Glacier Blanc mountain hut

The Refuge du Glacier Blanc is a staffed mountain hut (refuge de montagne) in the French Alps, situated at 2,542 metres above sea level in the commune of Pelvoux, in the Briançonnais area of the Hautes-Alpes department. It lies at the heart of the Écrins massif, facing the Glacier Blanc, and is dominated by the north faces of the Pelvoux, the Pic Sans Nom and the Ailefroides. The hut is owned and operated by the Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne (FFCAM), France's national federation of alpine and mountain clubs, and forms part of its network of staffed refuges. The refuge is easily accessible to families, hikers and alpinists alike, requiring about two and a half hours of walking from the Pré de Madame Carle, the road terminus beyond the hamlet of Ailefroide. It sits on the access path to the higher Refuge des Écrins and serves as a staging point for numerous summits and routes, including the Montagne des Agneaux, the Pic de Neige Cordier, the Pic du Glacier d'Arsine, the Pic du Glacier Blanc, the Pointe des Cinéastes, and — when the Refuge des Écrins is full — the Dôme de Neige des Écrins and Roche Faurio. The hut is guarded during a defined season; for 2025 the gardiennage period ran from 29 March to 20 September, with the guardian listed as Nicolas Chaud. Outside the guarded period, overnight stays can be paid retrospectively. The site has deep historical roots in alpinism. In 1862 the British climber Francis Fox Tuckett, with guides Michel Croz and Peter Perren, sheltered under a rock block in the séracs of the Glacier Blanc while attempting the Barre des Écrins; later climbers called this makeshift shelter the 'hôtel Tuckett'. A first refuge was built near that spot in 1886. It is no longer used as a refuge and has been converted into an ecomuseum with a reconstruction of its original interior. Construction of a new Refuge du Glacier-Blanc began a little higher up in May 1942, with materials carried up on men's backs from the Refuge Cézanne at the Pré de Madame Carle; the war slowed the work, and the new hut was inaugurated on 29 August 1948. Today the refuge operates as a commercial hospitality and mountain-services offering within the FFCAM network, providing accommodation, meals and information for visitors, and publishing news and access conditions on its official website. It is a well-known landmark of the Écrins and a key piece of France's mountain-hut infrastructure.

The history of the Refuge du Glacier Blanc is intertwined with the early exploration of the Écrins massif. In 1862, the British alpinist Francis Fox Tuckett, accompanied by guides Michel Croz and Peter Perren, attempted the ascent of the Barre des Écrins and made a stop beneath a rock block in the séracs of the Glacier Blanc. This improvised shelter became known among later climbers as the 'hôtel Tuckett'. In 1886 a refuge was built near that spot. That first building is no longer used as a refuge; it has been transformed into an ecomuseum, with a reconstruction of how the refuge was originally fitted out. Construction of a new Refuge du Glacier-Blanc was undertaken a little higher up in May 1942. Materials were brought up on men's backs from the Refuge Cézanne, located at the Pré de Madame Carle. The Second World War slowed the construction work, and the new refuge was finally inaugurated on 29 August 1948. It has since served as a key staging post on the route to the Refuge des Écrins and as a base for numerous climbs in the sector. The hut is owned and operated by the Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne (FFCAM), the national federation of French alpine and mountain clubs, which runs a large network of staffed and unstaffed refuges across the French mountains. The refuge is guarded during a defined season each year; for 2025 the gardiennage period was from 29 March to 20 September, with Nicolas Chaud as guardian. Outside the guarded period, visitors can pay for their overnight stay retrospectively. The official website provides booking, rates, access information, a guardian's word, a guest book, and descriptions of summer routes and climbs, including the Pic du Glacier Blanc, Pic du Glacier d'Arsine, Neige Cordier, Pointe de Serre-Soubeyran, L'arête des Cinéastes, Les Agneaux, Pointe Frendo, Col des Ecrins, Col du Monétier, the south face of Pointe Louise, Pointe Cézanne and Roche Faurio. The site also publishes current news, such as the 2026 notice that after storms on 28 August the refuge remained guarded and accessible, though the closure of the Pré de Madame Carle road had changed access conditions and usual itineraries.

• 2025

  Guarded season runs from 29 March to 20 September, with Nicolas Chaud as guardian.

• 1948

  The new refuge is inaugurated on 29 August.

• 1942

  Construction of a new Refuge du Glacier-Blanc begins in May a little higher up; materials are carried up from the Refuge Cézanne.

• 1886

  A first refuge is built near the Tuckett shelter; it is later converted into an ecomuseum.

• 1862

  Francis Fox Tuckett, with guides Michel Croz and Peter Perren, shelters under a rock block in the séracs of the Glacier Blanc during an attempt on the Barre des Écrins; the spot becomes known as the 'hôtel Tuckett'.

A historic, family-accessible high-mountain refuge in the Écrins, operated by the FFCAM as part of France's national mountain-hut network.

• Overnight accommodation in a staffed high-mountain refuge

• Meals and refreshments for hikers and climbers

• Online booking and rate information

• Summer route and climb descriptions (e.g. Pic du Glacier Blanc, Les Agneaux, Roche Faurio)

1. 1Accueil, Refuge du Glacier Blancrefugeduglacierblanc.ffcam.fr
2. 2Glacier Blanc mountain hut — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Refuge du Glacier-Blanc — Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org