inference, and abseil retreat is not documented.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • Hangers have a history of disappearing on this route (camptocamp gear note). They were all present in September 2021 and 'OK in October 2022', and reports from 2024 call the equipment excellent. An older note on the Spanish page says hangers had been removed from the upper belays, leaving only studs.
  • Bolt spacing: described as abundant and generally close by most parties, but 'not always close' (2023) and 'spaced out and requiring commitment' (2026). 5b is obligatory.
  • The start is hard to find and unmarked; several parties lost time.
  • Some belays are uncomfortable; parties who moved up to a better ledge ended up belaying on a single bolt.
  • The descent path is exposed in places, including one earthy passage.
  • It is long: a 2023 party lost sight of a team that had started one pitch behind. Start early, particularly in autumn.

Sun and weather

Conditions

South-facing and in the sun all day with no shade; in late October the route had sun from 09:00 to 17:00. Best from late spring to autumn; reports run from 1 June to 30 October. Hot in midsummer. The start is wet after rain, the rest dries quickly. Climbing time 4–6 h for a pair, up to about 8 h car to car for a party of three.

Usual season · May to Oct

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C−015712182122171250
Mean daily low °C−7−7−4−038111173−3−6
Rain days 1 mm or more111011121417151312111212
Sunshine hours a day7.08.49.710.811.712.813.412.210.38.57.06.6

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1496 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis (about 10 km grid): the wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

Single rope of at least 50 m. 12–13 quickdraws plus belay material. Nuts and cams are close to useless and hard to place. A long 'panic' draw may help shorter climbers. Comfortable shoes, plenty of water and a helmet. An old note on the Spanish camptocamp page advises carrying a few spare hangers.

Checklist

Quickdraws
13
Rope
1×50 m
Helmet
One each
Maillons or spare karabiners
To leave behind if you retreat
Cord
Mentioned for retreat

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 Les Pets des Rupricaprins.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Many pitches can be bypassed by easy grass gullies immediately to the left, which also serve as escapes.
  • Fast parties move together on the two grass links and the two 4b pitches after the consecutive 5b pitches.
  • Pull on the first quickdraw rather than fight the opening move.
  • Find Ein Zwei Draye first, then continue right to locate the start.
  • The right-hand side of the face has no routes because it is reserved for hunting, according to one blog.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Maximum grade: 5c on camptocamp (one move); 5c+ on Vertical Pirate; the old Spanish camptocamp page grades the first move 6a/A0, before the start was modified.
  • Length: 450 m of difficulties (camptocamp); 500 m (Vertical Pirate and a 2023 report, including the grass links); 400 m (gulliver.it listing).
  • Sources beyond camptocamp are thin: Vertical Pirate gives only a summary and gulliver.it only a listing line. The pitch detail comes from camptocamp alone.

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.