Located in the Alpes de Haute Provence,
the rock of the Grande Fistoire

Renowned for its aerial and sporting course, the Grande Fistoire via ferrata offers an exceptional combination of technical challenges and magnificent panoramas. Vertical passages, overhangs, footbridge, Nepalese bridge and 3 zip lines follow one another to offer unforgettable sensations to thrill seekers.

• The duration of the route varies from 2 to 4 hours depending on whether or not you take one of the three escapes.
• Equipment rental (harness, helmet, lanyards, pulleys to be picked up on site) is available by reservation.
• Please note: for a first ascent, we recommend that you be accompanied by a professional or that you walk through our
  Discovery or introductory via ferrata

The ascent of a via ferrata, a product specially designed for hikers who love nature but are totally unfamiliar with climbing, makes it possible to provide, without any particular techniques, thanks to the equipment of the route, all the sensations of the climber in safety.

The Grande Fistoire via ferrata offers you a vertical, aerial and physical hike.

Thanks to a specific layout, this course is accessible to all those who are in good sporting condition, who are not afraid of heights and who are committed to strictly respecting the safety instructions.

A first section, relatively easy, allows you to familiarise yourself with the progression equipment and the metal elements sealed in the rock, to access the 1st intersection of the Oak Tree (5).

► This intersection offers 2 possibilities :

an escape, on the right with access to the footbridge (5bis) to the zip lines and trails;

or on the left, the vertiginous ascent of the south face with impressive and athletic passages: the S which gets in the way (8), the slope of the Bombu (11) but which can be avoided by taking the exit of the broken arms (11bis).

From the top of the fern (12) highest point at 1100 meters, you have two options: stop and head for the zip lines and return trails or continue downhill (13) to the 59-meter footbridge. The access and intermediate exit of this apparatus are particularly aerial.

The route can end at the end of the footbridge with the last portion of via ferrata (15) to the zip lines or continue to the left in the final section which has thrills in store for you, requiring strength, balance and mind to cross the beam (16), the 32-metre Nepalese bridge (17) and the Great Wall (18).

The final is done by 3 large zip lines of 150, 130 and 220 meters, which can be avoided. The return is via a path joining the access road.

The Via Ferrata de la Grande Fistoire is about to celebrate its 30th anniversary!

The history of the via ferrata of the Grande Fistoire in that of more than 160 years of Via Ferrata:

• 1843: The first equipment is installed in Austria on the Doher Daschein track.
• 1869: 400 metres of cables are laid on the ridge connecting the two easy peaks of the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest point (3796 m).
• 1914: The First World War gave a boost to equipment. A number of daring routes were then developed to facilitate the movement of Italian and Austrian troops who were fighting for possession of strategic peaks in South Tyrol. The name Via Ferrata had just been born.
• 1936: The Trentino Mountaineers’ Society in Italy develops the via ferrata delle Bochette in the Brenta massif for sporting purposes, which is still considered a classic today.
• 1960: The hippie decade offers its hours of glory to the Italian via with the development of many very sporty air routes.
• 1988: The first via ferrata equipment is created in France, in Freissinières. Les Vigneaux and Lauzet quickly followed suit.
• 1996: Creation of the Via Ferrata de la Grande Fistoire in Cairo in the Alpes de Haute-Provence. It was then the twentieth route in France at that time.
• 1999: Installation of the Fistoires footbridge, which stretches its 60 metres of narrow planks above the “gas”, the void that is a source of pleasure mixed with fear.
• 2004: A 32-metre Nepalese bridge is added. It provides access to the final overhanging “Great Wall” of 50 metres.
• 2006: La Grande Fistoire, the only active Via in the Alpes de Haute-Provence, is ten years old and has already attracted more than 40,000 enthusiasts. Never overcrowded, this route is the closest to the Marseille metropolis.
• 2008: In October, installation of 3 zip lines (150, 135 and 220 m) with direct return to the car park
• 2019: Birth of the Ammonites via ferrata, a fun initiation and discovery course.

There are more than 200 routes in France today, mainly in the Alps but also in Corsica and the Pyrenees for more than 500 European Vias.