Pic de Jallouvre (Col de la Colombière) · Aravis · France
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
Probably the best route on the Jallouvre's south face: seven pitches of water-runnelled limestone with two short, distinct 6a cruxes, a polished balance move on pitch 2 and a smooth slab at the end of the magnificent runnel pitch. Everything else is amenable.
The route
Manque Un Mètre takes the left side of the compact south face below the Jallouvre, twenty minutes from the Col de la Colombière road. Most of it is pleasant 5a to 5b on excellent sculpted rock, with two short 6a sections that give the route its name: both are reach-dependent. The first can be bypassed by a 4b detour and the second can be aided. Every belay has chains and most are doubled, so the usual descent is by abseil down the route. It is very popular and the key moves are polished.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Bolts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5b | 30 m | 9 bolts | Vertical and a little strenuous. |
| P2 | 6a | 40 m | 10 bolts | The hard move is a polished balance move on a rising traverse left; a 2026 party found it needs finger holds first. It can be avoided by traversing 5 to 6 m left along the ledge below it and climbing back right diagonally (4b, slings useful). After a first belay there is a more comfortable second one on a good terrace about 5 m higher on the right. |
| P3 | 5a | 35 m | 7 bolts | Belay on a terrace on the left. |
| P4 | 4b | 50 m | 10 bolts | Leaves leftwards: a gentle, flowery slab. A full 50 m. |
| P5 | 6a | 45 m | 9 bolts | A magnificent pitch of runnels, then a smooth slab for the last 5 m. The crux is reachy, hard for short climbers, but goes at 5c/A0 or with a foot sling. Bolts are well spaced in the runnels. The belay is uncomfortable; a better one is on a terrace down and right, and clipping the first helps to belay the second in line. |
| P6 | 5b | 35 m | 5 bolts | Towards the corner, then a slab traversing right, then grass; the belay is straight above. |
| P7 | 5b | 20 m | 5 bolts | A slabby, polished traverse under the big overhang, then an overhanging corner on good holds. |
Getting there
The Jallouvre routes start from a small quarry car park two hairpins below the Col de la Colombière on its Le Grand-Bornand (Le Chinaillon) side; it is more convenient than the car park at the col, which is often full in summer. A shuttle runs from Le Grand-Bornand to Le Chinaillon, from where a path or the road climbs to the col. The col road is closed in winter. It is also possible to park at the car park of the Jallouvre via ferrata.
About 20 min. From the quarry car park climb onto the protective embankment on the right and follow it to its end, heading south-west. Take a level path along the foot of the cliff. Look ahead for a group of 5 to 10 firs; about 20 m before them, before the path rises, find a buttress and the first bolts, with the abbreviated name 'M 1 M' painted at the foot.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Col de la Colombière (camptocamp waypoint 135395); the quarry car park used for the routes is two hairpins below on the Grand-Bornand side
Point from camptocamp waypoint 38260 (Pic de Jallouvre summit); the route is on the south face below it
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: 45.99619, 6.45340 (crag) · Parking: 45.99222, 6.47556
Getting down
By abseil down the route: every belay has one or two chains, and the last two pitches go in a single 50 m abseil. Or from the top, feasible in trainers if the grass is dry: from the last belay go up to the gully on the right, continue up and left, skirt an overhanging rock band on its left, climb straight up to find the upper south ridge and a notch on the left, and reach the cable of the via ferrata at about 2040 m. Follow the cable right, up along the ridge, then descend the combe from the Col du Rasoir and take the right-hand path to the car park. Allow about 2 h this way.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is a standard descent: camptocamp states that every belay has one or two chains. A 2026 party came down this way in a 4 h 15 min round trip.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing from about 1540 m, in the sun from the morning; hot in summer, with a breeze helping on some days. Climbed dry in late May and as late as mid-November. The crux holds and the last traverse are polished.
Sun on the wall · SE-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 (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −7 | −5 | −2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 5 | −2 | −6 |
| Mean daily low °C | −16 | −15 | −12 | −8 | −4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −1 | −5 | −11 | −15 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2371 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
A 50 m rope is essential (pitch 4 is 50 m), and two of them for the abseils. Sources give no quickdraw count; the published bolt counts reach 10 per pitch. A sling or two for the pitch 2 detour. 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 Manque Un Mètre.
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.