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ski France
May 2006

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The Dome de Neige (4015m) is the skiable summit connected with the Barre des Ecrins, highest peak in France outside the Mont Blanc massif. "Classique des classiques" for French ski mountaineering. It's in the interior of the Ecrins national park. I approached it from the southeast where the road was closed at Ailefroide.

scroll down for more photos
 
 

climbing below the icefall on the Glacier Blanc in the morning -- next step is to go around it on the right.
 

Mont Pelvoux to the south
 

looking back down alongside the icefall to the Refuge Glacier Blanc
 

the Barre des Ecrins and Dome de Neige seen across the Glacier Blanc
 

Barre des Ecrins is the higher icy-rock summit to left. Dome de Neige is the snowy shoulder to the right.

(In this photo, the normal ski climbing route would start to right of a line drawn down from Dome, then diagonal up and left to just underneath the higher ice+rock Barre summit, then finish by traversing right nearly horizontally to the Dome.)
 

Refuge des Ecrins
(higher in altitude and closer to the Dome de Neige than the Refuge Glacier Blanc)

looking up the north face -- two skiers already high on the route
 

 nearing the top section of the route -- the traverse to the snow dome on the right
-- with two other skiers already returning from the Dome, about to make their main ski descent
 

descending through the middle of the lower north face
 
 


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