Voie du Nain on the Aiguille Dibona
An elegant way to climb the Dibona by its normal route.
With Philippe.
After a week of hiking around the beautiful Vénéon valley, curiosity leads Philippe to discover the Soreiller cirque. An accomplished mountaineer, he hasn't put on rock shoes for a few years, however. We choose the emblematic Dibona, which towers in the heart of the Soreiller cirque like the unchanging gnomon of a gigantic sundial.
La Voie du Nain is a well-bolted route not exceeding IV+ on a few passages. It is a nice way of enhancing the normal route with a few pitches of climbing in the sun, all at a very consistent level.
Philippe sets off, a little worried about not being up to it. But after a few metres of climbing, the feeling comes back and his unfailing energy helps him get through all the difficult passages of the route unaided. Well done!
At the Brèche des Clochetons, where we leave the packs, the normal route of the Dibona finally appears, and its two short grade-III pitches are quickly swallowed.
The airy atmosphere is there and we are alone on the summit, visited only by thin wisps of cloud that underline the character of the place.
Two short abseils and an easy ledge where the exposure and the good spikes encourage proper belaying, and we are back at our packs. All that remains is to go down to the Soreiller hut, a descent made easier by the snow still lying around. Only moderately soft, we nevertheless have to control our glissades so as not to end up on our backsides.
A lovely, varied route and a cirque with hardly anyone around that day: what luck!
Well done, Philippe!
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