Via Ferrata de la Balme
Physical: 4
Exposure: 3
Mountain: 2
Technical: 1
Description
Approach: 25 min
Length: 500 m
The first section is shared by both via ferrata routes and begins with a beautiful traverse across the left side of the cliff. Both sections involve plenty of contact with the rock and relatively little fixed equipment.
After the first section, turn right at the ledge and climb a beautiful chimney, where you need to make good use of the few fixed aids in place.
After a short descending ledge, the route finishes with a steep wall, followed by a fixed cable leading to the top of the cliff.
Access: The car park is located as you leave Les Vigneaux, on the Route des Traverses, on the left when heading towards Briançon. The trail starts behind the hut. Allow 25 minutes.
Return: 40 minutes. Follow the track downhill until you reach the sign indicating the return route.
- Towns crossed : Les Vigneaux
Equipment
Helmet
Harness
Via ferrata lanyard with two locking carabiners and an energy absorber
If in doubt, seek advice from professionals such as mountain guides or equipment rental specialists.
Recommandations
Remember to take all your rubbish with you
3 points of interest
L'église des Vigneaux - Office de tourisme Pays des Écrins 
Vernacular heritageThe church in Les Vigneaux
The church of Saint-Laurent with its elegant porch dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. On its south wall there are frescoes depicting the vices, dragged towards hell by a demon, and their punishments. Enough to make you shudder! Its Lombard Romanesque bell tower has a very rare one-handed clock dating from the eighteenth century. It is one of the oldest working clocks of its type.
Les Vigneaux - Office de tourisme Pays des Écrins 
HistoryImages of the grapevine
Les Vigneaux owes its name to the vine cultivation once plied on its hillsides. The grapevine is also depicted on the town's coat of arms, which has a vineplant, and also on the traditional houses with vine trellises. Houses with grape presses are also a reminder of the importance of the grapevine.
Cadran solaire de l'église des Vigneaux - Office de tourisme Pays des Écrins Vernacular heritageThe sundial
The sundial is an eighteenth-century tradition widespread across the Southern Alps where the sun is ever-present. Artisan sundial makers produced these sundials, which were added as a decoration to house fronts, religious buildings or, as here, a tower. The sayings inscribed on them make some of these artistic works philosophical as well as decorative.