August 2023. I tackle Dent du Géant. This rocky peak culminates at 4013 meters in the heart of the Mont-Blanc massif. It is one of the summits 4000-meter peaks most climbed in the Alps. A mere 14 meters lower, it fell back into the shadows. Unnoticed by record-seeking mountaineers.
I've admired this mountain for many years. Its silhouette evokes the immensity of a world dominated by titans of stone. I've painted some fabulous portraits of it. The sharp fang of a fantastic creature determined to devour the sky. But I hadn't planned to climb it so quickly. With my guide, Johann Filliez, we dreamed of climbing the Matterhorn. With the end of the season fast approaching, we had planned to go there today. But nature decided otherwise. It's only been three days since snow covered the high summits Alps, and the winds are still blowing hard at altitude. The weather conditions don't allow us to go ahead with this adventure. We therefore decided to change our plans andclimb Dent du Géant by the normal route.
My journey in the Mont Blanc massif | From Chamonix to the Torino hut
Johann is waiting for me this evening at the Torino refuge, built at 3371 meters above sea level on the Val Ferret border between France and Italy. To reach him, I plan to cross the Mont-Blanc tunnel. But when I got close to the entrance, my blood ran cold: 2 hours 20 minutes of traffic jams were forecast to reach the other end of the tunnel! At this rate, I'll never find Johann before nightfall! I decide to go to Chamonix to reach the refuge via the Aiguille du Midi. But here again, nothing is won. Access to the cable car is swarming with people. The parking lots are packed and the crowds are such that I have to wait over an hour to hope of getting up to the Aiguille. I'd never imagined I'd come across so many visitors. Will I make it in time to take the Panoramic Mont-Blanc gondola up to the refuge? I'm beginning to seriously doubt it!
After an interminable wait, I finally manage to board the cable car to the Aiguille du Midi. At over 2000 metres above the Mont-Blanc tunnel, the view is incredible. But as I fly over the mountain, a question torments me. Won't the high winds at altitude compromise the gondola's operation? Arriving at the Aiguille du Midi, I finally breathe: the Panoramic Mont-Blanc is operational. Relieved, I climb aboard to enjoy the splendid panorama before me. From the Géant glacier to the Vallée Blanche, the high glacial plateau reveals its infinite beauty. After half an hour's traverse, I descend to the Pointe Helbronner and finally join Johann at the Torino hut.
After several weeks without climbing together, we're happy to be back together. But, just when I thought I'd had my fill of worries for the day, doubt strikes again. Tomorrow's weather forecast calls for heavy weather and winds of up to 50 km/h at higher altitudes. The reported temperature is -11°C. I can only imagine how our hands will feel when they freeze on the rock faces! Our ascent is likely to be complicated. Despite the uncertainty, we decide to remain hopeful and head off to bed. Tomorrow, we'll be leaving the hut an hour later than usual, to give the mountain time to warm up. Despite the chill in the air, we'll take our chances of reaching the summit of Dent du Géant.
Ascent of Dent du Géant | Approach via the normal route
5 o'clock in the morning. The alarm goes off. I get up and join Johann for breakfast. Before even looking outside, we consult the day's forecast, which predicts snowfall on Dent du Géant. Conditions are far from optimal, and our ascent seems to be in jeopardy! But as we prepare to leave the hut, we realize that the sky is perfectly clear. No precipitation on the horizon! The weather forecast was wrong. With a calmer mind, we begin our traverse shortly after 6 a.m., ready to face the bitter cold and the blizzard. Up to the foot of Dent du Géant, I dress as usual. When I walk, I know how to adapt my pace to the variation in outside temperatures. But for the ascent of summit, I pack extra clothes so I don't have to suffer from the cold.
After surveying the glacier du Géant, we continue our run through the scree. We have to remain vigilant at all times, as rock falls are a frequent occurrence. The rocks trodden by the roped parties ahead of us could tumble down the mountain wall and land on us. So we climb carefully to the foot of the Dent. And in the first rays of sunshine, the Mont-Blanc massif reveals its magical splendor. As the wind crystallizes on the high summits, Mont Blanc, sovereign of the Alps, sees its summit disappear beneath an impressive lenticular cloud. Fascinating nature that, throughout the day, engulfs the mountains one by one under a thick mist. The purity of the morning light sublimates the hues of snow, rock and sky, creating a dazzling spectacle. In communion with the mountain, I walk along its flanks as if in the midst of a dream.
