Crossing the southern tip of the Vénasque

Right, good evening again, Jérôme
I’d set off for the eastern ridge!
So, for the Col de la Vénasque on the descent, you can follow the ridge line, but there’s a section where you have to trust your boots’ grip because the rock is crumbly and there’s a steep slope on either side! If you’re doing a circular route, it’s best to go up that way!

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Good evening, Jérôme. It all depends on how confident you are on the sections where you need to use your hands! If you’re a bit nervous, the best option is to do a round trip to the southern peak from the southern ridge (it’s 100 m away) and, on the way down, cross beneath the summit once you feel confident on the overhang to reach the eastern ridge. You can easily adapt the route depending on how the terrain feels!
Enjoy the hike
Christian

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I’ve always dreamt of walking to the southern tip of the Vénasque via the Palastre, but once I reach the southern tip of the Vénasque, I’d like to carry on to the other side, all the way to the Col de la Vénasque.
Is this possible? Has anyone ever done this before? If so, is it a safe route without taking too many risks?
Would this also allow me to avoid the descent via the southern route along the ridge, which so many walkers have described as being very tricky?

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Hello VCANET

Many thanks for your positive feedback on this hike, which I think is well worth doing!
On the face of it, it’s usually the descent from the southern peak that poses the problem!
I completely agree that it’s rated as very difficult, but still!!

Enjoy the rest of your hiking this autumn

Christian

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Date of your route : Oct 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route with some technical and challenging sections near the summit. (We didn’t get to enjoy it to the full because the weather forecast only proved accurate for the first two hours. After that, we made our way through difficult conditions: fog and showers of rain and snow).
Having read the comments from summer 2020 and given the heavy rainfall over the last few days, we’d taken our ‘forest’ crampons along for safety’s sake. We didn’t feel the need to use them.
The characteristics of this hike (duration, length, elevation gain) are reasonable. This hike is difficult, and the section near the summit (the ascent and, above all, the descent) is certainly very difficult. We do not believe it is an extremely difficult route. However, it is essential to have sure-footedness and solid experience of this type of terrain.
We note that the only reviews posted were between July and September 2020. Was it their content that put off potential hikers? Or was it the ‘extremely difficult’ rating? That would be a shame. This hike is well worth tackling for experienced hikers.

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Date of your route : Sep 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The traverse of the southern tip of the Vénasque is a brilliant hike. I was expecting something extremely difficult, as described, but in the end ‘very difficult’ would have been enough.

The ascent is a breeze up to the Col de Palastre, with magnificent views over the Dévoluy and the Champsaur; after that, you simply follow the stream upstream. From this point, you’re navigating a bit by sight through the scree, but with the topo map you’ll manage – just head straight for the ridge line; the last 100 metres are a tad more technical, but even then. Once you arrive, the view over the southern Ecrins is superb.

However, it’s the descent along the ridge that’s the really difficult part, requiring constant vigilance every second. This ridge leaves no room for error; at the same time, you’re in the mountains, so it’s best not to attempt it if you’re not used to it… turn back and take the same route you came up – you’ll minimise the risks.

The description is accurate and clear: “Warning: This hike includes some very challenging sections and is only suitable for seasoned mountaineers with a certain level of climbing technique who are not prone to vertigo.”

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This walk has not been removed from the website but has been reclassified as ‘Extremely difficult’

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Good evening, Phaebis. I’ve sent an email asking for this guide to be removed from the website.

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Hello Chris05
As you seem less concerned about putting others at risk than about the rating of this walk, here are a few ‘issues’ with the description, which led us to a spot 50 metres above the cliffs overlooking the valley behind us. So please either remove this route or clarify these points; the comments aren’t visible in the app, which I consider a major flaw that I’ll be reporting to Visorando (risk to safety).
''(4) Follow the few cairns at the start, then head off by sight until you’ve passed the 2446 mark. Climb the final slope, zigzagging your way up, to emerge to the left of the summit.
Once you reach the ridge, follow it to the right and, via a small passage through the rocks, reach the summit of the Pointe Sud de la Vénasque”
‘Zigzagging’ to the summit isn’t very precise, but that’s what we did, sliding over very crumbly ground down an increasingly steep slope. We reached a rather sharp ridge and climbed to the summit above the drop-off to find a route down.
''(5) To begin the descent, head diagonally down the southern slope to reach the small rocky hollow that allows you to pass beneath the summit’s ‘kidney-shaped’ protrusion and join the ridge line that you will then follow.
The slope soon becomes steeper; negotiate it as best you can to the right of the ridge line to descend this shoulder.”
How do you manage this descent on a 70% gradient with good boots? Do you need to use the ridge pegs?! Please could you clarify.
All the members of my hiking group showed tremendous effort and tenacity, despite the horror of the situation; then, when we found ourselves above 50-metre cliffs after three hours of zigzagging because the path wasn’t clearly marked, our good shoes and our encouragement didn’t help us any more.
I consider the current route description to be misleading, so please clarify it or remove this route; no one else should have to go through the nightmare we experienced yesterday, and the police have better things to do.

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Phaebis, based on a guidebook that describes a route, it’s still the case that anyone suggesting a ‘Difficult’ hike to a group should at least have a basic understanding of each person’s abilities!
That said, along almost the entire ridge there’s an easy ‘right-hand’ slope to descend, leading directly down to the plateau.
Furthermore, the group dynamic can push some people to go beyond their capabilities, spurred on by the encouragement of the other members.

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Hello phaebis
I’m sorry to hear about your mishap, which thankfully ended well,
The simplest thing is for me to have the guide removed, as that will put an end to any ‘disappointing’ interpretations of the description
Enjoy your hikes on easier routes
Christian

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This challenging route is best left to very experienced and well-equipped hikers; a helicopter, for example, could be particularly useful if you’re not keen on 70 per cent gradients, very steep ledges, and slopes where all the rocks are crumbly and stable small stones are few and far between.
We consider ourselves very lucky to have made it out in one piece without any injuries, with the help of a helicopter, as we only just managed to get a mobile signal.
It’s interesting to note the increase in helicopter call-outs in the area since the publication of this unmarked route, according to the PGHM (the high-altitude gendarmerie), for example yesterday and the day before. What do you think, @chris05?

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Hi, Didier Cardenas
I’m really sorry to hear that someone got injured!
But first and foremost, I think it’s perhaps up to the walkers themselves to ask whether they’re capable of tackling difficult or other types of walks! After all, a fall can happen anywhere, even on flat ground, when you don’t spot that small bump that unfortunately juts out from the path – ‘which happens very often, even to me’.

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Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
It would be worth pointing out that the Venasque ridges are only suitable for experienced hikers. Unfortunately, there has been a serious injury (a tibiofibular fracture) to a member of a group that was following me.

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