Charmant Som - East Face slabs

Ideal route for beginners, in particular as a first trad lead. Difficulties are moderate (F3-4 at the hardest) and there are numerous protection possibilities. The slabs are very wide and homogenous in difficulty. Using a detailed topo would be like using blinders.

An articles provides general information on rock climbing in the Chartreuse].

Approach

From the farm buildings of the Charmant Som (1670m), take the path that leads to the summit and a short time after reaching the ridge which leads to the summit, follow the path down to the right (orange/red marks). It leads to Le Collet and St pierre de Chartreuse and goes through the slabs. The footpath goes across the slabs]. Once at the bottom of the slabs, you can start climbing at a smal climbing school some 30m above the footpath (a few bolts can be seen). You can also climb the slabs from their very bottom, starting off from Les Révols, N of the Col de Porte (the lower section is steeper than the upper one).

Climb

Once on the slabs, just go up where you please. The climbing is harder in the middle and gets easier as you get closer to the sides, either N or S.

Descent

From the summit, follow the footpath down to the farm buildings.

The slabs have suffered alternating waves of bolting, unbolting, retro-bolting and the like. The current situation is that any bolts added to the slabs tend to be chopped off.