| Fetchwikidata: | ALL |
| Grande Sure | |
| Label Position: | right |
| Range: | The Chartreuse Mountain Chain (Alpes) |
| Type: | Hogback |
| Easiest Route: | From the Charmette mountain pass. |
| Photo Alt: | West view of La Grande Sure, from Saint-Julien-de-Ratz |
| Elevation Ft: | 6299 |
| Geology: | Limestone |
| Country: | France |
| Subdivision1: | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes |
| Subdivision1 Type: | Region |
| Subdivision2 Type: | Department |
| Subdivision2: | Isère |
La Grande Sure is a mountain in the French department of Isère, rising to an altitude of 1,920 meters in the Chartreuse mountain chain, in the Alps, overlooking the . Located on the western border of the mountain chain, it is composed of Fontanil limestone. It can be climbed from the eastern side via the mountain pass via the mountain pass, or from the mountain pass via the western side, which is more strenuous and has a higher difficulty. This mountain is part of the Chartreuse Regional Nature Park as well as a natural zone of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest. The species of the chamois is particularly present in steep parts of the alpine tundra.
Sure, like Suretta, means "mountain, heap, pile". This word roots from the umbrian surum. The origin would be common with thur and thura, in which the th, far from being an occlusive consonant, is a fricative one, along with turraz, tuglia and tauern.[1] In the case of the latter, as in High Tauern or Lower Tauern, taur would mean "mountain", but also "mountain pass" and would have originated from Slavic languages, where tur signifies a height, a hill.[2]
The Grande Vache pastures and the valley are shown on the Cassini map, but it wasn't until the 18th-century maps that the were mentioned, with an altitude of 1,924 meters.[5] The Brittany-born Antonin Macé, who had become a professor of history at Grenoble University, published a series of articles, particularly in the, mentioning in 1860.[6]
is located in south-eastern France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Isère department, within the commune of Saint-Julien-de-Ratz. The northern end of the mountain belongs to the commune of Saint-Joseph-de-Rivière, while the southern end is part of the territory of Pommiers-la-Placette. It is situated around ten kilometers east-southeast of Voiron, around 17 kilometers north of Grenoble and over 80 kilometers southeast of Lyon. It is part of the French Prealps Chartreuse mountain chain.
It extends to the south, through the western crest of the mountain chain,[7] passing by the (1,838 mts) and the (1,845 mts); beyond the, to the east, rises the (1,867 mts). To the west, dominates Jura's plateau[8] du (942 mts at its highest point).
The mountain rises to an altitude of 1,920 meters. At its base, to the north, lies the (approx. 400 mts), to the west, the mountain pass (587 mts) which it towers over with a fall of almost 1,500 meters; and to the southeast, the mountain pass (1,261 mts). To the east are the Sure (1,675 mts) and (1,712 mts) mountain passes, and to the northeast, the (1,643 mts) and (1,605 mts) mountain passes.In the region, from where it is particularly visible, is shaped like a molar, leaning slightly to the east due to the inflection at the ends of its summit crest. Looking eastwards, its appearance is sharper. Its walls dominate high meadows covered by scree situated above the timberline between 1,500 and 1,600 meters of altitude. Several torrents flow down the mountain's western hillside: the stream of to the north, the stream of from which the waterfall springs, the also known as the stream of, and, to the south, the stream of also known as the stream of .
is composed of Fontanil limestone corresponding to the Valanginian stage, formed by marine sedimentation in the Alpine Tethys during the Early Cretaceous. The upper Hauterivian stage forms the western talus of the crest, to the east. The Urgonian Limestone, characteristic of the other main summits of the Chartreuse, is present here only on the eastern side of the Hurtières crest.[9] In the opposite direction from the summit, the western side of is composed of Berriasian limestone and limestone-marl alternations. To the west, it is dominated by Late Jurassic Tithonian limestone and Miocene molasse sandstone.
