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From Monêtier-les-Bains or Briançon, take the D1091 road towards the Col du Lautaret, then turn right onto the D902 towards the Col du Galibier. Park before the tunnel in the car park on the left-hand side of the road at the foot of the Henri Desgranges memorial.
From the car park, the destination of the hike is the clearly visible summit adorned with a large cairn to the west.
It can be reached either via the west-northwest ridge or the south ridge. The route described here is a circular route with an ascent via the west-northwest ridge and a return via the south side of the peak.
(S/E) From the Henri Desgranges memorial, take the north-west path until you reach a T-junction.
(1) Turn onto the path that branches off to the right. Follow this path up through the mountain pasture, cross the scree slope and join the ridge line of the peak.
(2) Take a sharp left turn, then follow the path eastwards to reach the summit of Petit Galibier Ouest, marked by a cairn.
(3) Descend via a good path on the southern ridge. Then head east to reach the T-junction from the outward journey.
(1) Turn right and head back to the car park (S/E).
We had to go around several of them because of their slope (45 degrees in places), and even with boots and walking sticks, it was borderline for traction. We "solved" the problem by sliding down the snow for a few dozen metres (without incident) to avoid the most difficult area. And that's where Visorando came in handy to find the rest of the trail further down.
Visorando member
Very difficult 
Difficult 
