BTW I'd recommend the climb from just east of Bourg d'Oisans up to La Berade. It follows a valley behind Les Deux-Alpe up to the bowl of the Ecrins. It's a beautiful, not very well trodden path and...

It sounds like you're pretty fit, so for me the key is getting some longer efforts in. UK hills are all very well but we having nothing anywhere close to long enough to compare to the Alps. Col du...