Of the significant gullies on the south face of the Barre des Écrins (4,102m), there was only one left to open: the one in the centre, bordered by the south pillar on the left and the Red Ridge on the right. So obvious but untouched until now, this gully has just been climbed by the guides Benjamin Védrines, Nicolas Jean and Julien Cruvellier De Luze, on January 28th and 29th. De l’Or en Barre (ED+) offers 1000 metres of sustained climbing, with the hardest pitches rated at M7 and WI 5+.
« One of the craziest climbs I’ve ever done in the Alps,” Védrines said on his Instagram account. This is enough to arouse curiosity, insofar as Védrines succeeded last winter in the trilogy of the Eiger, Jorasses and Matterhorn (with Léo Billon and Sébastien Ratel) directissima.
Contacted by phone this Tuesday, the high mountain guide from Monêtier-les-Bains in