Sapeyrlipopette

Varied Climbing : pillar, slab, runnels, (cannelures), and traverses.

Approach # 1h

Follow the forest track in the direction of the Col de La Buffaz. After a bench and a barrier take a steep path on the left, (signposted as a tourist footpath,) which after a lots of zig zags goes obliquely to the right and exits the forest. (On leaving the forest one can see the cliff to the left and a large arch. The route is to the right of the arch.) Contour a pasture. A little after a derelict building, take a path to the left. It continues to traverse in the direction of a col and then climbs sharply to the left. Climb a scree slope to the foot of a small pillar where there a three lines of bolts. The route takeas the middle line It has a common start with “Entrez dans la danse.”

Route

L#| 5b| Start for 7m on a slab then climb in the line of the pillar by a small wall. Traverse horizontally to the right before climbing upwards again. (If you accidentally follow the bolts of “Doctor Banjo”, you can rejoin Sapeyrlipopette at pitch 2.) L#2-3 |5b| Continue up the line of the pillar. L#~Make an abseil of 30m in the gully on the left to gain a belay on a large slab Take care with stonefall if there are people below There a lots of belay points ( a black ring at the foot of the slab, a white sling a third of the way up and blue/white sling at the same height as the white sling but to the left of the slab.) Go to the white sling, slightly to the left of the line of the abseil. L#|5c/6a| A long pitch up the slab, steep and airy, which ends with a runnel. A couple of delicate moves. L#| | A short,link pitch to reach the next belay, (note the bolt belay, belay 4’, used for the abseil descent). Traverse to the left on a grassy ledge until a block with one bolt. (Foresee a long sling for the block.) L#| 5c| A wonderful pitch which goes diagonally left over a rock barrier (25-30m), until just below a pine. A little chimney, flakes and runnels. L#| 4c| L#|4c|

Descent

In three abseils from the end of pitch 6: 1st abseil. At the sixth belay one must walk across the grass, 20 m to the right. This abseil then brings you to belay 4’, (as mentioned above.) 2nd abseil. Straight down on the slab to a belay with a blue sling, to the left of the third belay. You come across it without a problem! 3rd abseil. (40m) to the bottom of the route.

It is also possible to walk down. From the ledge after pitch 6 or from the summit of the route ; leave in a NE direction, and after having bypassed a rock barrier, descend a gully to rejoin the ascension path.