Bérangère (Aiguille de la)

Overview

The Aiguille de la Bérangère is the first striking summit in the west side of the range of the Dômes de Miage

The Col de la Bérangère (3348 m) separates the Aiguille from the Dômes. It is the single not ice-covered summit of this crest. His dominant situation , 2400 m over Les Contamines is amazing. The south face of the summit borders the Valley of Tré la Tête with the third biggest glacier of the French Mont-Blanc massive. The north face dominates in the W the Comb of Armancette and is covered by the Glacier of Armancette in the E. The snowfields of the south-side are remainder of the Glacier of Bérangère, near the secundary summit (Pointe des Conscrits 3226 m).
The large rock groups named "Têtes de Tré la Tête" under the summit in the west overhang the tong of the Tré la Tête Glacier and the Refuge of Tré la Tête :
- Grande Roche de Tré la Tête 2454 m
- Pointe de Charbogne 2754 m
- Pointe des Terriers 2717 m
- Pointe du Plan 2725 m
- Pointe de Tré la Grande 2650 m
- Le Triangle 2364 m
- Tête Noire 1973 m near the Refuge of Tré la Tête
- Mont Freugé 1932 m near the path of the Tour du Mont-Blanc.

Getting there

- By air : International airports:
* Geneva
Tel: 00 41 22 799 31 11 - Fax: 799 31 40
France exit at the airport
Tel: 00 41 22 798 20 00

* Lyon Saint-Exupéry
Tel: 00 33 4 72 22 72 21
Regular coach services:
Tel.: 00 33 4 72 35 94 96

* Annecy Haute Savoie Airport
Tel: 00 33 4 50 27 30 06
Transfers: Taxi to the SNCF railway station
Chambéry Airport
Tel: 00 33 4 79 54 46 00
Transfers: Taxi to the coach station or SNCF railway station

- Nearest station : St Gervais les Bains - Le Fayet station
12 km (7.5 miles)

DIRECT TGV (high speed train) SERVICE, PARIS/SAINT GERVAIS at weekends
Direct trains to Paris - Lyon - Nice - Marseille, etc.
Connections for TGV service in Annecy - Aix-les-Bains - Bellegarde
For more information: www.sncf.fr
Direct line to SNCF railways:
00 33 8 92 35 35 35

Pick up services at the station:
Taxi Besson: 8-seater minibus and 6-seater minivans by prior arrangement:
Tel. : 00 33 4 50 93 61 47 - Fax: 00 33 4 50 78 07 67
SAT bus services (see timetables below)
74190 PASSY
Tel : 04 50 78 05 33 - Fax : 04 50 78 07 62
For more information: www.sat-leman.com

- START POINT: Les Contamines, 9 km over Saint Gervais (D 902)

- From Chamonix, take E 25 (N 205) direction Les Houches, exit Le Fayet to Saint Gervais.

- From Paris:
A6 then A40 autoroute to Mâcon Nord, then towards Geneva, then Autoroute Blanche to the Passy exit (12 km / 7.5 miles from the resort).

- From Lyon:
A42 Lyon-Pont d'Ain then A40 Mâcon-Geneva.
A43 Lyon - Chambéry - Annecy - Le Fayet

- From the south of France:
Marseille - Lyon A7 or Marseille - Valence A7, then Valence - Grenoble and A41 Grenoble - Passy A40.

When To Climb

From june to september.
Fantastic ski descent in winter through the Comb of Armancette (2200 level difference)
Weather conditions : Meteo Chamonix

Red Tape

No permits.
Park free in Notre Dame de la Gorge and in Le Cugnon.
The Aiguille de la Bérangère is situated in the Natural Reserve of Contamines-Monjoie.

Normal route

1) The most used route to climb the Aiguille de la Bérangère is the crossing if the whole ridge from the Col des Dômes (NE ridge). See the Dôme de Miage page.

2) Normal and easiest route is from Les Contamines and the Refuge des Conscrits.
Level difference : 2300

View from the summit

Occidental Dôme of the Miage with his W ridge, Aiguille de Bionnasay, Mont-Blanc, Aiguilles de Tré la Tête, Aiguille de la Lée Blanche, Aiguille des Glaciers, Mont-Tondu, Glacier of Tré la Tête, Beaufortin Mountains, Aiguille Croche, Les Contamines 2200 m lower.

Huts

- Refuge des Conscrits 2602 m
- Refuge de Tré la Tête 1970 m
- Refuge Durier
- Refuge du Plan Glacier
- Refuge Robert Blanc

Maps and Books

- Map : TOP 25 3531 Saint Gervais - Massif du Mont Blanc. Be careful to have a new edition. On older maps, the Refuge des Conscrits is the OLD one, not placed in the well position.

- Book : Sommets du Mont Blanc - Edition Glénat from Jean-Louis Laroche and Florence Lelong : "Les plus belles courses de facile à difficile".

External Links

• Meteo Chamonix
  Weather conditions in the Mont-Blanc Massif
  
• Refuge des Conscrits
  Home page of the Compagnie des Guides of Saint Gervais
  
• Dômes de Miage
  Summitpost page of the Dômes de Miage
  
• Dômes de Miage
  Dômes de Miage SP page
  

Images

View Bérangère (Aiguille de la) Image Gallery - 23 Images