La Blanche (Ecrins, 2953m)

After an intense week of via ferrata road trip with Victor and Aude, it was time to put the boots back into something serious. The mountain, the real one, where you feel your thighs burning on the last 1000 metres, where the summit is earned.

Tonight, I’m meeting a friend in Vallouise to introduce her to the mountain in alpine-hike-plus-via-ferrata mode. But I still had a day ahead and the urge to gain some altitude solo. Combing through the area’s maps, I come across La Blanche, a summit topping out at 2953 m. Not quite a 3000, but we’re not going to quibble over 47 metres. I file it without remorse in my “3000” category, it earns it. Same story for the elevation gain: 1400 and change? Hop, into the 1500 gain category, just as deserved.

Start under the mist

The hike starts under a low sky. The clouds linger, mist rises in silent waves. An atmosphere I love: mysterious, muffled, almost meditative. I climb alone, wrapped in this cotton wool, and figure the summit will probably be socked in.

The first kilometres string together through the larches, then the alpine pastures. Not many people, a few solo hikers, a flock of goats and sheep cluttering the trail without worrying about me. The Narreyroux valley lives up to its character: wide, long, silent. Vallouise is quickly left behind, swallowed by the clouds.

The cirque and the intermediate ridge

Higher up, the valley tips into mineral terrain. Vast cirque, moraine, stable scree. A small alpine lake offers a break, its perfectly still water reflecting whatever you want to see. The area’s distinctive spires emerge and fade to the rhythm of the clouds. You never know what the next minute brings, and that’s just fine.

The cabled step and the final ridge

The route is alpine, but without major technical difficulty. A small climbing step just before the summit, fitted with a cable. Nothing too nasty for the regular, a few metres to secure, solid holds, reliable cable. But I’d advise against coming here without some ease on mountain terrain: it’s the kind of passage where a fall costs dearly.

The curtain lifts on the Ecrins

And then a surprise: arriving on the final ridge, the Ecrins reveal themselves all at once, like a theatre scene where the curtain lifts. The Barre, the Bans, the Pelvoux, it’s all there. Majestic.

Honestly, it’s always more beautiful with a few well-placed clouds than with a flat blue sky. The mountain has more relief, more character, the summits surge and vanish, each minute offers a different view. I stay there a good while, eating, watching the openings, letting the wind clear what it can.

Not too many people on the trail despite the high season, on July 14, and the summit is quiet. The Ailefroide campsite is packed, vans squeeze like sardines at Pelvoux, but up here, on the heights of Vallouise, it’s still relatively peaceful. Just as well: I savour these moments when the mountain rustles only with my steps and the wind.

Historical anecdote, a discreet border summit

La Blanche is one of those discreet yet strategic summits. It marks the border between the Narreyroux valley and the upper Vallouise valley, two old paths used for centuries by shepherds and peddlers. The very name “La Blanche” may come from the lingering snowfields that once held here until the end of summer.

According to local old-timers, summits like this one were once climbed by customs officers to spot smugglers moving between France and Piedmont via the secondary passes. Today, only alpine hikers venture there, and even then, not many.

Descent and an encounter in flight

The descent takes place in the same mineral palette, clouds rising and falling. On the intermediate shelf, a surprise: a paraglider takes a window to launch facing Vallouise, watched by his partner sitting in the grass. We exchange a hello, watch the take-off, reflect that each of us has a way to embrace the mountain. Mine is the feet. Theirs is the wing. Deep down, same pleasure.

Practical info

This is not an outing for beginners. 1400 m of gain, 2953 m summit, one cabled step, you need fitness, ease on alpine terrain, and the willingness to turn back if the weather really turns.

For precise conditions (late snow, cable status, trail state after a big storm), a phone call to the Ecrins tourist office in Vallouise always gives more info than a website. They know their mountains and know when an outing is worth it or not.