Écrins
Ailefroide for climbing, with introductory mountaineering through guide offices.
ACTIVITY
Climbing & via ferrata
World-renowned crags, accessible via ferratas and first steps into the high mountains: the Hautes-Alpes are a vertical playground.
Four essentials at a glance
- Best time
- Spring to autumn, depending on crag aspect.
- Level
- From introductory via ferratas to multi-pitch climbs.
- Guidance
- Guide offices for mountaineering and beginners.
- Key areas
- Écrins, Buëch & Dévoluy, Briançonnais.
ACTIVITY
Why here
Ailefroide in Vallouise and the Céüse crag near Gap are among France’s benchmark climbing locations.
The Écrins massif reaches 4,102 m at the Barre des Écrins, and guide offices offer introductory mountaineering outings.
Key figures
9a+
Biographie at Céüse, the world's first route at this grade (2001)
Source: theCrag (base de données internationale des sites d'escalade) (new tab)600+
equipped pitches at Orpierre, from 3a to 8c
Source: CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (new tab)4
via ferrata routes and one via corda in the Queyras
Source: Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras (new tab)12.5 %
of summer visitors go mountaineering or climbing
Source: Hautes-Alpes Développement (hautes-alpes.net) (new tab)
When to go
- January : Outside the stated periods
- February : Outside the stated periods
- March : Outside the stated periods
- April : Possible months
- May : Favourable months
- June : Favourable months
- July : Favourable months
- August : Favourable months
- September : Favourable months
- October : Possible months
- November : Outside the stated periods
- December : Outside the stated periods
Favourable monthsPossible monthsOutside the stated periods
Dates for your diary
WinterL'Argentière-la-Bessée
Ice Climbing Écrins
Every winter (2027 dates not yet published)
Ice climbing gathering, around 500 participants in 2026.
Source: Vertige Media (new tab)
Our advice
- For via ferrata, hire a complete set of equipment that meets the required standards.
- Check the crag’s aspect for the season.
- For mountaineering, use a high-mountain guide.
- Avoid via ferratas during thunderstorms.
The editorial selection
- Leisure activity
Leila'Venture
From Molines-en-Queyras, dog sledding in winter; climbing, via ferrata and canicross hiking in summer. Family-friendly.
Guillestrois & QueyrasView entry - Guide and mountain leader
Bureau des Guides et Accompagnateurs de Briançon
From Briançon, this guides office covers a very wide range of guided activities, from ice climbing in winter to canyoning and paragliding in summer.
BriançonnaisView entry - School and instructor
Céüs'Escalade
Climbing instruction at the foot of Céüse in Sigoyer, with sessions for children from age 5 or 6.
GapençaisView entry
Stories from related activities
Hiking & trail running
Six years tracking a she-wolf in the Briançonnais
For six years, Corentin Esmieu watched the same she-wolf in a valley in the Briançonnais, without camera traps, relying solely on direct observation. The film he co-directed with Baptiste Deturche, Louve, une vie dans les Alpes, hits cinemas on 4 November 2026; the she-wolf herself remains out of reach, and that is just as it should be.
Hiking & trail running
Traversette Tunnel: the gate is shut until 2027
On the French side, the gate installed in 2023 once again bars the entrance to the oldest tunnel in the Alps, bored in 1480 beneath the Col de la Traversette. Winter has gripped the Upper Queyras since 18 October: no more hikers will pass through to Italy before late spring or early summer 2027.
Winter
Puy-Saint-Vincent: two days of north-facing skiing
At the top of the ski area, above 2,700 m, the pistes of Puy-Saint-Vincent drop due north towards the forest, facing the ridges of the Écrins National Park. The resort opens on 12 December 2026: now is the time to book a weekend to ski fast and long.
Your questions
Practical guides
Spots by area
Buëch & Dévoluy
The Céüse crag.
Briançonnais
The Croix de Toulouse via ferrata above Briançon.
Embrunais & Serre-Ponçon & Écrins
The Freissinières via ferrata.
Key organisations
FFME (new tab)
Mountaineering and climbing federation
FFCAM – Club alpin (new tab)
Clubs, mountain huts and training
UIAA (new tab)
International mountaineering and climbing federation
Sources
- Céüse (new tab) · theCrag (base de données internationale des sites d'escalade)
- L'escalade à Orpierre (new tab) · CRT Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Dossier de presse Le Queyras été-automne 2023 (new tab) · Office de tourisme du Guillestrois et du Queyras · 2023
- Tourisme : chiffres clés (new tab) · Hautes-Alpes Développement (hautes-alpes.net)
- Ice Climbing Écrins 2026 (new tab) · Vertige Media · 04/03/2026
Figures checked on 19 October 2026. Event dates may change: check with the organisers.