Tête de Malacombe via the Col de l’Ours

Park in the car park situated on a small road leading down below the D530, just before the hamlet of Champhorent when coming from Saint-Christophe (Waze).

(S/E) From the car park, take the path that runs alongside the road to the south-east and descends towards the Vénéon stream. Cross the bridge over the stream and you’ll reach a signpost. The trail is marked in yellow.

(1) Follow the sign opposite indicating “Lavey”, then climb the winding path, generally heading south. A second signpost confirms the direction to follow, and the path emerges from the forest at around 1,530m, with a small group of chalets in view. Pass between the chalets and climb gently southwards, on the right bank of the Muande torrent below. You’ll reach a signpost (at around 1,660 m) at the Combe de la Valla.

(2) At the signpost, turn left to follow the direction of Lac des Fétoules. The path climbs quite steeply in hairpin bends to the east before veering south, becoming less steep and crossing a first stream at around 1,760 metres.
Once you reach a second stream (the Mandes), the path heads east again, winding its way up the right bank of this stream, then veers south at around 2,000 metres to cross the torrent.
It continues along the southern slope, without gaining much altitude. At around 2,170 metres, it makes a hairpin bend to the left, then another to the right at around 2,180 metres (yellow marker and cairn). The Tête des Fétoules and its glacier are visible from this point.

Please note: from this point onwards, there is no longer a path or any markings.

(3) Leave the path and climb straight up the slope, heading south-southeast, aiming first for the Tête des Fétoules and then for the Pointe Jeanne (the summit to the left of the Glacier des Fétoules). This takes you round a small rocky outcrop on the right.

(4) Turn north-east (left) until you reach a faint track climbing north-north-east (left), beneath low rocky outcrops overlooking mountain pastures dotted with large boulders.
You will then come within sight of a large cairn overlooking the valley, below the Côte du Faoutre.

(5) Once you can see the cairn, turn sharply right, due east, to climb up the system of weathered rocks, large boulders and sparse mountain pastures leading to the northern foot of Pointe Lemercier (the one to the left of Pointe Jeanne, which is itself to the left of the Tête des Fétoules). With a bit of luck, you’ll spot the few cairns marking the route here and there. Be careful: the IGN map is misleading, as it changes the equidistance between contour lines without warning, giving the impression of a flat section, which is not the case.

(6) When you reach the base of the northern foot of Pointe Lemercier, look out for the Passage de l’Ours a little further up (do not head for the Col de l’Ours, which is significantly further north but poorly marked – see photo).
Climb up beneath the rocky cliff face blocking the east, then veer northwards to ascend the slope towards the Passage de l’Ours.

(7) Cross the Passage de l’Ours and descend the steep slope (east) to then cross the gully that runs down to the north of the Tête de Malacombe. Cross to the opposite bank of the stream and climb as the terrain dictates (east-north-east) towards a ridge overlooking steep slopes to the east. Turn right onto this ridge, climbing its steep southern ridge for 200 metres, then turn due west to follow the gentler ridge to the summit.

(8) From the summit, retrace your steps to return to the Passage de l’Ours.

(7) Then descend below Pointe Lemercier.

(6) Return to the Cairn de la Côte du Faoutre.

(5) At the cairn, follow the ascent route in the opposite direction.

(4) Stay on the paths descending along the south-south-western slope, without ever heading straight down the steepest part, until you come within sight of the small Lac des Fétoules. Head down towards it and cross the Donzelière stream just before reaching the lake.

(9) At the lake, join the marked (yellow) and cairn-marked path which climbs gently southwards. A sign marks the end of the ascent and points towards La Lavey. Follow this direction: the path descends generally south-westwards in wide switchbacks, before veering north-west shortly before reaching the bottom of the valley at Plan de la Lavey.
The path joins the one coming from Lac des Rouies and continues along the right bank of the Ruisseau des Muandes towards the Lavey refuge to the north.

(10) Cross the footbridge at the Lavey refuge to reach the left bank of the Muandes. Continue due north, above the stream, to the Eymards stone bridge.

(11) Cross the bridge to return to the right bank, then continue due north along the correct path until you rejoin the ascent route at the Combe de la Valla.

(2). Follow this route back in the opposite direction to the car park (S/E).

⚠️ Please note: around latitude 6.23° E, on either side of the Vénéon torrent as far as Valgaudemar to the south and the Emparis plateau to the north, the IGN topographical map subtly alters the equidistance of the contour lines! To the west of the 6.23ºE line, the contour lines are spaced 10 metres apart, whilst to the east they are spaced 20 metres apart. This is clearly visible where the contour lines are almost horizontal (every other contour line tapers off), but it is not visible on east-west slopes, giving the impression that the gradient has eased. This is all the more problematic for walkers as contour lines marked with elevation figures are rare.
Note: the anomaly appears to end at latitude 6.38°E (IGN online map updated on 21 November 2018).

Further information can be found on my profile under the heading ‘Example of the IGN’s criminal behaviour’.

Difficulty and equipment:
This route presents no technical difficulties apart from its elevation gain and a section that is entirely off-track between stages (3) and (8).

You must therefore be accustomed to off-trail navigation and reading the terrain, or you must use a map, compass and altimeter (and be familiar with how to use them), or rely on the Visorando app.

At the start of the season — until the end of July — crampons and ice axes are essential (gaiters are useful).

Water:
Water is plentiful throughout the hike; a water filter is, of course, recommended.

Dogs:
Dogs are not permitted in the Écrins National Park.

You’ll be hiking in the heart of the Écrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a natural, cultural and scenic heritage that is truly unique. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, and certain regulations must be observed. Please familiarise yourself with these regulations when planning your hike to help preserve this shared heritage, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Wildlife:
During my first visit to the Col de l’Ours at the start of the season 30 years ago (1990), I witnessed a unique sight: having reached the pass from the western side, I had gone unnoticed by the herd of chamois on the snowfields of the eastern flank; the young chamois had sat on their bottoms to slide down the snowfields whilst their mothers watched over them and kept watch. The scene lasted a good hour, with the young chamois tirelessly climbing back up the slope after every slide. Having taken neither a camera nor a mobile phone (they didn’t exist back then), it is only my memory that allows me today to recall that magical moment. I have never seen anything like it in the mountains, but every time I climb back up to the Col de l’Ours, I hope once again to be enchanted by such frolics…

Alternatives:
Depending on the time of day and snow conditions, you may have to abandon the summit and settle for the pass (Passage de l’Ours): unless there is a severe frost, if you reach the pass after 11 am and the snow is still deep, it is best to turn back.

⚠️ Be aware, however, of the (criminal) inconsistency of the IGN: the topographical map suddenly switches from 10-metre to 20-metre contour intervals around the Col de l’Ours ridge (at latitude 6.229E); the slopes are therefore much steeper than they appear on the map on the eastern side of the ridge.

Viewpoints:
The Passage de l’Ours is an ideal spot from which to view the ridge separating the Mariande valley from the Muande valley; see this annotated photo of the peaks.

The Tête de Malacombe offers an extraordinary view of the Cirque du Soreiller (see annotated photo) and the Pointe du Vallon des Étages.