The Pic de Bure via the Combe d'Aurouze and the Combe de Mai

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Completed on 21/08/2024 in clear weather. Impeccable guide and very easy to follow. Thank you for that!

I can confirm everything that has already been said.

It took me 2 hours and 40 minutes to climb up, but who cares, some people probably do it in much less time, haha... and what a climb, what an atmosphere, damn it
I'm not giving my descent time, as I'm forced to descend slower than I climb (physical problem, doesn't matter), so it's not interesting, but it will be useful further down.
Counting the long breaks to take in the view (over an hour at the top because it's so damn beautiful! And the antennas moved when I was right next to them, it was worth it), it took me about 6 hours and 40 minutes in total.
Damn, it's beautiful. Magical. Overwhelming and yet lightening!

Now, if you're not used to the mountains and don't have the right shoes, accept that the difficulty rating is not there to be debated, it's the author's choice, I think, and I think he respects the charter. I find this choice respectable.
So think twice before going down (or up) the Combe de Mai! I saw people in running shoes with flat soles, moving very slowly over the scree, and some of them looked quite stressed. I overtook them despite my fairly limited downhill skills.
Now, I know people who do everything in trail shoes, but they've been doing it for a long time and they can move forward, even in a steep couloir with scree and small rocks like this. (According to Geoportail, the slope is around 30/35°.)
But for the average person, it's still a bit more appropriate to have proper mountain boots, ideally with stone guards so you can roll without worrying about getting hurt, haha, in this kind of place, or at least with proper grippy soles and a real heel brake, not flat soles.

As for the "very difficult" rating, I understand. Even if, for me and others, this hike seems to be of moderate difficulty, the Visorando rating system considers that with this elevation gain and distance, it is quite difficult. The "very difficult" rating, even if it seems exaggerated to me, ultimately serves to really put a stop to hikers who are inexperienced and poorly equipped.
It's a bit of a problem for everyone these days with the increase in mountain visitors and behaviour that is often... let's say... unpredictable? ^^

Cheers, and enjoy! This lunar landscape is really worth a visit

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I've lost count of how many times I've climbed Bure over the past 50 years.
We set off with two dogs and a friend at 6 a.m., before sunrise, in magnificent light. We reached the Pic de Bure in less than two hours. We saw the first chamois of the day below the Rocher des Hirondelles, then at the Fontaine du Vallon and finally on the plateau, accompanied by the first mouflons.
There were still a few mini snowfields at the pass and at the top of the Combe de Mai. Magnificent view of the Ecrins.
We descended via the Combe de Mai, having put booties on the dogs' front paws.
15 km and 1,400 m of elevation gain in total, completed in four hours before the heat set in.

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike in a wild landscape

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I can't say whether it's allowed or not, but if you keep a low profile and set up camp in the early evening, you shouldn't have any problems... I don't think the police will come and move you on!
If you stay near the antennas, the next day you can push on to the Tête de la Cluse at 2,683 metres, before descending via the famous Combe de Mai.
This hike is magnificent! It's a little technical, but it really allows you to appreciate the Plateau de Bure!
Have a great hike!

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Hello everyone,

I've been planning to go camping under the antennas for a long time. I've seen quite a few people doing it (on forums and YouTube), but I can't confirm that it's actually allowed.
Do you have any information about this?
Have a nice day

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Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this route again (I've lost count of how many times I've climbed up to Bure) with two dogs this time.
Cool weather was ideal at sunrise for setting off from the car park. There were mouflons everywhere above the Vallon fountain, where we were the first to arrive that day. Some were very curious and even came very close to the dogs. There were a few chamois nearby, but fewer than in summer.
There was no one else on the plateau, which still had its usual lunar atmosphere.
We had a nice view of griffon vultures flying overhead as we reached the peak. The view was clear in all directions.
We descended to climb back up towards the antennas before turning into the Combe de Mai and tackling the famous limestone scree that whitens your shoes.
Swim break at the Fontaine du Vallon before finishing the last few kilometres at a gentle pace.
14.8km in 3½ hours for the team with the hairy ones.

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You have to be a bit crazy to climb the Combe de Mai!
I thought about it when I came down, but I don't think I have the courage to try the route in that direction!

