Barre des Écrins

The Barre des Écrins is the highest peak of the mountain range known as the Écrins Massif, Les Écrins or Pelvoux Massif in the French Dauphiné Alps. At an altitude of 4102 m, it is not only the southernmost and westernmost four-thousand-metre peak in the Alps, but one of the most prominent and dominant peaks in the entire Alpine region. It is only at a distance of more than 100 km that greater heights are reached in the Mont Blanc massif; the embrasure height - measured over the Col du Lautaret - is more than 2000 metres. In terms of dominance and prominence, this puts it in 3rd and 12th place respectively in the entire Alpine region. The Barre is also the highest elevation in the middle of the Écrins National Park, founded in 1973, south of the ski resort of La Grave. It is the border mountain between the Départements Isère and Hautes-Alpes. The border runs north to south across the Dôme de Neige des Écrins and turns south at Pic Lory to the Col des Avalanches (3479 m). The main summit itself is located in the territory of the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, on the border with the Isère department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region).

The Barre des Écrins rises from four glaciers surrounding it, the best known of which are the long Glacier Blanc on the north side and the scree-covered Glacier Noir on the south-east side. The rugged range around the mountain is known by German-speaking alpinists (but not in France) as the Haut-Dauphiné, and is one of the wildest and most pristine areas of the Alps.

Dôme de Neige and Pic Lory are secondary peaks of secondary importance.

• Nevertheless, the 4015 m high Dôme de Neige des Écrins is often approached as an independent goal, especially as the magic four-thousand-metre mark is exceeded and the narrow ridge crossing to the main summit is not everyone's cup of tea. It is sometimes also called the winter summit (it can be climbed to its highest point with touring skis). Unlike the Pic Lory, the Dôme de Neige is included in the list of 82 four-thousand-metre peaks in the Alps according to the UIAA classification. Its embrasure height - measured over the Brèche Lory, which separates it from the Barre - is 41 metres.
• At the 4086 m high Pic Lory, the three large ridges of the Barre des Écrins join. The Pic is crossed on the "normal route" when climbing the main summit.

This normal route leads from Ailefroide in the southeast of the mountain to the Refuge des Écrins, 3170 m, above the Glacier Blanc and further across the glacier to the right foot of the wall just below the Col des Écrins, 3367 m. From there, traverse the glaciated summit flank between crevasses and seracs from lower right to upper left before turning right again towards the summit face. The highest point is climbed today on the last meters not via the north face, but via the west ridge and the Pic Lory. The descent leads either via Glacier Blanc back to Ailefroide or via Col des Écrins down to Glacier de Bonne Pierre and on to La Bérarde. Other, but much more difficult climbs lead from Glacier Noir via the south face rib up to Pic Lory or from Refuge Temple-Écrins via Col des Avalanches to Brèche Lory between Dôme de Neige and the main summit.

The Barre des Écrins was first climbed by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Horace Walker and Edward Whymper - together with their guides Christian Almer and Michel Croz - on 25 June 1864 via the direct north face. The first winter ascent was made by D. Armand-Delille on 19 February 1926.