Country:
City:
By car: Drive to Uriage-les-Bains; at the roundabout at the southern exit, head towards Belmont via the D111. Pass the Lac Luitel Nature Reserve. At around 1,630 m, in a wide bend, park in the cross-country ski car park on the Arselle plateau, near a small chalet offering cross-country ski, skating and snowshoe hire.
(S/E) Take the dirt track that runs alongside the chalet and heads into the woods (east). After 400 m, leave the path on the right (sign) and head towards the Chamrousse Nordic area opposite. Head up towards the top of the resort in the direction of the chalets.
(1) At the ‘Plateau d’Arselle’ sign, follow a good path towards Lac Achard for 500 m. At the fork, ignore the path on the right, which returns to the Plateau d’Arselle, and continue left. After a good kilometre, at the junction sign, leave the flat path that turns left and head up the path on the right through the rocks. Keep heading north-east until you reach the Lac Achard sign.
(2) Head towards the Col de la Botte (north-east). Cross the Col de l’Infernet, descend slightly and pass close to some small lakes. At the last one on the left, if you’re lucky, you may spot a herd of ibex. Climb up a gully-like path, pass a concrete water reservoir and reach the pass and a junction
(3) At the Col de la Botte signpost, ignore the path climbing left towards the Croix de Chamrousse and head straight down towards the Lacs Robert. At the Col des Lessines, which overlooks the Lacs Robert, turn left and make your way to the shore of the large lake.
(4) Head towards the mountain hut and keep to the right towards the east to pass between the two small lakes. Look opposite, in the same direction, for a cairn at the foot of the scree slope marking the path that climbs its right-hand side in numerous hairpin bends. The trail, which is fairly well marked, climbs this steep gully and, at the top, reaches a distinctive rocky outcrop. Make a mental note of it so you can find the path on the way back.
(5) On a gentler slope, make your way with difficulty through scree, carefully noting the numerous cairns, which are generally situated along the lowest line of the valley, and reach a flat area.
(6) Cross this and resume the climb, heading for the tip of a rocky outcrop that divides the scree slope into two branches. About 100 m before this outcrop, head south-east towards a hump on the rocky ridge on the right-hand side of the valley (left bank downstream), to find a path. It climbs the right-hand branch of the scree slope, running along the foot of the hump, then turns left towards the top of the outcrop (north-east). Follow it, staying about twenty metres below the pass.
Look out for the gap to climb in the rocky ridge on the left-hand side of the valley (right bank downstream).
(7) The gap, the easternmost one, directly below the pass, opens out onto the sheer face of the Grand Sorbier cliff. Climb the next one to its left (west). The climb, which is not difficult, leads to a ridge marked by a cairn and another, about twenty metres to the left, indicating another access gap of similar difficulty. A path follows: descend it towards a small pass and climb up the summit cone of the Grand Sorbier.
(8) At the summit, magnificent views of the Alps, the Grandes Rousses and Belledonne.
Retrace your steps along the path back to the cairn to return to the ascent gap. It is possible to descend via the other cairn. Retrace the route in the opposite direction, returning to the rocky outcrop at point (4) and then to the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Easy 
Moderate 
Difficult 
