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41794 Hits
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85.61% Score
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21 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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45.92370°N / 7.04340°E |
Elevation:
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12543 ft / 3823 m |
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Overview
Mont Dolent is an important geographical summit lying just SE of the junction of 3 frontiers: France, Italy and Switzerland. The mountain has 4 irregular faces wich provide high quality snow and ice climbs of all standards, and the view from the summit is both superb and extensive. An excellent panorama of the Mont Blanc Massif is guaranteed.
FIRST CLIMB
By A. Reilly and E. Whymper with M. Croz, H. Charlet and M. Payot on July 9, 1864.
FIRST WINTER CLIMB
By G. Couchepin, O. Dehms, J. Sautier and R. Schanze with M. Crettez on March 12, 1911.
MOST IMPORTANT ROUTES
S face and SE ridge (Normal) - PD, 4 h from Bivacco Fiorio. Route of the first party.
E ridge - AD, 4 h 30 min from Refuge-bivouac de la Maye. First climbed by A. Jacquerod and M. Kurz with J. Gabiou, Aug. 2, 1907.
N ridge - D, 8 h from Refuge d'Argentière. First climbed by G. Bolaffio and J. Kugy with J. Croux and C. Savoye, July 25, 1904.
N face and NE ridge - D, 8 h from Refuge d'Argentière. First climbed by J. Belleville and R. Devouassoux, June 4, 1974
NW face - TD, 8 - 10 h from Refuge d'Argentière. First climbed by M. Couturier with A. Charlet and A. Simmond, June 10, 1934.
N face direct - TD, 9 h from Cabanne de l'A Neuve. First climbed by L. Dubost and L. Gevril, July 16, 1950.
Pointe 3.534 m W couloir - ED 1/2, 8 h from Refuge d'Argentière. First climbed by J. Deletre and G. Perroux, April 12, 1980.
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Getting There
Ferret can easily be reached by public transport from all the mayor towns of Switzerland.
At Arnuva (1.769 m) there is a parking, this is the starting point to Pré de Bar hut and Bivacco Fiorio.
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When To Climb
Summer always is a possibility. On the other hand, high loads of firm snow on the final slope usually are no disadvantage (with ski from March to June).
Huts
REFUGE ELENA (2.061 m)
At Pré de Bar, CAI, 115 places (15 in winter), open from 15 June to 15 September. Tel: (0039)-(0)165-844688. Another site.
BIVACCO FIORIO (2.800 m)
CAAI, 20 places, no reservation possible, no warden. Placed on the rocky flanks that form the left bank of the Pré de Bar glacier. There is no toilet. It is a matter of common sense where you collect the water you drink. The old hut 30 m lower has room for 5. Tel: Italy-(0039)-(0)11-546031
REFUGE D'ARGENTIERE (2.771 m)
CAF, 150 places (68 in winter), guarded on February weekends (weather depends), from late February to mid May and from late June to mid Septembre, tel 04 50 53 16 92, warden tel. 04 50 54 62 51 before warden period. Placed on the right bank of the Argentière glacier at the foot of the SW (Jardin) ridge of the Aiguille d'Argentière.
email: refugeargentiere@yahoo.fr
LA FOULY (1.594 m)
Gîte d'étape Les Girolles, tel. 027 783 18 75
Hôtel-refuge, tel. 027 783 11 71
FERRET (1.700 m)
Restaurant-refuge, tel 027 783 11 88 or 027 783 10 57.
REFUGE BIVOUAC DE LA MAYE OR DOLENT BIVOUAC (2.667 m)
CAS, 12 places, permanently open. Guarded sometimes in summer, gaz stoves provided. Situated below the tip of the Dolent glacier on the left bank, tel: 026 912 42 84. Site.
REFUGE DE L'A NEUVE (2.735 m)
CAS, 28 places (20 in winter), warden from the end of June to the end of September. Placed under Pointes des Essettes to the east of the A Neuve glacier, tel: 027 783 24 24. Site.
