Les Chéserys (Aiguilles Rouges) · Chamonix valley · France
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
A short, friendly slab route on the sunny gneiss of the Chéserys, facing the Mont Blanc range. Five pitches with one vertical step of 4c, chain belays and an abseil descent make it a standard introduction to multipitch climbing.
The route
The Voie Jaune is one of the easiest of the colour-named routes on the Chéserys slabs, below the Aiguillette d'Argentière in the Aiguilles Rouges. It gives five short pitches of adherent slab with a leaning corner on pitch 3 and a short vertical step at the start of pitch 5. The rock is very good for the grade and the views across to the Aiguille Verte and Mont Blanc are the main attraction. Most parties abseil the route.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4b | 35 m | Slab on adherent rock, with slightly thinner moves between the second and fourth bolts. A 2026 Basque party gave it 4c and a 2024 party thought it nearer 5a. |
| P2 | 4b | 30 m | More slab; the 2026 description has you leave towards a corner and then trend left over easy-angled slabs to the belay. |
| P3 | 4a | 30 m | A pleasant leaning corner, given 3c/4a on camptocamp. |
| P4 | 3c | 20 m | A short pitch on easy-angled slabs to a small ledge below a steepening. It can be linked with pitch 5 (about 45 m). |
| P5 | 4c | 35 m | A short vertical step off the belay with one move of 4c, easiest on the left on good holds, then slabs to the top belay. A 2024 party thought it nearer 5b. |
Getting there
Drive or take the bus from Chamonix through Argentière towards the Col des Montets and park at Tré-le-Champ (about 1420 m), 500 m before the col. By train, get off at Montroc-Le Planet, about 20 min on foot from Tré-le-Champ. The Col des Montets road can close in winter.
From Tré-le-Champ take the Chéserys path that climbs towards Lac Blanc past the Aiguillette d'Argentière. After about an hour (one 2026 party took 40 min), where the path climbs a flight of log steps, take a faint path along the foot of the cliff. The start is about 150 m right of the Voie Bleue, at a stepped slab; the name is written small on the rock to the left of the first bolt and is fading. Several parties took a while to find it.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
GPS line: a line of the whole day, including the climb and the descent drawn by its source, not a recorded track. Line attached to the camptocamp route page (identical to the GPS track of oskarmorales's outing of 25 July 2026): a loop from Tré-le-Champ up to the Chéserys slabs and back. Do not follow it blindly.
GPS line: camptocamp.org contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0Parking
Col des Montets (camptocamp waypoint 104280); the Tré-le-Champ car park is 500 m before the col
Point from camptocamp waypoint 41533
Contains the route point, parking and a GPS line. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 45.98724, 6.91410 (crag) · Parking: 46.00361, 6.92333
Getting down
Abseil the route in three abseils from belays 5, 3 and 2, the longest about 50 m. Parties take 1 h to 1 h 30 min. Alternatively, top out over easy rock steps that cannot be protected, then grass with a faint path, to join the Lac Blanc path.
Retreat
Easy to bail
Abseiling the route is the normal descent and the belays are chained with a maillon. The standard abseils leave from belays 5, 3 and 2; from belays 1 and 4 you would abseil to the next station down. With two 50 m ropes retreat is simple from anywhere.
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing slabs at about 1800 to 1900 m. Reports run from late May to October; in May snow patches can still lie at the foot of neighbouring routes. October is recommended for fewer people.
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Chamonix valley are not available yet
What to carry
Ten quickdraws, 2×50 m ropes for the abseils, helmet. Pitch lengths in the list are from a 2026 trip report; camptocamp says only that pitches are 20 to 30 m.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Voie Jaune.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.