Pigeon loft loop in the cirque de Gioberney

Description

At the deepest point of the Valgaudemar valley, this itinerary offers exceptional points of view of the mythical summits and their glaciers. They are condensed mountains! « The French Himalayas ». It is in these words that the great mountaineer Gaston Rébuffat described the Valgaudemar. valley What more can one say ? Here, the verticality of the slopes can be oppressive. The summits touch the sky and can give you virtigo. Towards them, you gaze upwards slowly in order to see where they end. Oppressive, vertical, austere... but so strong, wild and fragile at the same time. Simply beautiful ! Régis Jordana, park ranger at Valgaudemar From Gioberney carpark, this loop enables you to reach the Pigeon Loft refuge by going up in the cirque de la Muande de Bellone. The descent is made via the cirque du Vaccivier. With your back to the chalet-refuge, take the path facing you. After 200 m, leave the path which leads to the Lac du Lauzon and continue ahead (the variant lac du Lauzon extension of 45 mn). From then on, the ascent up to the Pigeon loft refuge is intense but take the time to lift your head up to discover, with each step, the high summits and their surrounding glaciers. Follow the sign « Refuge du Pigeonnier ». After 2h30 of a climb twisting steeply, the refuge stands up at 2423 m like an eagle’s nest. From here, the view of The Rouies is striking. After a possible well deserved pause, follow the path which switches towards Vaccivier. Follow this for 20 mn during which time the path evolves overhanging the Gioberney valley. After this short aerial passage, the descent is without difficulty by following the sign « Refuge du Gioberney ». The bends of the glacial cross cliff at Vaccivier enable you to reach Gioberney valley and to discover there, the beginning of a surprising larch forest, the Gioberney cabin known as the « Crotte ». Arrival is imminent.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

• The ascent to the refuge du Pigeon loft refuge is intense. Note that there is a short aerial passage, 20 minutes after the refuge.

Getting there

Start: Au parking du Gioberney, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar (05).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/903486-Boucle-du-Pigeonnier-dans-le-cirque-du-Gioberney). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 831 m, Parc national des Écrins