Mont Aiguille ascent (Vercors)

Description

I invite you to come and climb the famous and spectacular Mont Aiguille, the iconic mountain of the Vercors massif and the birthplace of mountaineering! It was here that this activity began in 1492, when Antoine de Ville made the first ascent of this summit on the orders of Charles VII, King of France.

Less than an hour's drive from Grenoble, the normal route of Mont Aiguille is a very good introduction to rocky mountaineering and access to autonomy.

There are three steps in this ascent:

• A beautiful hike in the woods leading to Aupet pass, located west of Mont Aiguille.
• The ascent via the normal route (easy climbing - grade III - and fun, during which we will be roped together).
  The start quickly sets the tone as it is relatively vertical, before climbing several chimneys and then steps. A long and vertiginous traverse, mostly along a cable, leads to the Vierge notch, a comfortable platform dominated by impressive limestone walls. The rest of the route alternates between steps and traverses until you reach the foot of the final chimney. 80 meters high and dotted with a few harder steps, it leads to the surprisingly flat summit plateau, where we quickly reach the top.
• A descent by the south balcony (arch) and the rappels (maximum 50 meters high) in the route of the tubulars.
  It mainly takes place on easy but sometimes steep slopes, until the final spider's thread rappel in a huge crevasse that will leave you with some memories!

After this adventure, you will finish on the terrace of the Gai Soleil to have a drink and eat a piece of well deserved pie:)

It is also possible to climb a multi pitch route, for example the voie des Gémeaux.

If you are interested in this kind of easy mountaineering outing, we can also climb the south ridge of Cornafion, the Gerbier ridges or the Neron ridge. And if you are curious about winter mountaineering, I recommend an introduction to ice climbing in Isère or Hautes-Alpes, or, for the more experienced, climbing a multi-pitch icefall in Savoie, Isère, or Hautes-Alpes.

Program

• Meeting point at La Richardière in front of the Gai Soleil, about an hour drive from Grenoble.
• Possibility of carpooling if you live near Grenoble.
• Approach walk of 1 hour and a half to reach the start of the normal route or the Tour des Gémeaux.
• Approximately 2 hours of climbing to the summit for a well deserved break.
• Descent by the "voie des tubulaires" and its famous 50 meters vertical abseil.
• Walk back to the parking lot.

The price includes

• Supervision by the mountain guide.
• Loan of personal equipment (harness, helmet, lanyard).
• Collective equipment (rope, radio, etc.).
• Price of the mountain guide for the day: 340€ to be shared by the participants.

The price does not include

• Return transport to La Richardière (carpooling possible depending on where you live).
• Picnic.
• Snacks.
• Drinks.
• Anything not mentioned in "The price includes".

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