Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 1 - Western Alps. Bill O'Connor

of the Alps as the Dauphiné, the French generally call it the Massif des Écrins, whilst a few locals still regard it as l'Oisans, a Roman name for a Celtic tribe, the Iceni, who once lived in the Romanche valley. During the French Revolution the Dauphiné was split into three regions – Isère, Haute Alps and Drôme.

      The first ascent, in 1864, of the Barre des Écrins by Edward Whymper and A.W. Moore, and the later ascent of the magnificent Meije, ensured the Écrins had a place in Alpine history. This, the most westerly branch of the Alps, in fact boasts two summits over the magical 4000m mark, although in reality they are two parts of a single mountain. However, having a 4000er has established a summer pilgrimage trail to these most southerly of the Alpine giants. In the ski season, access is altogether more difficult and the summer hoard absent.

      The Massif des Écrins is located south and west of the Cols du Galibier and Lautaret and west of the Guisane and upper Durance valleys and is wholly in France. The massif forms a compact and complex, almost circular, block of mountains some 35km in diameter. The region is one of the most mountainous in the Alps. As well as the two 4000m tops there are eight other peaks over 3800m and at least 34 over 3500m. In fact the area boasts over 100 summits above 3000m. The huge rock and ice walls of mountains like the Meije 3983m, Ailefroide 3954m, Pelvoux 3946m and Pic Sans Nom 3914m have all played a considerable part in Alpine history.

      Despite its obvious mountaineering attractions and long history of tourism the area retains a sense of wildness. A single big resort town, the equivalent of Chamonix or Zermatt, right in the heart of the mountains does not exist. Although Briançon is a very fine city, the highest in Europe and the regional capital, it doesn't impinge on the mountains but stands apart. However, the absence of mechanical uplift around the main peaks means that the area has not seen the kind of development found in other resort areas. The region does boast famous ski towns such as Briançon, l'Alp d'Huez, Les Deux Alps and Sèrre Chevalier, but these are on the fringes of the main mountain areas, where their impact seems minimal. The village of La Grave remains an Alpine hamlet sheltering under the mighty Meije and has not developed into a ‘normal’ ski resort. Wisely, in my opinion, this stunning ski domain has been given over to off-piste powder hounds rather than corduroy cowboys. The minimal mechanical impact and building mean that skis are really the only efficient way to travel through the Écrins in winter. There was a great deal of resistance to the building of the lift above La Grave in 1976, so much so that a short while after it opened it was blown up!