Shopping for Books and Maps from Amazon
The following maps, books, and sundries are available directly from amazon.co.uk, and are made available here for your convenience. Other maps and books are available from the same source, but are not necessarily recommended by the author. Clicking on the picture will take you directly to the product page on the Amazon web site.
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Massif de la Chartreuse Nord gps 1:25,000 IGN map 3333 OT
This 1:25,000 map published by the Institut Géographique National covers the northern half of Chartreuse. This and the southern map are the only maps you'll need.
It covers an area from Chambéry in the north to St. Philbert (north of the col between St. Pierre d'Entremont and St. Pierre de Chartrese) in the south, and from the Isère in the east to les Echelles in the west. The mountain areas it covers includes the northern end of l'Aulp du Seuil, the northern half of the Grand Som, and all of Mont Granier, l'Alpe, and Mont Outheran.
Click on the image to view on Amazon.
Massif de la Chartreuse Sud gps 1:25,000 IGN map 3334 OT
This 1:25,000 map published by the Institut Géographique National covers the southern half of Chartreuse. This and the northern map are the only maps you'll need.
It covers an area from St. Philbert (north of the col between St. Pierre d'Entremont and St. Pierre de Chartrese) in the north to Grenoble in the south, and from the Isère in the east to Voreppe in the west. The mountain areas it covers includes most of l'Aulp du Seuil, the southern half of the Grand Som, and all of Dent de Crolles, Chamechaude, Charmant Som, and the Grande Sure.
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Silva Expedition Compass
Without a compass, a map is useless. This is the best budget-priced general purpose compass for the hills, with a number of scales including 1:25000, a magnifying glass, and a good-sized base plate.
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20 m Confidence Rope
If one of the party is a little unhappy with scrambling, a short length of rope will be useful for providing that extra bit of confidence. 20 m length of 8 mm diameter lightweight rope will be ideal for the job.
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Head Torch
A decent head torch is useful for exploring the odd cave, and for getting down after dark if you have under-estimated a walk. Petzl has a good range of reliable torches, and the one illustrated is as good as any.
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"Chartreuse : Les Plus Belles Randonnées"
This is a splendid little paperback which covers some twenty of the best, but not too extreme, walks in Chartreuse, written by one of the experts of the area. Each walk is beautifully illustrated with a clear sketch map and some excellent photos. It is strongly recommended, and if you are going to buy but one local guidebook it should be this one. Bear in mind, however that it covers the same ground as the walks on this website, although avoiding the more exciting bits.
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"Chartreuse Secrète et Randonnées Sportives" by Jo Perez
This is a glossy softback describing forty circular walks in Chartreuse. I have reservations about some of the routes that the author selects, but they are complemented by a variety of interesting little essays on various aspects of the massif which makes it worth buying.
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"Randonner en Chartreuse" by Yves Ray
This is a glossy softback describing thirty two circular walks in Chartreuse. It is well written, with good maps and illustrations. It is particularly interesting as some of the walks are on the outskirts of the massif, in areas not covered by other authors.
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"Chartreuse inédite : Itinéraires Insolites" by Pascal Sombardier
This is a beautifully written and illustrated book which describes routes in the more remote and quieter areas of the massif, some of which were developed by the author. It is a book to inspire, and is a must for the book shelf, but currently difficult to get hold.
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"Chartreuse - Vercors : Les randonnées du Vertige" by Pascal Sombardier
Another beautifully written and illustrated book describing some of the hairier and more exposed walks in Chartreuse and the Vecors. Some of the walks cover the same ground as walks in this guide, and may be confidently tackled by the moderately competent walker, but others are distinctly harder.
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"Alpine Flowers of Britain and Europe" (Collins Field Guide) by C. Grey-Wilson
This is by far the best alpine flower book, and is a must for the rucksac when walking in Chartreuse. Unfortunately, it is no longer in print but good second hand copies can purchased at a reasonable price from Amazon.
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