Winter ascent of Directe Gamma on Barre des Écrins by Antoine Bouqueret, Charles Dubouloz

Charles Dubouloz has capped off the year with another impressive ascent. Following his six-day solo of Divine Providence on the Grand Pilier d'Angle in the Mont Blanc massif, the French alpinist has completed the second stage of his winter trilogy. From 28 to 31 December, Dubouloz teamed up with local mountain guide Antoine Bouqueret to repeat the Directe Gamma, a legendary climb up the southeast face of the Barre des Écrins first ascended from 11-13 August 1992 by the Italians Michele Frigerio, Eugenio Manni, Riccardo Milani and Manuele Panzeri.

Dubouloz's initial idea was to solo the north face of Pic Sans Nom or Ailefroide , but both mountains were not in condition due to heavy snowfall. Hence, the southeast face of the Barre des Écrins, one of the tallest faces in the Alps; Bouqueret, who had already accompanied Dubouloz to the base of the Grand Pilier d'Angle two weeks earlier, didn't need much convincing.

The pair set off at 1:00 PM on the 28th of December, carrying supplies for only 2 days, but they actually emerged on the summit after four days and three nights on the face, having endured temperatures down to -10°C. Behind them lay 1100 meters of route, breached in 36 pitches graded ED, 6b+, V, X4, P4. The 'X' scale indicates objective dangers, while the 'P' scale indicates the quality of the protection. Indeed, the rock on the southeast face is described as "often questionable," and when describing the route in his guidebook, Sylvain Cambon wrote, "Climbers, do not go to the Gamma!" Rarely repeated, Bouqueret and Dubouloz's ascent may even be the first winter ascent.

As mentioned, Gamma is the second chapter of Dubouloz's Winter Trilogy, which aims to climb three big faces by fair means this winter - that is, travelling from one massif to another strictly by bicycle. After the journey from Mont Blanc to the Écrins, the 36-year-old will now get in the saddle and pedal towards the Pyrenees.

"This project goes against the grain of the current moment, where alpinism is about racing the clock and chasing records. I want to travel, wander, for time to extend slowly. I also want to put in a lot of effort," Dubouloz explained.