Les Drus North Face – Lesueur Topo and Beta

This is a straight forward article with all the facts you need for climbing the Lesueur route on the North Face of Les Drus. To follow this beta you will need two climbers who feel comfortable simul climbing up to M5. Otherwise pitch it out and adjust your time expectation.

Rack

Nuts 1 - 7

Cams Double set green .3-3. Single .1 (green C3) , .2 & a #4 camalot

Draws x 10

120cm slings x 2

2 x 4m cordalette

3 x tibloc’s / micro traction

1 x knife blade / 1 x angle piton , 3 x ice screws, knife , v thread tool. None of these needed on route, just for the descent.

2 x 60m ropes

Approach from Grands Montets

Approach from Grands Montets top station to the glacier at base of the north face approx. 1.40 - 2 hours. Watch out for afternoon sun slides if climbing in warm weather on the approach. Gully overlooking nf of Sans Nom has one bolt at top and fixed belay mid height for rapping. Good bivy spot at the toe of the Sans Nom ridge looking directly across to the base of the route.

You can also approach via the Couloir Poubelle , check it out on Fatmap here

Route Topo

Start on the Pierre Allan, cross shrund move straight up to right trending snow slope. Fixed belays in on left side of wall for approx. 3 pitches. Gain main snow slope and move left. If good snow cover probably sections of no pro here.

A easy mixed pitch leads to base of grey corner and first crux. Attempt to simu climb in one block from shrund to base of the grey corner.

Climb the grey corner in one long pitch to the crest of an easy snow slope where you can then move left up an easy ramp. Belay here. Move left then up and right and back left to the base of the first big chimney crux pitch. Do this in one long pitch 70 odd meter pitch. M6-7

First chimney crux 60m. position belay just to the right of fixed anchor to avoid the fall line from the chimney. M6-7

2 x 60m pitches follow, m5 - m6. Then you arrive to an easy snow slope.

Move together for around 4 - 5 pitches with a stiff m4 corner in the mid section (put tibloc on after the corner to protect the leader, then left moving snow traverse. Follow this to the crest of ridge and move around the corner to the base of a crack that you layback with tools for 8m then move up offwidth and right to short overhanging crack with wooden wedges & fixed pin, pull up this 10m M7 and build belay. If planning to bivy you can fix your ropes here and rap back down for 10m below the overhanging crack to a plush bivy ledge good for 3+ people on top of a small tower just to the right of the layback crack.

From belay at top of the small crux overhang move up tight chimney and left to ridge belay this pitch as lots of drag m4 -5. Follow crest of ridge overlooking the north couloir for two more easy pitches moving left into couloir and fixed belay one pitch below the breach des drus. Either go left here for grand Dru or straight up for Peti Dru.

Descend north couloir on a mix of fixed anchors and v threads. (don't descend this on a hot afternoon, wait till early morning or do it at night) approx. 5 hours.