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The departure point is Chalet de la Balme, which is only accessible to 4x4 vehicles. If you do not have a 4x4, park in the Chesnet car park. Please note that this adds about 6 km to the round trip and 200 m of elevation gain!
(S/E) From the Chalet de Balme, head south-southeast towards the bottom of the Combe (Cirque de la Balme), towards the cliff to the right of the Col du Câble; there is no real visible path.
Go around the marshy area, either on the left or on the right, and head towards the Sous-Dîne cliffs; higher up, you can see the sloping corridor (a fault lined with spruce trees that rises from left to right, then from right to left).
(1) Start climbing up the grassy couloir between the spruce trees; the terrain becomes very steep and the path winds up a steep scree slope, then continues in a couloir on the side of the cliff (if you are climbing in a group, keep a sufficient distance between you, as it is easy to trigger rockfalls) before turning sharply right to climb a grassy ridge (equipped with metal cables) until you reach a small plateau.
Continue to the left (yellow markings) and continue climbing, on terrain that is half rocky and half grassy, to reach the ridge. Below is the Col and Crêt de l'Ébat.
(2) Continue following the yellow markings if possible; after a few isolated sharp limestone pavements and alder bushes, you can veer to the right when you see the bottom of the cliffs of the first peak of Sous-Dîne. The path is fairly obvious, on grassy terrain dotted with stones, which becomes steeper near the edge of the cliffs on the Cirque de la Balme side. After a few beautiful sharp limestone pavements and a chasm on the left, climb steeply towards the rock faces (red markings); you will pass a small scree slope and then go between an isolated rock and a rocky outcrop.
Climb from left to right, in a fault corridor; in the wall on your left, you should see a small rounded cavity. A few steps of climbing give access to a small rocky promontory.
Continue towards the ridge; you can climb up on the left (easy climbing) or stay on the cliff side to easily climb a few rocks.
You will reach the summit of the first peak (before the summit at 1,954 m). Continue west; after a short descent, you will find the "classic" route trail.
(3) Follow this to a small gorge; climb over a gap using a ladder (there is also a cable); return to the ridge path; be careful of the deep chasm on your left.
The route is a bit like a roller coaster on the ridge, with a succession of peaks, depressions, then a long stretch (a few cairns) along the edge of the cliffs, to the summit of Sous-Dîne, at 2,004 metres (IGN marker).
There is a wooden cross a little further on, at 2,001 m; this is where the "PR" trail arrives, crossing the entire sloping sharp limestone pavement of the Sous-Dîne mountain.
(4) The return journey is initially along the same route on the ridges, but shortly after passing the cable and ladder;
(3) You descend directly into the rocky corridor (red markings), without climbing back up to the first summit.
This is followed by a passage along the side of the rock (equipped with a cable), then you will find yourself back on grassy slopes. The markings are not very clear, so keep Roche Parnal in sight and follow the path as best you can through the sharp limestone pavements and undergrowth, with a short descent over the rocks, before reaching the Col du Câble at the base of Parnal.
(5) Turn left; the path descends quite quickly to a section equipped with cables and metal steps. The crossing is not particularly difficult, but you must remain alert as the wall is steep. You will find yourself on a path on the side of the slope and begin a rapid descent. You can quickly cut across by descending to the left into the mountain pasture, heading for the Chalet de Balme (S/E).
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