Winter ascents in Chamonix

The Torino Hut is a well-chosen place for making the first acquaintance with winter climbing. The hut is easy to reach with the cable car from la Palud above Courmayeur, and it is easy to reach the wide plateau of Col du Géant, which gives access to both easy and more difficult summits. On the far side of the plateau the Aiguille or Dent du Géant is throning, followed by the long Rochefort ridge, and it was this ridge we in the beginning had put as our major goal. But after having spent quite a long time on the mixed climbing up to the foot of the Dent, which marks the start of the ridge proper, I found is advisable to turn back, in order not to be caught by the darkness while descending back down the ridge.

Next