Hi all,

how much snow is there left on the colls in the Ecrins at the end of june (23/6) ?

I'm looking to cross some colls above 2400 meters, maybe an ascent of the Vieux Chaillol.

Would it be necessary to bring piolet and crampons?

Thanks

Anyone?

Take a look here
http://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr/
http://www.serre-chevalier.com/Bulletin-neige
http://www.serre-chevalier.com/Webcams
http://www.guides-ecrins.com/

BrunoM wrote:Hi all,

how much snow is there left on the colls in the Ecrins at the end of june (23/6) ?

I'm looking to cross some colls above 2400 meters, maybe an ascent of the Vieux Chaillol.

Would it be necessary to bring piolet and crampons?

Thanks

I go there almost every year (camping in Ailefroide). Recently the glaciers have shrunk quite a lot. Last year in July there was still quite a big glacier - glacier blanc - on the Ailefroide side with snow most of the way to the col. You would be advised to cary an axe and crampons (some crevases higher up where the glacier is snow covered) The nose of the glacier is now about level with the glacier blanc hut. When I was first in the region it was where the bridge is now, a lot lower down! On the La Berade side the glacier bonne pierre has shrunk to almost nothing. Just a few snow patches. I tried to solo the traverse from La Berade a couple of year ago and there is now quite a tricky rock climb on glacier smoothed rocks to get up to the col des ecrin. It would be easier earlier in the season but I'm starting to think that this region is closing down as a summer alpine area as the glaciers have vanished so much that snow/ice climbs I did ten years ago are just rock climbs now.

Bump

looking for some more info here, especially on the amount of snow on the cols, not so much on the glaciers etc.