Tête de la Maye – south face · La Bérarde (Écrins) · France
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
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.
The route
Pujolidal starts at the lowest point of the south face of the Tête de la Maye and climbs 350 m of excellent granite, mostly on friction. The first four pitches are easy and often climbed moving together; the 5b pitches (5, 9 and 10) are compact slab; pitch 11, a layback flake followed by a wide crack, is the crux and the best pitch. A 5b variant avoids it. The 2022 rebolt left the route very closely equipped, which makes it a good first long route at the grade. Expect heat: the face takes the sun all day.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3b | 30 m | Easy-angled spur. Often linked with pitch 2, skipping bolts. |
| P2 | 4c | 30 m | A 2025 party describes pitches 1 and 2 together as grade 3 with one move of 5a. |
| P3 | 3c | 30 m | Easy slab. |
| P4 | 4b | 30 m | Trending left. |
| P5 | 5b | 30 m | A fine compact slab; the steepest of the 5b pitches, on good holds. |
| P6 | 2 | 25 m | Steps, almost walking; belay at a big block. It can be run into pitch 7 with a 60 m rope and a few metres of moving together, at the cost of heavy rope drag. |
| P7 | 4b | 25 m | A traverse left across slabs. |
| P8 | 3b | 30 m | Easy. |
| P9 | 5b | 30 m | A short passage of smooth slab. |
| P10 | 5b | 25 m | Fine slab on very good granite. Near the end follow the bolts that slant left towards a big corner, where a chained belay is visible. Bolts going right here are the easier variant. |
| P11 | 5c+ | 25 m | The crux and the highlight: a flake climbed by layback and friction, then a wide crack. A 2026 party found it nearer 5c than 6a. |
| P12 | 4b | 25 m | Easier slab. Many parties stop here and walk on. |
| P13 | 3 | 20 m | Easy ground to the top. |
Getting there
La Bérarde lies at the end of the Vénéon valley road from Le Bourg-d'Oisans through Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans. Since the flood of 21 June 2024 destroyed the riverside car park, access has been restricted: parties in 2025 and 2026 arrived by shuttle (one names the last stop as Combe Noire) or by electric bike from Saint-Christophe, and one 2025 party found the huts and restaurants short of supplies. Check the current road and shuttle arrangements before travelling.
About 25 to 30 min. From the entrance of the village (or the shuttle stop, following the road) take the signposted path that climbs into the wood. Go right at the first junction and left at the second, follow the path through the wood and into the scree, and go left at a junction in the scree. The route starts at the lowest point of the cliff, on an easy-angled spur with bolts visible. If you cannot see them, go up a little on the left to a small step.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
La Bérarde (camptocamp waypoint 106909); car park destroyed in 2024, check current access
Point from camptocamp waypoint 39728
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 (or from the end of pitch 12) continue up by a faint path until you meet the hiking path of the Tête de la Maye, and follow it down to the right to La Bérarde. About 1 h.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
No source describes retreating from the route. Most belays are linked with cord or chained and the pitches are short, so abseiling from the lower half looks feasible with a long enough rope, leaving a maillon where a belay is only corded. Pitch 7 traverses left, and from the terraces at pitch 6 it may be possible to walk off, but neither is documented.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing between about 1850 and 2200 m, climbable from May to October. In summer it can be very hot despite the altitude; take plenty of water and start early. A valley breeze sometimes helps.
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
14 quickdraws and a rope of at least 50 m. No rope is specified on camptocamp; there is no abseil. 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 Pujolidal.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 5c+ · about 13 pitches
Switzerland · Vaud Alps
The bolted way up the Miroir d'Argentine: fourteen pitches of compact limestone slab, with the difficulties in the first four pitches and long, easy, run-out friction above. A big day out at a modest grade with a mountain walk-off. Do not underestimate it.
5c+14 pitches400 m
Read the cautions
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
Italy · Aosta Valley
A long, easy-angled outing up the full height of the Paretone. A steeper lower half with an exposed pillar on P5 leads to sculpted slabs and broken steps higher up. It's a good first big multipitch.
5c13 pitches400 m
Italy · Val d'Ossola
Twelve long pitches of sunny gneiss slab above Oira, mostly 4c to 5b+ with two 6a pitches: a thin slab at the start and an athletic corner on pitch 10. Pitches are up to 55 m. A winter-sun route with a summit book and plaques at both ends.
6a12 pitches530 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.