We plan to be there on the 5 th
Hi, Iām keen on a mix of climbing, hiking, whatever.
Probably can go for a long weekend over 5/6th to 10/11th ish.
I looked into travel logisticsā¦
Train - seems expensive, but let me know if anyone has found something reasonable.
Flying - still cheap. If we will be on the west side, then Turin is much more favourable than Grenoble. Also Turin has more flights, and car hire from Turin airport is half that in Grenoble.
There is a train from Turin to Oulx, and then a bus from Oulx to Briancon, both quite cheap.
There is a coach to Lyon that takes 15 hours - cheap but long.
On the subject of cars - will these be needed, or is there plenty of stuff to do within walking distance/easy public transport?
Hi all,
Great to see the planning progressing, and without wishing to dampen anyoneās enthusiasm, time for a post on a slightly more serious note.
Khalid and I had a chat and thought it a good idea to provide a bit more detail about the meet, and in particular be upfront about how it is run so as to avoid any misunderstandings later.
Just like the Scottish Winter Trip, everyone will have different levels of experience and different route aspirations. Usually that translates into people pairing up or forming groups for specific objectives, so helpful to have routes or peaks in mind and start the discussion about what you want to do. I see some of that on this thread already which is great.
Youāll be responsible for your own and your partnerās safety, so please be honest about your technical ability, experience and fitness levels. Some routes are suitable for gaining experience on with more experienced and willing partners, but none of us are guides. If you are starting out, youāll need to find someone with similar goals and pick your routes carefully, and of course the option is there to hire a guide/go on a course, and gain experience that way.
That doesnāt mean we wonāt be doing our best to make sure everyone is included and has a great trip, and the more people we get along, the easier it will be to team up for routes.
Finally, itās also a reminder that there is plenty of time brush up on and learn new alpine skills. Depending on the route these could include cramponing technique, taking coils, moving together safely, glacier travel, crevasse rescue, navigation, doing a multi-pitch abseil quickly and efficiently, to name a few.
@Max_A I know thereās still lots of time before July, but will there be a spreadsheet similar to the Scottish trip for objectives/experience/travel plans etc. so we can see what everyone has in mind? Iāve never been to Ecrins so would love to get some beta 
@krisk Train travel is just my personal preference, mainly for environmental reasons. I know itās more expensive but not by a huge amount taking into account the luggage fee, getting to and from the airport etc.
Thanks @Max_A - fwiw, Iām really aiming to just go rock climbing, mostly single and multi pitch sport, and will be available for belays accordingly. If everyone else wants to go and do some alpinism on one or more of the days, Iāll go bouldering, unless a team is happy to take a beginner into the higher regionsā¦
I am keen to learn alpine skills, though, so if I do go down a bit early Iāll definitely look into options for doing a course - from past experience, itās the most efficient (in time, if not money) and safest way to go than trying to pick it up on the job.
@Tutu and @MattGee - happy to take either or neither of you. Not bothered about sharing the driving really; will probably take the ferry and then hammer it down to the Alps in one go.
p.s. Iām also happy to be gear donkey and take things down in the Kangoo, as Iāll be reconfiguring to sleep just one and leave more room for e.g. my own gear and my road bike, etc. Could save people some money re bags on planes etc.
Old school British Alpinism, all the gear in a big van!
MattGee https://chat.nlmc.co.uk/u/mattgee NLMC Member
April 25Old school British Alpinism, all the gear in a big van!
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PaulSagar https://chat.nlmc.co.uk/u/paulsagar NLMC Member
April 25
p.s. Iām also happy to be gear donkey and take things down in the Kangoo,
as Iāll be reconfiguring to sleep just one and leave more room for e.g. my
own gear and my road bike, etc. Could save people some money re bags on
planes etc.A big van? Luxury. We used to dream of having a big van. Hitching was the
only way.
AVisit Topic
With the back door wide open 
(just read this in One Day As A Tigerā¦)
Will there be a spreadsheet? I didnāt see the Scotland one, sounds like Khalid territory 
What is this: slight_ smile? Itās a complete mystery to us older members.
Someone who worked for Bonington querying spreadsheetsā¦???
Not spreadsheets. I understand them. Itās slight_smile I donāt understand
Forgive my New Member ignoranceā¦who worked for Bonington?
That would be me. I did 14 years working on his lecture tour every autumn: driving around the country, setting up the audio visual equipment in theatres, selling books and posters n the interval and grabbing some climbing when we had the chance.
Wow Richard how fascinating! Iām working my way through lots of climbing histories/biographies and Chrisā latest book is waiting to be read too.
Depending on what technology you read this thread on, the sl1ght_smile will appear as a facile little cartoon face, otherwise know as an emoji. It basically negates the need for our children to to write in grammatically correct sentences.
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My best birthday was spent with him in the Indian Himalaya. It wasnāt just work. Iām glad you are into the history of climbing. Read The White Spider by Harrer (Eiger North Face) and Annapurna by Herzog.
Richard
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Thanks for the recommendations.
I grew up in the town that produced Ian Clough (thereās an āIan Clough Hallā). Only recently do I understand the significance!
Max
Do you happen to know which is the best guide book for rocking in the area?