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Books and Maps
Guidebook (available in german or french):
Maurice Brandt: Clubfuehrer Walliser Alpen 1. Vom Trient zum Gr. St. Bernard. Lausanne 1999
Edition SAC
Maps:
292 Courmayeur, 1:50.000, Bundesamt fuer Landestopographie, CH-3084 Wabern, Switzerland
swisstopo
Pays du Mont Blanc, 1:50.000, Didier Richard, sheet 8
IGN 3630 OT, top 25, 1:25.000
External Links
- Refuge de l'A Neuve
Information in French about this hut. The main page doesn't admit more links :-(
3 Routes
Diego Sahagún - Jun 23, 2003 6:58 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentMy new (not early XIX or XX Century's) Italian map (1:50.000) shows an altitude of 3.823 m, and the French ones (1:50.000) have an altitude of 3.823 m (1:25.000) and 3.819 m (1:50.000).
alpenkalb - Jun 24, 2003 1:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentIt is usual (at least in the Alps) that local authorities measure their mountains. Thus when the French draw a map they would take the altitude from the Italians or the Swiss. The exactitude of the Swiss topography is 1 cm today. Maybe it is 3819.xx m, and my reading is rounded.
Diego Sahagún - Jun 25, 2003 2:51 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentNo alpenkalb, what I'm saying is that topography is not an exact science. The measurements depend on many factors and different editions of maps give different heights for the same top. Some people here, as gordonye, could tell us the differences on measurements using different projections, measuring systems, etc.
om - Jun 25, 2003 12:00 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentSwiss exactitude is not a legend...
Diego Sahagún - Jul 19, 2003 5:39 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentOne difficulty of doing a good measurement is because it's very difficult to find a model for the geoide, the theoretic extension of the seas under the continents.
desainme - Jul 19, 2003 8:28 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentA doleful affair.
It might be interesting to
rate the climbs or views of Mt. Dolent from different territories. It is said that the
state of Ohio relinquisthed its half
of the Ohio River to Kentucky so that the Commonwealth might have the priveledge of maintaining the bridges.
Diego Sahagún - Jul 20, 2003 4:41 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentI don't think that it's a doleful affair. Why? The mountains have ever marked the frontiers between countries. However, mountaineering is aside politics in many cases, so I don't think that rating the climbs or views of Mont Dolent from different territories would be interesting.
Anyway it's curious that story of the Ohio River. Thanks for reading my page.
alpenkalb - Jun 22, 2003 2:16 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentThe french border does not touch the summit. The meeting point of the 3 countries is the gendarme 3751 m of the NNW ridge.
The altitude of Mont Dolent is 3820. 3823 was measured about 100 years ago, before the error between sea leavel and Geneva (ca. ) was detected.
Mont Dolent is a Swiss/Italian mountain.
Diego Sahagún - Jun 23, 2003 6:58 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentMy new (not early XIX or XX Century's) Italian map (1:50.000) shows an altitude of 3.823 m, and the French ones (1:50.000) have an altitude of 3.823 m (1:25.000) and 3.819 m (1:50.000).
alpenkalb - Jun 24, 2003 1:13 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentIt is usual (at least in the Alps) that local authorities measure their mountains. Thus when the French draw a map they would take the altitude from the Italians or the Swiss. The exactitude of the Swiss topography is 1 cm today. Maybe it is 3819.xx m, and my reading is rounded.
Diego Sahagún - Jun 25, 2003 2:51 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentNo alpenkalb, what I'm saying is that topography is not an exact science. The measurements depend on many factors and different editions of maps give different heights for the same top. Some people here, as gordonye, could tell us the differences on measurements using different projections, measuring systems, etc.
om - Jun 25, 2003 12:00 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentSwiss exactitude is not a legend...
Josh - Jun 25, 2003 12:39 pm - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentBlah...
Diego Sahagún - Jul 19, 2003 5:39 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentOne difficulty of doing a good measurement is because it's very difficult to find a model for the geoide, the theoretic extension of the seas under the continents.
desainme - Jul 19, 2003 8:28 pm - Voted 10/10
Untitled CommentA doleful affair.
It might be interesting to
rate the climbs or views of Mt. Dolent from different territories. It is said that the
state of Ohio relinquisthed its half
of the Ohio River to Kentucky so that the Commonwealth might have the priveledge of maintaining the bridges.
Diego Sahagún - Jul 20, 2003 4:41 am - Hasn't voted
Untitled CommentI don't think that it's a doleful affair. Why? The mountains have ever marked the frontiers between countries. However, mountaineering is aside politics in many cases, so I don't think that rating the climbs or views of Mont Dolent from different territories would be interesting.
Anyway it's curious that story of the Ohio River. Thanks for reading my page.