Mountaineering Weekend in the Ecrins in the Alps

If you are a passionate walker or climber and love the mountains, you will find it difficult to resist the lure of the big Alpine peaks and will love this mountaineering weekend off the beaten track!

The Ecrins mountains

This mountaineering trip takes place on the southern side of the Ecrins National Park from the Valgaudemar valley, known locally as the little Himalayas - you'll understand why when you see it! The area is away from the main tourist areas so you won't be sharing your experiences with 100ds of other mountaineers and should get a real taste of the magic of mountaineering and alpinism in the Alps!

The area is rich in flora and fauna with golden eagles, wild boar, chamois, ibex, marmots and there are wolves in the vicinity. For flower enthusiasts, look out for the orange lily, the 60 plus species of orchids including the lady's slipper and countless others.

You will climb two spectacular summits over the weekend including Les Rouies 3589m (Grade: F facile / easy - PD - peu difficile / bit more difficult) and the Sirac 3440m (Grade: PD - D peu difficile / bit more difficult to quite difficult).

Both the summits involve glacier crossings and scrambling / climbing in high mountain conditions and all the peaks have exposed sections!

A real taste of classic mountaineering and alpinism off the tourist track!

Holiday highlights

• Two high mountain summits in a weekend
• Real mountaineering off the beaten track
• Fully qualified local UIAGM high mountain guide with a passion for the area
• All inclusive - you just need to get to Gap!
• Glaciers, scrambling, climbing and dramatic views all in one trip.

Your guide and safety

This is a fully guided trip with local UIAGM high mountain guides who we have hand picked for the professionalism and local knowledge. 

For the Rouies summit the ratio is 4 people to a guide and for the Sirac you will be 2 people to one guide as this summit involves more climbing. Your guides will oversee your safety and show you how to climb in the mountains as safely as possible; judging risks and optimising the conditions and equipment available for your safety.

A guide will be with you from the moment you are collected in Gap to the last day when he will drop you back off in Gap, so plenty of opportunities to pick his brains on safety techniques, other mountaineering and general local knowledge!

Who will love this trip?

If you love the mountains, are comfortable on rocky terrain and thrive on a physical challenge, you will love this trip! You need a high level of fitness and some mountaineering or climbing experience (you will be climbing grade 4 at altitude in big boots) to be able to enjoy this trip.

Have a look at our mountaineering kit list for advice on what to pack.

You may also be interested in our Dome des Ecrins and Barre des Ecrins mountaineering trips.

Itinerary

Day {{ itineraryDay.day }} {{ itineraryDay.title }}

We recommend travelling by train. The nearest train station is Gap and we provide transport from there.