Col des Avalanches

Warnings
1 - It is possible to complete this route in a single day by getting up early (departure at 3 a.m. from La Bérarde for a return before 3 p.m.), but the following description opts for bivouacking in order to enjoy the sunset and sunrise. In this case, you can leave La Bérarde at 5 p.m. in summer.

2 - The increasingly early melting of the snowfields means that equipment such as crampons and ice axes are required from the beginning of July. In addition, the constant rockfall below Pic Coolidge makes wearing a helmet essential. This explains the rating of this hike.

3 - Use the photos (links in the practical information) to identify the route.

Park in the Bérarde car park.

(S/E) Follow the marked trail on the right bank of the Vénéon towards the Carrelet, Temple-Écrins and Pilatte refuges for about 5km on a gentle slope (south-southeast direction).

(1) Shortly after the Carrelet refuge, turn left (east) onto the path to the Temple-Écrins refuge. This path winds around fifty times before reaching the refuge.

(2) From the refuge, take the path that winds east-northeast (do not take the path that branches off to the right towards the southeast). Just below 2,500 metres, a cairn marks an intersection: one branch heads south towards the Col de la Temple, while our route continues left to the northeast for a series of additional hairpin bends. The mountain pasture gives way to scree.

(3) See the remarks in § Practical information for bivouacking
Before setting off: Put on your helmet at this point.
From the bivouac, proceed on sight, aiming for the small stream that flows under the left (southern) branch of the Vallon de la Pilatte glacier. It is better to climb up the rounded rocks than the dangerous scree at the foot of Coolidge.

(4) Above the rounded rocks, step onto the glacier's snowfields and veer sharply left towards the north to reach the rocks that divide the glacier in two. Climb up the snowfields (east) along these rocks to avoid crevasses, and when the slope steepens and the glacier cracks, head right (southeast) on the snowfield to bypass these crevasses below the summit of Coolidge. After crossing a debris cone, head left (due north), staying on the snowfields and avoiding the ice. Pass under Fifre.

Look for a snowy shoulder (with exposed ice at its summit) to the north-north-west. Pass a few rounded rocks to reach it, then climb up to the ice. Continue north until you reach less steep slopes where the snowfields persist.

When the seracs below the Lory breach are clearly visible, bear right (due east) to reach the Col des Avalanches (3,499m).

(5) Descend via the ascent route and enjoy the beautiful views (see Practical Information) before returning to the car park (S/E).

(3) At around 2,800 metres, a cairn and a bump in the scree mark the location of the bivouac in the rocks, see photo. If you have chosen this option, set up your sleeping area here and leave your bivouac equipment the next day before setting off again. Take note of the walls of Pic Coolidge, where numerous rockfalls occur, as well as the Fifre, which you will need to go around to reach the pass. Refer to the panoramic photo to clearly identify the route to follow.
(5) The seracs below the Lory breach are clearly visible before you turn right (due east) to reach the Col des Avalanches (3,499m).

During the descent, enjoy the beautiful views of:
Les Bans from above the refuge
Le Vallon du Vénéon below the refuge.

This route does not involve any climbing. Done in late June or early July, it does not present any glacial difficulties. However, from mid-July onwards, black ice is omnipresent and the snow bridges are no longer passable. Rockfalls are constant below Coolidge. These factors explain the extremely difficult rating of this hike.

Equipment:

• Helmet. Crampons and ice axe are essential.
• Telescopic poles are useful on snowfields.
• If necessary, bring bivouac equipment (sleeping bag, bivouac sack).
• If you are hiking in a group of n, an n×10m rope and n harnesses will allow you to secure yourself on the glacier.

Water:

• Drinking water is abundant.
• There is a fountain at the Refuge du Carrelet,
• stream below the Refuge de Temple Écrins
• torrents below the Vallon de la Pilatte Glacier

Please note that the bivouac is not very comfortable (amongst the scree).

It is possible to climb the glacier by skirting as closely as possible around the base of the Fifre. However, be careful of the very fragile snow bridges when crossing the bergschrund at the base of the Fifre.

You are hiking in the heart of the Écrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, where regulations must be observed. Please read them when preparing for your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, on the website https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

The Temple-Écrins Refuge is currently being renovated for 2017 and will remain closed until June 2018. If you want to save an hour from La Bérarde and avoid bivouacking, you can sleep at the Refuge du Carrelet.

However, bivouacking is the best way to admire the evening and morning light on the walls and peaks surrounding the route. If you are lucky enough to enjoy a full moon at night, it transforms the rounded rocks into ice and you will feel as if you have been transported 100 years back in time, when the glacier descended below the bivouac.

The warnings about rockfalls are very serious. On my last trip in 2017, I set off late and intended to reach the pass in the early afternoon, but I turned back after dodging four huge rocks falling from Coolidge and bouncing loudly on the glacier.