is formed by the western side of the vast Proveysieux syncline, centered on the mountain pass. The rocky promontories to the west of the summit, at the level of and, form an anticline that straddles the Voreppe syncline. The discovery of rocks lower than the Urgonian period in
The Chartreuse mountain chain is characterized by an oceanic-alpine climate. It acts as a barrier to the strong westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean, and thus receives a large amount of precipitation, with a peak in early spring and another in early autumn. A third of this precipitation comes in the form of snow. As a result, the snowpack depth at the mountain pass (1,326 m) is around one meter at the end of February but has reached record levels of 200 to 230 centimeters during the same period in 1979, 1982, and 1985. However, average snow cover, which has decreased by half over the last fifty years, has reached an average of fifty centimeters over the last ten years.[11] As a result, since the 2000s, there has been an average of 150 days of snow per year on the mountain pass, that is, thirty days less than in the 1960s; the presence of a snowpack depth above one meter has decreased to an average of fifteen days every ten years over the same period. This finding corresponds to a temperature rise of 1.4 °C (34.52 °F) over the past half-century, from December 1 to April 30.[12]
is a sanctuary for chamois.[13] [14] The Corsican Mouflon was introduced in 1970 and has a population of around 100 individuals, moving from in summer to the outskirts of in winter.[15] Among the identified bird species are the Golden eagle and the Black grouse, protected under the Birds Directive, as well as the Alpine chough and the Eurasian woodcock.
The Lady's Slipper Orchid is protected under the Habitats Directive. Like this species, the Bear's Ear Primrose and the Variable Saxifrage are protected throughout the French metropolitan area. Other species include Fringed Pink, the St John's Wort (also called), the Pink Cinquefoil, the Daphne alpina, the Epipactis leptochila Orchid, the Perennial Honesty, the broomrape and a species of fern called the Hard Shield-fern.
In the mid-19th century, there were reports of chalets, which have since been removed, at the Grande and the Petite Vache.
The classic hiking route starts at the Charmette mountain pass, accessible via from Saint-Égrève and passing through Proveysieux. After the Chalet de la Charmette, 200 mts north of the pass, the forest road gradually turns into a simple pathway heading northwest. This lead, after about an hour and a half's walk, to the Grande Vache mountain pass. Following a short descent to the Sure mountain pass, the pathway climbs up along the eastern side of until it reaches the summit, to the southwest, after an additional thirty minutes’ walk. This 660-meter-high hike is easy and suitable for everyone. You can return via the Hurtières Gut, south of the Grande Vache mountain pass.[20]
The ascent can also be made from the west, from Les Trois Fontaines, on the eastern side of the Placette mountain pass, with an altitude of 1,350 meters. After a series of zigzags leading northwards, the pathway curves eastwards, passing a natural belvedere after around 45 minutes, and then the, featuring a relatively long passageway, equipped with cables, which is exposed to both drops and rockfalls. Shortly afterwards, it is possible to head south through a natural cirque on the Charminelle pathway, which is marked in yellow for hikers according to the . It takes an additional hour to reach the meadow of the same name. From here, head east on a pathway that becomes relatively steep, even requiring you to use your hands to get stability through the . After 45 minutes, we reach the upper part of the Hurtières mountain pass. Head northwards through the alpine pastures, passing close to the Hurtières refuge, to reach the Sure mountain pass, in about an hour. The final ascent towards the summit is via the classic route.[21] The refuge, at an altitude of 1,546 meters,[22] is an annex of the sheep barn.[23] While the building is in good condition, the interior offers a more basic level of comfort, with six beds. From the, it is also possible to continue eastwards with a steady climb along the Hérétang stream up to Velouse, then either back up to the Sure mountain pass or up the southern ridge.[24] An alternative route, shortly after the, is to turn left at the along the, using your hands at times to climb up to the Chalet de Jusson.[25] At 1,553 meters of altitude,[26] [27] this chalet has eight beds with mattresses. From here, it's up a steep meadow with the summit cross as a landmark. The final section is a passageway, which is signposted by a stele in the shape of a small metal cross and orange-yellow markers for hikers. The ascent up to the summit requires a few easy climbing moves. This variation takes around three hours to complete.
A new climbing route called, with a height of 130 meters, has been opened in the pillar to the south of the summit. The access route is from the . The bottom of the route is graded 5b, but the first ten meters can be avoided by climbing to the left and heading straight for the 4c graded passages. The top of the route alternates between 3b grade and 4a grade. This is a variation opened by Mathieu Michel on September 3, 2006, from a route of unknown origin.[28]
A number of pit caves have been discovered in the Valanginian limestones; the two most significant are the pit, which reaches a depth of 556 meters,[29] [30] and the Jacques Chalon cave system, which extends over three kilometers and reaches a depth of 314 meters.[31]
is located within the Chartreuse Regional Nature Park, which was created in 1995 and, since the revision of its charter in 2008, covers 767 km2.[32] The summit is also classified as a "Type I" natural zone of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest (ZNIEFF), which extends northwards across 1,555 hectares over the as well as the, and southwards to the, including the .
was one of the favorite landscapes of the painter Lucien Mainssieux, who was born and died in Voiron (1885–1958).[33]
]