Capturing Sunrise in the Écrins:

Climbing and Paragliding in the Haute Alpes

Barre Des Écrins Sunrise

The forecast looked pretty dire in Chamonix and following a pretty unsuccessful attempt on the Bionnassy-Mont Blanc climb and fly with a friend, I needed a success. An invitation from Claire Mercuriot to have a couple of days in the Écrins, where it’s always sunny apparently, had me deciding to hedge my bets and head there in the hope of a demi adventure or two.

I drove over feeling tired from some over eager partying the night before, arriving in time for a quick brew and then holing myself up in my van for the night to make sure I was on form the next day. The first port of call was a hike and fly in Fressinires with Jonathon Joly . This was my first visit to the valley and its a pretty stunning one. A huge flat bottomed valley with amazing ice climbing in winter and chilled paragliding in the autumn. We left the car at the top of the switchbacks and steadily gained height on foot for another hour so. A beautiful top to bottom flight out into the valley with plenty of time for practicing things I’d learned on my recent SIV course followed. The autumn colours were in full force and it was great to watch Claire bust out some of her repertoire of tricks. After landing, it was time for a coffee before I was kicked out half way up the switchbacks to go and find the closer take off whilst the others went to collect the first car. Grateful for the opportunity I shuffled along to the launch and had a second super chilled flight over the valley.

Next up we grabbed some food and headed for an afternoon soaring session at another local Écrins spot. Trying out my new wing, I enjoyed and hour and a bit of pottering around the sky, gaining and losing height until the lift had all but disappeared. It was a fine way to spend the afternoon and learn about a new area with some locals.

Autumn colours in the early morning sun above Ailefroide

Over dinner that evening Claire an I hatched a plan to head up to Ailfroide and then up to the Refuge Glacier Blanc. From here we’d have an afternoon climbing before a night in the refuge and hopefully a sunrise flight down from one of the summits in the area. Leaving the car at the Refuge du Pré de Madame Carle, we headed up towards the Torrent du Glacier Blanc as the first of the suns warming rays hit our faces. A couple of hours later and we were sat eating an early lunch at the Refuge Glacier Blanc and sorting kit for an afternoon multipitch outing on Pointe de Cinéastes. The weather played ball and we climbed about 9 pitches of easy rock over several pinnacles whilst watching paragliders make the transition across the valley and on to Vallouise. We sunbathed on the summit for about an hour before descending endless mud slides/scree slopes and back to the hut. The weather stayed good into the evening so we cooked on the terrace outside the refuge and watched the sunset before heading to bed around 9pm for a 4am start.

Claire starting up the trail to the refuge

Growing evening shadows looking across to Pelvoux

Sunset over Pelvoux from Refuge Glacier Blanc

The Alarm went off at 3.30am and we began the alpine morning ritual of quietly collecting our things and leaving the dormitory as we’d found it before a hurried breakfast and mug of tea was tended to. Closing the door just after four, we began the slow trudge up the moraine, hugging the right side of Glacier Blanc. Following a series of white dots on stones and rocks we gained and lost height for the next hour or so until it was time to break off and head steeply up towards Pic du Glacier Arsine. Another half an hour of loose scree gave way to the first of the snow patches. Navigating these in approach shoes proved interesting. When I wasn’t breaking through the crust and sinking to my knees, I was attempting to maintain enough traction to make it to the next rock outcrop. This carried on for another 20 minutes or so until we found a steep gully to climb which brought us up to the ridge and on to a beautiful scramble towards the summit as Dawn was breaking. We stopped and had tea whilst I snapped some photos then headed to the summit for sunrise. 20 mins were spent on top taking more photos and being fully immersed in the stunning 360° vista and the ever changing mix of colours, light and shadow.

Looking NW to La Meije at Sunrise

Dawn over the beautiful Barre Des Écrins

We headed back down onto the SW face just below the arete where Claire found a good launch. Waiting for the sun to rise and the winds to abate, we unpacked our wings and readied ourselves. I always find the waiting nerve-wracking, not because i’m scared of the flight too much but because I have a tendency to overthink and manage to get inside my own head about what I can do wrong before I take off. Sure enough the conditions for launch eased and I brought my wing up before adding my weight to the wrong side of the glider. Crash. Dumped back on the snow I lay there piloting my wing above my head, unable to get up because of my heavy rucksack. Quite an amusing sight. Every time I tried to move, I added an input which then needed correcting to keep the wing up. Eventually with the wing on the floor, I got up, set up and launched into the beautiful morning. Flying out into the valley, over the refuge and the glacial stream, over the trees and into the stunning streaming light being split by the ridge behind which the sun was rising. I landed and turned to watch as Claire had a great flight out and landed by her car before coming to collect me. Time for coffee and pastries!

Back in town we had time to chill before an afternoon of trying with a degree of success to catch thermals above Valloiuse. Landing in the big field with all the other pilots as the thermal activity died, I packed up in the sun. Said my goodbyes and headed back to Chamonix feeling like I’d made the most of my three day jaunt and found a new area that I’d really like to explore more of both in the sky and on the ground.

Thanks to Claire and Jonathon for being my guides.