A loop through the Serre-Brion and Morta passes starting from Bourgmenu

A magnificent hike, the weather was perfect and there was no more snow at this time of year. The ascent of the Pas Serre Brion is done with your hands without too much difficulty, provided you're vigilant. I went up on the left rather than the right. The hardest part for me was getting onto the ridge because it's hard to follow the trail, and off-piste can quickly put a strain on your ankles on this type of ground. In my opinion, poles are essential for the descent from Pas Morta. The hike took 4h30 to complete, or 6h15 with the photo breaks, wildlife watching and the picnic.

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A beautiful aerial loop hike on a day when the weather was very fine. The scenery is splendid and the views magnificent. Herds of ibex and chamois on the crests of the Pas de l'Etoupe. In my opinion, it's easier to see the eye of the gorilla from the foot of the cliffs before point 4 (by turning round towards the pas de l'Etoupe) than from the ridges (because it's not always easy to find your bearings and turn round in the right place).
This is a hike for experienced hikers, as there are still some tricky sections and falls can be unforgiving. Not suitable for children, people prone to vertigo and/or in fog.
There were only 2 people on the ridges (apparently not on the same hike) and, on the way back, 7 hikers who were going to spend the night in the shelter at La Peyrouse.
For us, the only difficulty was the climb to the Pas de Serre Brion, where we took the rightmost route, as indicated, which didn't seem to be the right one (as we realised once we were on the ridges). Fortunately, I had a rope and a few karabiners, so I was able to belay and reassure my wife. Despite a bit of research on photos and videos, we're still not sure of the right route --> perhaps we need to be more specific in the guidebook.
We almost went down via the Pas de l'Etoupe, which no longer seems to be signposted by the nature reserve (or maybe we didn't see it). In view of the descent, we didn't insist and studied the map and IGN apli better and continued on our way towards Pas Morta.
In short, a great day out and thanks to the creator of this wonderful hike.

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yes indeed, it's on the right and not on the left.

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Thanks for the feedback, I climbed the Pas de Serre Brion twice last autumn (both downhill and uphill) and didn't see any noticeable change, so the landslides must have happened this spring. I took the couloir on the right at the top of the Pas (contrary to the topo) because it seemed more natural. I'll change it after checking.

As for the distance, it's calculated automatically by Visorando, so I can't change it.

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Having already done it in 2020, there were some changes on the route due to the crumbling of some passages caused by bad weather, particularly to access the pas de Serre Brion where it's really climbing.
Otherwise, on the total distance my pedometer showed 19 km covered and not the 13 km announced.

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We had slept at the Peyrouse hut and early in the morning we watched the sunrise.
The ridge is quite simply exceptional, it's nothing but pleasure, this hike can be classed as very difficult and doing it over one day requires a lot of skill, I strongly recommend doing it over a day and a half as it becomes easier.

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It was a fine autumn day on Sunday, and we took advantage of it to complete a route we'd been looking at for a long time: this traverse of the Rochers du Ranc Traversier and the Rochers de la Peyrouse, from the Pas de Serre-Brion to the Pas Morta, from Bourgmenu (St Andéol).

With no firn at the time, the two passes go well, the main risk being falling rocks (from other hikers or ibex);
The main risk was falling rocks (from other hikers or ibex), but there were plenty of sheep, goats and male ibex on the ridge.

At the foot of the Pas Morta, I didn't return to the Abri de la Peyrouse as indicated in the topo, preferring instead to take the easy-to-fall scree slope of Casse Longue below the Tours du Playnet, which leads to the Grandes Tartices and then turn off towards Bourgmenu.

Yours faithfully

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Thanks for the information

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Good evening,

I've got into the habit of carrying an ice axe with me whatever the season: on steep slopes, even on grass, it provides a much more useful and safer anchor than walking poles. In addition, the outings to the top of the cliff on the east balcony are very steep, and the summit cornice often remains in place for a long time, until the beginning of June; I haven't been out again this season since the confinement, so I can't give any verified information.

As for the danger, the passage between (4) and (5) does not allow a fall, which would be fatal: the strap passes over a sloping bench above high rocky bars.

Happy hiking! - jr

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Hello,

When can we be sure that there will be no more névés? (I suppose that at this time of year, even if there's no more snow at the Crête de Crocs, there must still be some névés).
... And when there are no more névés and the weather is dry, is there still a risk of a serious fall?

Thanks in advance

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