end of the Dents Blanches wall, which should not be confused with the better-known 4356m Dent Blanche in the Pennine Alps (see 2:6). While a short spur continues roughly westward, carrying the spectacular cliffs of Les Terres Maudites, the frontier ridge turns to the east, then kinks southeast across Col de Bossetan (2289m) before rising for almost 400m to the Pointe de la Golette which effectively marks a junction of ridges. To the southwest the crest of Les Dents d’Oddaz projects well into France, but the Dents Blanches ridge stretches a little north of east over a succession of minor summits and cols. Its precipitous north wall, whose highest point is the Dent de Barme (2759m), usually holds onto pockets of snow throughout much of the summer. According to an early Baedeker guide, its ascent from the Barme alpage was (in wonderfully restrained 19th-century prose) a 6hr climb ‘without danger for proficients’.
Not surprisingly it is the block of the Dents du Midi that attracts most of the attention of visitors to the Val d’Illiez. Seen from almost everywhere in the valley this abrupt wall, with its clean strata lines picked out by snow from autumn through to early summer, culminates in a row of seven prominent peaks – the famed dents or teeth. Aligned roughly northeast to southwest, these seven dents are: Cime de l’Est, La Forteresse, Cathédrale, Eperon, Dent Jaune, Les Doigts, and the highest of them all, the Haute Cime at 3257m.
Although not particularly high by comparison with summits in the nearby Mont Blanc or Pennine ranges, the Dents du Midi give every impression of being big mountains, and while there are only three small glaciers, and the rock is said to vary from good to mediocre and even bad, the range offers some fine expeditions. Generally speaking, the easiest routes are to be found on the west and south sides; the more difficult ascents being made on the north and east flanks. Most of the climbing takes place in the snow-free months of July to early October, but the Haute Cime is also climbed in winter on ski.
Signal de Soi gives a clear view of the Northwest Face of the Dents du Midi
There are huts on both the north and south sides from which to make a base. On the north there’s the unmanned, eight-place Refuge de Chalin (2595m) which is owned by the SAC (www.cas-chaussy.ch), and the nicely situated, privately owned Cabane d’Antème (2037m) which has 35 places and is manned from July to mid-October (www.vs-wallis.ch/wallis/huetten/enteme). On the south side of the massif the Cabane de Susanfe (2102m) is SAC owned, with 72 places and a warden in residence from mid-June until early October (www.susanfe.ch); while high on the southeast flank close to the Plan Névé glacier, the SAC’s Refuge des Dents du Midi (2884m) has just 20 places and self-catering facilities (info: tel 024 466 15 30), while overlooking the dammed Lac de Salanfe, the Auberge de Salanfe (1942m) is owned by the Commune d’Evionnaz. With 120 places, the auberge is manned from June to the end of September (www.salanfe.ch).
Since very little information about the Dents du Midi appears in English, a brief summary of routes on the main dents is offered here. But for a full run-down, see the SAC guide Chaîne franco-suisse (in French).
Cime de l’Est (3177m) is arguably the most impressive of all the peaks, but standing at the northeastern end of the chain (thus being the farthest from Val d’Illiez) it is seen at its best from the Rhône valley side where its triangular NE (St Maurice) Face tapers to a sharp point some 2800m above the valley. First climbed in October 1943 by André Roch, with P Bonnant and R Aubert, this remains one of the peak’s classic routes, graded TD. The voie normale (PD+) is by the West Ridge, while a direct ascent of the Arête de Valère (North Ridge) foiled a number of parties before Chris Bonington, John Harlin and Rusty Baillie achieved its first full ascent in August 1965, a route now reckoned to be TD+ and accessible by a short approach from the unmanned Chalin refuge.
La Forteresse (3164m) is a double summited tower situated above the Col de la Cime de l’Est, first climbed in 1870 by one of the district’s greatest advocates, Emile Javelle, with J Oberhauser. Their route, by the East Ridge (F), is today’s voie normale, while more challenging climbs are to be had on the NW Couloir (AD) and the Soi Ridge/NW Face (AD+).
La Cathédrale (3160m) is the twin of La Forteresse, from which it is separated by a gap containing the Aiguillete Délez, named after the guide who made the first ascent in 1890. The popular Cathédrale-Forteresse traverse is graded AD, as is the SE Face, but the Délez Couloir goes at PD+. Rising from the Fenêtre de Soi, which separates the Cathédrale from L’Eperon, the SW Ridge rewards with one of the classic climbs of the Dents du Midi chain, an exposed 150m route first climbed in 1928 and now graded D, IV.
L’Eperon (3144m) rises above the secondary summit of the Petit Eperon by way of a series of rock steps which appear saw-like from the Val d’Illiez. The easiest route is by way of the SW Ridge above the Col de l’Eperon; the NE Ridge provides a traverse of the two summits at AD, while the NW Face is said to attract attention in winter.
Dent Jaune (3186m) is the elegant yellow thumb-like projection standing proud above the deep gap of the Col de la Dent Jaune, on the other side of which rise the Doigts de Champéry and de Salanfe. Originally there were two summits here, but one of these collapsed in the 19th century. The voie normale begins at the deep col mentioned above, cuts diagonally across the SE Face to join the NE Ridge, then follows this to the summit. Known as the Vire aux Genevois it was first climbed in 1894 by Georg and Malsch, and is now graded AD.
Doigts de Champéry and de Salanfe (3210m, 3205m) are grouped together with a secondary point known as the Pouce. Stonefall is a major concern here, especially in the Couloirs des Doigts, du Pouce and Dent Jaune. The NNE Face of the Doigt de Champéry offers the most challenging of the routes; a long and serious TD- climb pioneered by Lugon and Ramel in August 1937.
Haute Cime du Dents du Midi (3257m), despite being the highest of the group, its summit is easily reached by little more than a steep 2–2½hr walk from Col de Susanfe – ‘very fatiguing, but without danger to the sure-footed,’ is how Baedeker described the route from the col. First climbed (solo) in 1788 by local Val d’Illiez priest, J M Clément, the panorama from the summit is simply stunning, so much so that it has often been said that all climbers should visit it at least once in their lives. All the major peaks of the northern Alps are visible; in 1901 Baedeker said of it: ‘The view of Mont Blanc and the Alps of the Valais and Bern is imposing; the background to the S is formed by the Alps of Dauphiné and Piedmont; the Lake of Geneva is visible from Villeneuve to Vevey.’
Whilst routes to individual summits have their obvious attraction, one of the classic outings of the group is the Traverse of the Dents du Midi (D, IV). Starting from a base at the Auberge de Salanfe, this magnificent expedition is reckoned to require around 15hrs in all, under good conditions. First achieved in a southwest–northeast direction in 1893 by one-time President of the Alpine Club, J P Farrar, with the guides Pierre-Louis Délez and Daniel Maquignaz, the traverse is said to be considerably easier when tackled from east to west (AD, III+). Though normally attempted in summer, it was first completed solo in winter in 1974, but the route still demands to be taken seriously, for the ridge is over 3km long and prior knowledge of individual sections would be a great benefit to anyone considering tackling what is, after all, one of the finest outings of its grade in the Alps.
ABBÉ CLÉMENT: FIRST MAN ON TOP
Abbé Jean-Maurice Clément, who it is thought made the first ascent of the Haute Cime du Dents du Midi at the age of 54, was a cultivated man with a library of a thousand volumes on natural history and medicine. Desperately