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Date of your route : Sep 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We saw brave hikers climbing back up on all fours in the scree of the Combe de Mai, and it's easy to see why the route is described as going from Combe d'Aurouze to Combe de Mai

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What's above "Very Difficult"?
Are these hikes where you could lose your life?
In October 2020, I slipped on rocks for nearly 40 metres and thought my life was over!
I made mistake after mistake from the start, adding to that a poor assessment of the situation and persevering in a kind of total incompetence... It's too long to explain in detail, and I can't say why I ended up in that situation! And yet, I had experience of the mountains and of the difficulties that can arise on previous hikes!
What's more, it wasn't even a difficult section! But the stress, combined with excessive exertion, prevented me from climbing up about a metre, and as I tried to climb down, I slipped and bounced around like a ping-pong ball... I was lucky that my bag cushioned my fall on the rocks.
Apart from a nasty cut on the palm of my left hand and bleeding, I didn't break anything. It was a real miracle! The next day, when I woke up, I couldn't move. I had large black bruises on my thighs, arms and backside.
This unfortunate episode has stayed with me, so when I read "Very Difficult", I think twice before setting off on a hike...
So I was a little apprehensive about this hike, but in the end, my fears were completely unfounded. The only major difficulty to take into account is the descent into the scree of the Combe de Mai.
That's why I think a "Difficult" rating seems more in line with the reality of this route!

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Yes, for consistency, the difficulty should probably be rated as difficult to differentiate it from, for example, the ascent of the Grand Galibier or the Grand Ferrand via the Jarjatte, which are only rated as very difficult.
Sometimes we are influenced and led to classify a hike as very difficult based on the opinions of hikers who embark on a difficult hike when they are not at the required level. So it's not always easy.
I made a video showing our route, which gives an idea of the difficulty encountered.
You can find it herehttps://youtu.be/D-Qsgt0yr8k?si=TIi_1PbU...

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Date of your route : Sep 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I had already climbed Pic de Bure in 2020 from the SuperDévoluy resort.
So I wanted to go back via a different route.
I set off from the Maison Forestière des Sauvas. It took me nearly three hours to reach the Col de la Selle (2,511 m).
Crossing a scree slope and steps in a rocky ridge in the Combe d'Aurouze,
Snack break before tackling the easy climb to Pic de Bure (2,709 m), with a 1,377-metre elevation gain from Les Sauvas.
Crossing the Plateau de Bure and a short climb (130 metres of elevation gain) to reach the Tête de la Ligne, at 2,683 metres. Beautiful views of the Dévoluy peaks (Roc and Tête de Garnesier, Grand Ferrand, among others).
Return via the Combe de Mai, which is very steep and extremely stony... But fortunately, the descent is fairly quick! Easy return to Les Sauvas from the Fontaine du Vallon.
7:45 a.m. in total, 16.5 km and 1,520 metres of elevation gain.
The "Very Difficult" rating seems a little inappropriate to me...! It could put off hikers who might be tempted to do this magnificent hike! Difficult, yes, no question about that!

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike from start to finish!
The climb up Aurouze is a bit steep, but we managed it with our three children aged 10, 13 and 15 (they are very fit and used to it), I should point out!
There were lots of chamois (six herds of five to seven animals) both on the climb and in the Combe de Mai and on all the rock faces. It was a real treat all the way.
We took our time to enjoy everything in glorious weather with very few other people around.
We left at 9 a.m. and returned at 7 p.m.
The descent through the May scree is quick or slow, but if your legs are up to it, don't hesitate, as it's fantastic.
Admittedly, the route has clearly been modified since the plateau, but there are no signs indicating this. However, there is a large information board at the top of the combe (at the start of the descent on the left-hand side) explaining what a Natura 2000 area is and its purpose, and where others are located in the mountains. I interpreted this more as a way of raising awareness.
It was on the advice of a guide we met at the peak with his group that we really decided to take this route down.
Thank you for your detailed description, which is very accurate.

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Hello.

If you look at the map here, it is not clear that the Combe de Mai is prohibited by the biotope decree.

https://inpn.mnhn.fr/espace/protege/FR38...

Do you have a source?

A 1:25,000 map and a cadastral survey are supposed to be attached to the order, but they are not in fact.

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. However, it should be noted that on the way up, this is not the GR 94B but variant 2 of the GR de Pays, Tour du Dévoluy (GRP TDD). This is why the markings are yellow and red. (A GR is marked in white and red). We did not descend via the Combe de Mai, but took the same route as on the way up. The Bure plateau is a Natura 2000 site. Only the GRP trails and the climb to the Pic de Bure are authorised. The Combe de Mai is closed to the public. There is a prefectural decree, but not all the information signs have been put up. On the Bure plateau, the route to the observatory has been changed; it now follows the concrete track reserved for moving satellite dishes for 1.25 km, i.e. 2.5 km there and back on concrete. (A shame.) The markings have been changed; please be careful to follow them or you may be fined. Otherwise, it's still as beautiful as ever. A great race that's well worth the trip.
Best regards.

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Date of your route : Oct 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb route with varied landscapes between the climb and the return via the Combe de Mai.
At the Pic de Bure, the 360° view is spectacular. There are no navigation difficulties, but this route is demanding on the legs, both on the ascent and on the descent through the scree, where you need to be careful.

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