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Bertol Hut to Vignettes hut via the Tete Blanche

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 Bigedthehead 29 Jun 2014
Hi all

I'm going to the alps in August and my climbing partner and I would like to do the Tete Blanche then Pigne d'Arolla. Looking at maps and possible routes I wanted to find out if anyone had gone from the Bertol Hut to Vignettes hut via the Tete Blanche i.e. using the col des bouquetines, col du mont brule and col de l'eveque. It looks reasonable on the map but i'm struggling to find any info on doing it in the summer. It seems to be a popular route for ski touring the Haute Route in the winter but is it passable in the summer

Thanks
OP Bigedthehead 30 Jun 2014
Bump...
 ChrisDaly 30 Jun 2014
In reply to Bigedthehead:

It is far easier to traverse the Tete Blanche and drop down to the Col Valpelline which then joins the routes your talking about. The last time I looked up the Col des Bouquetins (2008?) I always felt glad I had never tried to descend it as a short cut. Very steep and loose scree/bare ice and in many years looked impassable to me. The route is otherwise fabulous views with the normal crevasse hazards minimised by keeping as close as you dare to the cliffs above you but away from the glacier dropping towards Aosta.
Conditions may have changed but old guides from memory mixed up these cols.
OP Bigedthehead 30 Jun 2014
In reply to ChrisDaly:

Thanks Chris. Sounds like sound advice. I figured that as its not mentioned very often its likely to be problematic. Will probably backtrack and go down via Bertol.
graham F 30 Jun 2014
In reply to Bigedthehead:

As above, Col de Valpelline would be better than the col de Bouquetins. Col du Mont Brulé is usually a dry rubble slope by mid August. Passable but not much fun. Col de l'Éveque is usually fine in August. Going from Bertol to Vignettes in a day by that route would be quite long, but you could split it at the Bouquetins bivvy hut. Or return via Bertol then go to the Bouq bivvy.

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