Breche de l'Homme

This looks familiar... yet different. 

START: Lac de Saint-Apollinaire
FINISH: Lac de Saint-Apollinaire
DISTANCE: 5 miles/ 8km
APPROX TIME: 3.5 hours

My first hike of 2013 is the return to an old friend: the Aigilles de Chabrières are the rugged craggy peaks which sit above my campsite at Lac de Saint Apollinaire, and i walked up to the viewing table to the immediate east of them on more than one occasion last year. As a result, i will not recite how to get up to the aforementioned viewing table again, but instead redirect you to last year's post as to the route to what is - on a sunny day - a breathtaking view.

Today, however, i went a step further: rather than staying put at the viewing table, i went up and into the Aigilles themselves. The Breche de l'Homme is the solitary pass which cuts the Aigilles in half, and acts as my objective for today.




View this route in a larger map

Once you reach the viewing table, turn towards the Aigilles and you should see a path leading up into the Breche. To reach this path, follow the ridge southwards until you come to a sign in front of a large boulder, indicating you are on the right track. Go round to the left of the boulder and you should come to a fork in the path: there are two ways and both are (confusingly) marked by a blue circle on a rock. The higher track will take you too far above the path you want to be on; be sure to take the lower path.

The Aigilles de Chabrieres

This path can be tricky in places, so be careful. As long as you have sufficient footwear, balance and nerve you should be fine as you walk along the rocky terrace towards the Aigilles, but be careful for areas of scree.

As you walk along the terrace the Aigilles transform: just like putting on 3D glasses at the cinema, a once two-dimensional, homogeneous cliff face separate into fantastic pillars and spires of rock; being in among the Aigilles really gives you a different perspective.

In among the Aigilles

Soon, the track begins to properly ascend. The ground ranges from weathered rock face to loose stone so be careful where you are putting your feet, but it is fairly safe and straightforward. Around half way up it becomes slightly more difficult, with the walk becoming a little more of a scramble as you have to overcome rock steps which you cannot easily walk up. Be prepared to get your hands dirty in order to pull yourself up where required.

Going up into the Breche

You will see ahead of you too large slabs - a traditional boulder-shaped one acts as a good place to take a break part way up; the enormous brick-shaped one at the top is your objective.

Once you reach it, you will find yourself at the Breche, with views not only back towards the viewing table, Lac de Serre-Ponçon and beyond, but also in front of you to the west: from the western wall of the Breche you can even see a hint of the snow-capped peaks of the Ecrins National Park.

However, while these views can be seen for far less effort, one comes away from the Breche less with the brilliant views and more with the sensation and excitement of being in and among the Aigilles. It is, after all, not something you can do every day.

To descend, I retraced my steps all of the way back down to Lac de Saint Appolinaire, though it is possible to continue through the Breche and do a long loop down to the skiing village of Réalon, although you will probably need a good five hours to do so.

However, what is important is you make the extra effort to get in among the Aigilles: its one thing to gaze in awe at something from a distance, an entirely different thing to do so when you are up close and personal.

A great twist on an old favourite.