Ice climbing and skiing on the the Ecrins massif in the French Alps.
We'll be staying in the town of Le Bourg-d'Oisans in the northern Ecrins which is well situated for a range of winter sports.
Activities
For ice climbing there's the beginner friendly area at Alpe d'Huez with short approaches . There's also the world famous La Grave and the lost valley of Vallon du Diable with many excellent multiptich routes. Both Alpe d'Huez and Vallon du Diable are situated above 2000m and have relatively reliable ice.
For those looking for something more esoteric, there's the adventurous mixed climbing of Tetes de Sainte Marguerite.
There's lots of skiing options too with the resorts of Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes nearby, and the freeride mecca of La Grave less than an hour away.
And of course in the high mountains of the massif there's a wealth of ski touring, ski mountaineering and winter alpine climbing opportunities.
Accommodation
We've booked 2 large houses in the Centre of Bourg d'Oisans
Full payment for the accommodation is required on sign up (£276.39). I'm afraid we can't offer refunds if you have to cancel. If you need to pull out of the meet after booking you can try and find someone else to take your place and pay you the accommodation fees directly.
Travel
The best way to get there is to fly to Lyon and hire a car. The drive from Lyon airport to Le Bourg-d'Oisans is around 1hr 30 mins. Car hire sharing will be organised nearer the time. At the time of writing both flights and car hire were reasonably priced.
Ice Climbing Guidebooks
Ecrins: Selected Climbs Oxford Alpine Club
Prerequisites
This meet is suitable for both experienced ice climbers and those with at least some prior technical winter climbing experience. Ideally, participants will have completed an introductory winter or ice climbing course with a qualified guide.
Novice ice climbers will get much more out of the trip if they’re comfortable leading multi-pitch trad routes and have general winter mountaineering experience.
Links to crag info:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/alpe_dhuez-8414/
https://www.ukclimbing.com/videos/categories/winter+alpine/the_amphitheatre_of_ice_-_vallon_du_diable-5810
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/la_grave-1516
https://www.camptocamp.org/waypoints/40865/fr/tetes-de-sainte-marguerite
Payment Required!
One of the following payments is required for this meet at the time of booking.
Accommodation £276.39