Pic de Bure from Super Devoluy and return via the Combe Ratin

Great hike. I admit I played it safe and used the ski lifts (knee problems).
So I climbed up to the peak. The climb up to the window is just scree, but then it gets a little more interesting, either the cable path or a 5-minute climb up a goat path to reach the wind-swept Martian plateau, which is splendid. Before continuing, take a long tour of the big ears, which on that day never stopped turning. It's impressive.
Once you've negotiated the long concrete path, it's another climb to the summit. Be careful, it's windy and cold, so warm clothes are a must, but the 360° view makes the hike well worth the effort.
After a quick bite to eat and a long time spent admiring the impressive satellite dishes, I took the same route back but descended through the valleys of Pelonrenq and Clos Martins, ending up on the "Chaumettes" track. The entire descent is on grass, which is very pleasant for the legs.
Great hike, it took me 7 hours (including breaks and photos)

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Hello everyone,
I noted moderate interest due to the climb up the trail. In my opinion, the only interesting thing about climbing up the trail is arriving at the plateau with the window (look carefully to the right as you take the cable path) and discovering the radio telescope and the size of the plateau from above.
For your information, for those who insist on arriving this way, the chairlift opens at 9:30 a.m., leaving only the interesting part of the climb to do.
In my opinion, the best option is to go up via the Combe Ratin and come back down via the chairlift while admiring the landscape. This avoids a descent that can be challenging or even hazardous for some.
Have a great hike in March!

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Date of your route : Jul 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed in 5 hours and 15 minutes in warm weather. The climb is via the ski slopes to the top of the resort. It's quite steep in places. When you reach the section where there is a cable to help you up to the plateau, take care with your ankles. Once you reach the plateau, there is a splendid lunar landscape, completely flat until you reach the observatory and the final climb to the Pic de Bure, which is fairly easy. There is a panoramic view of all the mountain ranges. (exceptional). Be careful on the descent among the rocks, which is quite dizzying (and slippery in wet weather). The landscape is magnificent.
In a nutshell, you'll work up a sweat, but it's worth the effort.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2021
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

We hesitated a lot before attempting the ascent of Pic de Bure after reading that it was classified as "very difficult". Fortunately, a local advised us to start from the bottom of the cable car (station) and go via Combe Ratin, which is what many experienced hikers do (same route on the way back). The hike then takes just under 7 hours there and back, with an elevation gain of 1,300 metres. There are some rocky sections towards the end, but if you are used to this and have good footwear, it's nothing too difficult. We did this hike on a fine day at the end of August and didn't find it that difficult. In any case, we were enchanted by the scenery. When you reach the plateau, the satellite dishes are impressive. After that, the path to the top of the peak is almost flat. However, you need to wear warm clothing (fleece, rain jacket and gloves) as there was a very cold wind. The 360° view stretching as far as the eye can see is magnificent, which more than rewards the effort of the climb. What's more, we even saw marmots and a chamois, but people who arrived on the plateau earlier than us, at 8.30am, had come across several of them near the rocks.

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Thank you for the description of the route from the Super Dévouluy car park to the entrance to Combe Ratin...

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From the first car park, take the road to the Margots chalets, marked in red and yellow, and after a few hundred metres, turn left onto Via Souterrata. A little further on, leave the path on the right and turn left onto a small uphill track marked Vallon d'Äne. You will come to a path; turn left and take a beautiful track between pastures towards Pic de Bure. You will then arrive above the cable car station at an intersection (car park). There are several options for reaching the Vallon d'Âne hut: either go up the track on the right and after a hundred metres turn left at the Vallon d'Âne sign and climb through the woods to reach the sheepfold, or go straight down the track towards the Avalanches huts and take the path on the left which also leads to the sheepfold.

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Do this hike in the opposite direction: Combe de Ratin to SuperDevoluy. While the climb up Combe de Ratin is in pleasant surroundings, the descent into the ski area is not particularly interesting or boring, apart from the Pas de la Fenêtre section. Otherwise, it's a beautiful hike with a good elevation gain and a chance to discover the observatory with its 11 antennas, one of which is under construction. Admittedly, they spoil the landscape a little, but they have to be put somewhere.

When you reach the bottom of the Vallon d'Âne hut, where there are drinking troughs, the path is behind (south) and not very visible, but it is there, marked with white paint that is very difficult to spot. However, you can see that you are heading towards the combe and at some point you will see the path below. At this point, you can see a large cairn at the top left.

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Thank you for the information.
I realised I wasn't on the right route when I saw the cable car car park, as it wasn't mentioned in the VisoRando description...
I called the Tourist Office, who told me that it would take about 30 minutes to get back to the Super Dévoluy car park.
Is the climb up the Combe difficult? It's definitely harder than the climb up the slopes, in my opinion...!

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Good evening,
To do this walk in the opposite direction, you need to start from the car park at the bottom of Superdev. From there, follow the brown signs for about 10 minutes to reach the 'via souterrata'. Then follow the signs for 'Vallon d'Ane' as soon as you see the small yellow signs: this will take you to the bottom of the scree slope that leads up to the plateau.
I hope my explanations are clear enough.
Enjoy your hike!
(PS: I also had trouble finding the valley from the plateau with the Visorando explanations: luckily, I had loaded the GPS track into my watch).

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Hello,

Following your post, I would like to possibly do this hike again in the Combe Ratin/Pic de Bure direction...
Could you tell me how to get there from the Super Dévoluy car park, because during my hike, I arrived at the car park near the cable car and couldn't find the path to Super Dévoluy.
Luckily, a very nice couple gave me a lift back to the car park...
Thank you.

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in superb sunny weather. Very few clouds and very bearable heat.
A little disappointed at first when I saw the pylons and ski slopes.
But then the magic happened, with impressive views of the Obiou and the discovery of the Plateau de Bure (very lunar) covered with large antennas.
A good 30-minute climb to reach the summit of Pic de Bure at 2,709 metres.
Magnificent views of the Écrins (La Meije, Le Pelvoux, L'Ailefroide), Le Queyras and even Mont Viso in Italy.
I missed the little path to Combe Ratin on the way back. I took a path to the right after passing the Observatory by 500 metres. After a fairly steep descent into a valley, I came to a very large pylon and couldn't go any further! There was nothing but empty space on either side!
I returned to the Observatory and, after consulting a map lent to me by a fellow hiker, I was able to find the path.
Very steep descent over scree.
The description of the destination to follow after arriving at the wide path is insufficient...
I couldn't find any path that would take me back to the Super Dévoluy car park.
I was really lucky that a friendly couple from Lyon offered to take me back to the car park, as I couldn't find the Carrefour des Vallonettes...

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike. Done in both directions. From a sporting point of view, I preferred to start from La Combe, which is really steep and easier to climb than descend, and allows you to run all the way down to Superdévoluy.
For the beauty of the scenery, do it the other way round with the 'magnificent' resort of Superdévoluy behind you.
For the lucky ones: marmots and chamois in the combe.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Do this hike in the opposite direction: Combe de Ratin to SuperDevoluy. While the climb up Combe de Ratin is in a pleasant environment and setting, the descent into the ski area is not particularly interesting or boring, apart from the Pas de la Fenêtre section. Otherwise, it's a beautiful hike with a good elevation gain and a chance to discover the observatory with its 11 antennas, one of which is under construction. Admittedly, this spoils the landscape a little, but they have to be put somewhere.

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Date of your route : Jul 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The climb is long but easy, and the cables do not present any real difficulty. However, the descent is perilous before reaching a very pleasant lawn and returning to less complicated scree slopes.

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