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

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