TouringTip | Mont Dolent crossing

Ascent day 1

In la Fouly, a sleepy ski resort at the end of the valley not far from the Italian border, we parked our car and set off. We passed the small ski resort of La Fouly-Val Ferret, where there was very little going on. At least it was open, which is not a given of course at the moment, not even in Switzerland.

We were quite late and the sun was already high as we sprinted up the valley towards the Petit Col du Ferret. It was getting extremely warm and with our luggage for the night in the bivouac box, we quickly started to sweat. We initially assumed that we would take the summer path for our ascent. But when we realised that it was completely closed, we decided to take the higher traverse below the glacier band.

In the early afternoon we reached the bivouac box at 2670m. The la Maye Bivouac on the moraine of the Dolent Glacier looks like a space-age capsule from the 1970s with its orange colour, rounded corners and porthole windows. Inside, the Bivouac is pragmatically furnished in Swiss style. The light coming in through the round windows is reflected by the orange-coloured walls, bathing the capsule in a pleasantly warm atmosphere. Thanks to its prominent location, it's not a bad place to linger!

We therefore enjoyed the sun and melted snow for dinner in the meantime. Clouds gathered at night, so the stars remained hidden. The updated weather forecast still predicted "grand bleu" for the coming day and so we went to bed without a care in the world.

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Ascent day 2

We got up at 6.30 am. We had calculated that we would need about 4 hours to climb to the summit, especially as we didn't know the terrain. We planned to start the descent via the south side after 12 noon so that the slope would warm up a bit and the snow that had frozen overnight would soften.

At sunrise, we were presented with a strange panorama, the whole sky was bathed in a deep red-violet colour and the air seemed strangely hazy. What we didn't realise, and here we were just as surprised as the meteorologists, was that a Saharan dust cloud had once again settled over the Alps. We quickly realised that our hoped-for slush descent was not going to happen.

We climbed up anyway. Across the glacier with its countless seracs, crests and crevasses up to the bergschrund. The terrain was steep in places and the snow was hard, so we only found our footing with crampons. At the Bergschrund, we put our skis on our backpacks and put on our crampons. The snow on the flank leading up to the ridge was good, so we reached the east ridge, which led up to the summit, without any major difficulties.

After a short flat section over the ridge, we switched to the north-east side of Mont Dolent. Here it was steeper and much more exposed, the surroundings dominated by large seracs. The Argentière basin with its steep east faces and the Aiguille Verte stretched out in front of us. The terrain became increasingly steep as we climbed along the ridge. There was little snow covering the ice below, so we had to place our ice axes well. Everything was safe, but it was important not to make a mistake. Sliding down the north face was not on our list. We finally reached the summit pyramid and climbed through rocks to the summit.

"What a view!" should be the cliché, but our view was limited to a few kilometres that gradually disappeared into the "dust". Too bad. The sun was nowhere to be seen and so we decided not to wait for it but to descend.

The snow was extremely hard and a descent from the summit ridge seemed too risky. We therefore descended the first 250 metres, the steepest part of the Mont Dolent descent, on foot. At the bergschrund, we switched to skis and set off on the descent in the contrastless pastel orange of the midday light.

Departure

Mont Dolent is a mountain that is frequently climbed and travelled on. It was therefore not surprising that the slopes were already heavily tracked. What's more, it hadn't snowed for most of February. The situation we therefore encountered was a slope that had been ploughed up in recent weeks and was now frozen to concrete. Coupled with ideal visibility conditions, it was a dream for every skier...

Under these conditions, the descent proved to be a much greater challenge than the ascent. The snow cover was only slightly softened in places from 2700 metres upwards, making for a more relaxed ride. Things got really good from 1800 metres onwards, once we had left the Petit Col de Ferret behind us and were virtually back in the village.

Nevertheless, and despite the difficult conditions with which we were unexpectedly confronted, the crossing of Mont Dolent was a challenging but rewarding tour, which we would like to repeat when the conditions improve.

In addition to the tour described above, the Val Ferret also offers a wide range of touring and freeriding options, not only in the Mont Blanc massif but also to the south towards the Grand Golliat (3236m) and the neighbouring Col du Grand St.-Bernard.

Information on

Start - End point: La Fouly / Val Ferret / Switzerland 1594m

Altitude metres uphill | downhill: 2229m (1120 on day 1 and 1100 on day 2) | 2229m

Difficulty: Alpine: AD+ (ascent) / AD (descent) Ski: 5.1 / 4.1 (ascent) / (descent)

Maximum gradient: 45 / 40 degrees (ascent) / (descent)

Exposure: E2

Exposure: East / South

Best time of year: February to May

Accommodation: Bivouac Dolent la Maye, 12 beds, not serviced 20CHF pp. for DAV, SAC, CAF, CAI etc. otherwise 25CHF.

Map material: IGN 3630OT (1:25,000), Swiss topo Orsières 1345 (1:25,000), Swiss topo Grd. St. Bernard 1365 (1:25,000)

Route description

Ascent

From la Fouly head west towards Petit Col Ferret via Combe de Fonds.
Keep right at point 2149m. Ascent towards Glacier du Dolent.
At about 2500m below the glacier band, cross eastwards to Bivouac Dolent la Maye at 2670m. It may be possible to spend the night here.
From the bivouac, ascent over a glacier break, initially keeping to the right.
Then cross to the centre of the glacier and ascent over several steps towards Aret Gallet (east ridge).
Beware. Depending on the year, the route can also run along the right-hand edge of the glacier.
At point 3208m is the entrance to the Aret Gallet.
Cross Bergschrund at the highest possible point and ascend (approx. 60m) to the east ridge.
Follow the ridge in a westerly direction. Then make a short descent onto the glacier of the north face of Mont Dolent and ascent via serac steps to the summit pyramid.
Keep left along the ridge. Terrain with a gradient of approx. 45 degrees.
Then follow the last few metres through rocky terrain to the summit at 3823m.

Descent

Depending on snow conditions, you can ski directly from the summit.
Descent southwards via Glacier de Pré de Bard, through rocky terrain, approx. 40 degrees.
Then keep left towards point 3626m.
Ski up to approx. 3100 then keep left via Traverse to the Glacier du Petit Grépillon.
Continue down to the Bivacco Fiorio at 2729.
Then continue left to point 2513 and follow in an easterly direction to the Petit Col du Ferret at 2459m.
From there, descend via Combe de Fonds to La Fouly 1594m.

The PowderGuide touring tips are general descriptions of tours that we subjectively like. They do NOT refer to the current conditions. Read the weather and avalanche report and plan your tour accordingly.