UKC

Rockfax Description
III, 220m, 4 - 5 hours. A classic alpine pinnacle route.

1) 4a/A0 or 4c. Step left and then climb the awkward gully for 20m (4c or 4a with a cheeky pull on a bolt - there are five bolts all together on the pitch) to a belay on an iron stanchion beneath a deep gully.
2) 4b. Climb the gully easily enough on positive holds and step left at the top via a tricky mantelshelf move (4b) to reach a large ledge at the foot of the vast Burgener slabs, which are equipped with chunky fixed ropes.
3)  It is possible to free climb the slabs but the presence of the fixed ropes makes this somewhat arbitrary. Yard up for 50m with bolts for protection to another stunningly-positioned belay.
4) Carry on up the slabs for 25m before following the ropes out rightwards on mind blowingly exposed traverse using the ropes and some good flakes to a belay beneath some flake-filled chimneys.
5) 4c. Climb the chimneys (4c) in a superb position and with the ropes still to help you.
6) Stay right of the ridge crest, passing some short walls, before getting onto the crest of the ridge just below Pointe Selle (the south summit of the Dent du Géant) and climbing to the summit.
7) 3c. From Pointe Selle, descend a short chimney (3c) and traverse the easy but exposed ridge to the higher north summit. Give the summit madonna a peck and admire the spectacular view!
Descent - Abseil down the South Face. The first anchor is between the two summits of the Dent, on the Courmayeur side. The second abseil is diagonally rightwards facing out, if you go straight down you will end up hanging. There are anchors at least every 30m so you can abseil with either a single 60m rope or double ropes. The abseils are steep and a stuck rope could be extremely hard to retrieve in some places so take great care! From the Salle à Manger, descend via the approach rib. © Rockfax

UKC Logbook Description
See the Alpine Club guide or just follow the crowds. In addition to this watch out for frequent stonefall when ascending the loose mixed ground under the Salle a Manger.
If you choose to don't use the fixed ropes it goes at D V+.

B, D and J Maquignaz 28/Jul/1882.

Ticklists

Rebuffat's 100 Finest Routes in the Mont Blanc Massif , Big Routes , Escalades Choisies Mont-Blanc Aiguilles Rouges (60 Routes 4 to 6a+) , Alpine Dreamz , Alpine Progression , A mix of routes to the summits of great Peaks in the Alps via standard'ish routes , RGU Shelterstone , Alps 2023 , BMC - Easier Classics in the Mont Blanc Range , Chamonix 2023 , TM Alps , Neonatal Alpinist 2023 , Big Ideas , Alpine Peaks and routes , Fredventures Alps 24

Feedback

User Date Notes
tomlake 6 Sep, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Abseils stations are great, 60m single rope is ideal for climb & descent. Nuts and small cams useful.
Show beta
βeta: Abseils stations are great, 60m single rope is ideal for climb & descent. Nuts and small cams useful.
Leahcleire 10 Aug, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Very very windy & some icy patches. Couloir was a bit sketchy on the descent. New abseil stations are very snazz
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Very very windy & some icy patches. Couloir was a bit sketchy on the descent. New abseil stations are very snazz
et19 12 Jul, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Very large loose blocks on approach, even worse on decent, rocks tumbling all day. Be careful - There’s one (fun) abseil that will leave you hanging in space unless you have 2x 60m which just touches the floor on stretch. (Though there seems like an intermediate abseil that 50m may or may not reach and is impossible to see from above and would feel committing, I wouldn’t trust a ukc comment on this.
Show beta
βeta: Very large loose blocks on approach, even worse on decent, rocks tumbling all day. Be careful - There’s one (fun) abseil that will leave you hanging in space unless you have 2x 60m which just touches the floor on stretch. (Though there seems like an intermediate abseil that 50m may or may not reach and is impossible to see from above and would feel committing, I wouldn’t trust a ukc comment on this.
Kike Kikon 7 Jul, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Using double ropes will surely make your descent faster in calm days. But in windy days one 50m (or 60m) rope will be more practical. There's an abseil line with anchors every 25m or less
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Using double ropes will surely make your descent faster in calm days. But in windy days one 50m (or 60m) rope will be more practical. There's an abseil line with anchors every 25m or less
TomGB 9 Jul, 2022 Show βeta
βeta: as of Jul 22 there seemed to have been several newer ab stations added which may mitigate the issues described above. From the top, we abbed from the leftmost station and had no problems.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: as of Jul 22 there seemed to have been several newer ab stations added which may mitigate the issues described above. From the top, we abbed from the leftmost station and had no problems.
Webster 9 Sep, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: it is crucial that you throw your ropes diagonally (climbers left) from the second bolted absail station, otherwise you will find yourself hanging in free space nearly 50m down desperately trying to swing into the worst possible mess of rotten and rusty tat/gear of an ab station you have ever seen! from this station, in late season 50m will not quite get you to safety unless you have a good amount of rope stretch!
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: it is crucial that you throw your ropes diagonally (climbers left) from the second bolted absail station, otherwise you will find yourself hanging in free space nearly 50m down desperately trying to swing into the worst possible mess of rotten and rusty tat/gear of an ab station you have ever seen! from this station, in late season 50m will not quite get you to safety unless you have a good amount of rope stretch!
Rodney Coburn 2 Dec, 2019 Show βeta
βeta: If you pick the wrong abseil line, starting between the top tors at the summit, you will end up free hanging at the end of the second abseil. This stance is poorly protected with old tat hanging on very rusty old pitons. (Better stance 5 metres to the left but could not get over to it). Do your homework on your descent plan.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: If you pick the wrong abseil line, starting between the top tors at the summit, you will end up free hanging at the end of the second abseil. This stance is poorly protected with old tat hanging on very rusty old pitons. (Better stance 5 metres to the left but could not get over to it). Do your homework on your descent plan.

Logged Ascents

470 users have logged this

Guidebooks for Dent du Geant

Not all climbs at crag may appear in this book 352 users have this on their wishlist

Please Login to view more details on the logged ascents

Voting
High D-
Mid D-
Low D-
High AD+
Mid AD+
Low AD+
High AD
Mid AD
Low AD
Votes cast 25
High 5a
Mid 5a
Low 5a
High 4c
Mid 4c
Low 4c
High 4b
Mid 4b
Low 4b
Votes cast 10
Votes cast 24
Style of Ascent
Alt Leads
Followed
Lead
Soloed
Not Set
Onsighted
DNF
Flashed (β)
Repeated
Redpoint
Ground Up
Not Set
Route of Interest
Face Nord Centrale

Grade: AD+ ***
(Grande Casse)

Loading Notifications...