Meije Balconies: Facing the Glacier

Two days facing the Meije, a 3,983-metre peak that remained unclimbed until 1877 and was long considered impossible. The route starts at La Grave, a village living in the shadow of the north face, with its cable car rising to 3,200 metres, reaches Lac du Pontet where the whole massif is mirrored on still days, then the Plateau d'Emparis at 2,400 metres, one of the most spectacular balconies in the Alps with its high lakes and full panorama over the Ecrins, before Villar-d'Arene and the Lautaret alpine garden and its two thousand species. The Plateau d'Emparis takes four to five hours return, with no technical difficulty but complete exposure. Lac du Pontet reflects best early, before the wind picks up.