Demoiselles Coiffées de Pontis, Rock hoodoo formation in Pontis, France

The formation comprises approximately fifty rock columns, each capped by larger stone blocks resting on narrow pedestals of conglomerate material in the French Alps near the artificial lake of Serre-Ponçon.

These geological structures formed from Würm glaciation moraines, composed of heterogeneous, non-stratified conglomerate materials shaped by erosion over tens of thousands of years during and after the last ice age.

The French name Demoiselles Coiffées means "ladies with hats", and the columns are also called Cheminées de Fées (fairy chimneys). A local legend tells that the village's young women were turned to stone at a ball just before midnight, when a terrifying cry rang out from the surrounding mountains. In Théus, a dense group of columns is known as La Salle de Bal des Demoiselles Coiffées, the ballroom of the ladies with hats.

The site lies at the edge of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, near Pontis by Embrun. The road past the columns is the one used by the Tour de France in 2017 and 2024, so it is reachable by car, with walking routes from the village. Ground on the moraine slope is uneven; wear shoes with grip and check mountain weather before setting out.

Each column maintains its form through the protective capstone, which prevents erosion while mineral salts cement the underlying conglomerate material, stabilizing the structure against weathering for centuries until the cap eventually falls.