LA GRAVE

The lines

Every line here, with how hard it is.

• Les Vallons de la Meije

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  The classic, from the top of the cable car at the Col des Ruillans: east across what's left of the Glacier du Vallon, then north-east down the vallons, past the Chal Vachère and down beside the Abéous to the footbridge over the Romanche under the village.

• Chancel

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  From the Ruillans north under the cables, then north-west down the Chancel vallon to the Refuge Évariste Chancel on its rock spur, north past the Lac de Puy Vachier into the combe, then east on a long, often icy traverse by the Pierre Farabo to the clearings over P1, the cable car's first stop. 30° at most.

• Chancel from the Girose

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  From the top of the Girose drag lift, north down the glacier left of its rock rognon (right of it is steeper and more crevassed), across the flat at 3,100 m to the Col du Lac, then the Chancel past the hut and the lake and across to P1.

• The Couloir de la Banane

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  From the Ruillans down the Chancel vallon, and where the classic keeps left for the hut, straight on down the vallon's axis to the rock band over the Lac de Puy Vachier: in below a snow hump with a cliff on your left, 150 m at 35–40°.

• The Couloir des Fréaux

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  From the Ruillans round the station's west side and down the Chancel vallon past the hut, then from the Lac de Puy Vachier due north into the forest by the Rif de Puy Vachier, and the first combe on the left: narrow and very steep, 40–45°.

• The Trifides

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  From the Ruillans east into the Glacier du Vallon's combe, keeping right to a shoulder at 3,050 m: the entry to the Grand Couloir, Trifide 1.

• Pan de Rideau

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  From a brèche at about 3,400 m on the ridge west of the Râteau, a very exposed traverse onto the face: 150 m averaging over 45°, nearly 50° in places, over a rimaye, then the Glacier du Râteau's sustained slopes north to the Vallons, between crevasses you'll want to have spotted from the cable car, and the Vallons to the village.

• La Voûte

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  From the top of the Girose down the glacier to just under the Col du Lac, where a sign warns you off, on down to where the glacier breaks off, then into the Torrent de l'Orcière: a rappel of 15–40 m at about 2,400 m, its anchor often under snow, then a deep gorge through the stone vault that names it, 50° in places, into the woods and down to the Romanche.

• The Ravin de Chirouze

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  From the Dôme de la Lauze, north down the Girose glacier, right under a rock band capped by seracs at 2,900 m, down the wide combe on its left side, then west over a deep ravine and back to its axis by a wooded couloir, to the bridge on the road at 1,320 m. 30–35° and sustained, with very exposed traverses; 2,250 m down.

• Les Pylônes

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  From the Peyrou d'Amont straight down under the first cable car's pylons to P1: steeper and less skied than the Chancel, 36° at its steepest, and often icy.

• The Girose

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  La Grave's one prepared run: from the top of the drag lift on the Girose glacier, about 3,550 m, down beside it to the cable car's top station at the Col des Ruillans.