Arriving at the foot of Dent du Géant, we admire the enormous scale of its shadow cast over the Géant glacier. As if the mountain wanted to warn us of its verticality and the intransigence of its craggy rock. This is the second time I've been this close to it. Last year, I climbed this route and then crossed the Rochefort ridge. Faced with one sparkling mountain after another, we took a break, despite the biting cold and roaring winds. Suddenly, we spot a rope party turning back before reaching summit. Having left an hour before us, the climbers are now too numb from the cold to continue their ascent. A few minutes later, a second team turned back. How can we remain hopeful in the face of their disappointment? If it's so difficult to overcome Dent du Géant in such hostile weather, is it reasonable to think we'll make it? Fortunately, I know that Johann is there by my side, and that he will only abandon the traverse if absolutely necessary.
Ascension of Dent du Géant | Granite colossus in the Mont-Blanc massif
It's time to start our ascent of Dent du Géant. I bundle up to face the strong winds. After all, when we're climbing, we're more static than when we're walking. Three layers of clothing will hopefully get me through the cold. Facing us, the Dent rises. The molar or canine tooth of a rock monster with a gigantic jaw. Intimidated by its exceptional shape, I remember that climbers didn't manage to conquer its summit until 1882, such was its difficulty of access. Was I too going to conquer this 200-metre-high monolith? Would I be able to scale its dense, rough rock? The characteristic granite of the Mont-Blanc massif, known as protogine. So different from the rocks of the Valais and the canton of Berne. But now is not the time to question. As David tackles Goliath, we begin our ascent of Dent du Géant via the normal route shortly after 9am.
We cross the Dalles de Burgener, huge slabs of rock that seem impregnable. We then climb a vertiginous chimney, the last obstacle to overcome before reaching summit. In contact with the mountain and battered by the winds, I'm so cold I can't feel my hands. My fingers are numb. So I pull out my ultimate joker: my pair of ski gloves. No sooner had I put them on than my fingers were warm. What an efficiency! The blood rushes back to my hands so quickly that for a few minutes I feel extreme pain. Now fit to climb the granite walls again, I resume the ascent. We find our rhythm. Johann takes the lead to reach the next relay. Then I take off my mittens and climb up to him. He then heads back to the belay Next while I warm up my hands.
Every moment, the icy wind blows against our faces and through our clothes, gradually burning away what energy we have left. So I make sure I optimize my every move and fight to reach my goal and beat Dent du Géant. Exhausted by the cold, we make use of the fixed ropes running along the wall. Fighting this Chamonix rock hand-to-hand, I realize just how difficult this climb is. Last year, when I discovered Dent du Géant, I underestimated the power of this invulnerable peak. And the wrath of the winds only added to our difficulties. But when you decide to climb the highest summits in the Alps, you have to know how to adapt to the instability of the weather and the will of nature. For the mountain is king, and the mountaineer a passing guest.
At summit of Dent du Géant | At 4013 meters in the French Alps
With a final effort, we finally reach summit of Dent du Géant. From Pointe Sella, we reach Pointe Graham at 10.30 am. An hour of exceptional climbing, in contact with a demanding and steep rock that showed us all the strength and density of the highest peaks in the Mont-Blanc massif. Happy to be able to tread on the summit of this unshakeable tower, I pose beside the Virgin who protects the mountain. In memory of this sensational and perilous day. The one-metre-high aluminium statue has been enthroned at summit of Dent du Géant since 1904. Standing alone on the edge of heaven and earth, she attracts thunder like the wrath of the gods, and her head bears the scars of lightning strikes.
From summit de la Dent du Géant, the view of the Rochefort ridges is magnificent. As I watch the roped parties doing this route, I am reminded of the great moments I had along these ridges last year. They take shape, graphic and tapering, at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters. As climbers balance on the rocks, they make their way to the heavens. On either side of this marvellous line, the mountain reveals the complexity of its soul. Its eternal snows yet so fragile, its exposed stone yet so solid. Appearances can be deceptive. From the heights of Dent du Géant, I can also contemplate the remains of the Mer de Glace. Its waves carry my gaze down into the valley. And carried away by the beauty of the shades of grey of the rock and sky, I feel before me the immensity and grandeur of the Alps. Before leaving summit de la Dent du Géant, I can't help but admire the Aiguille Verte. This famous peak, which I intend to climb next season.
Then comes the moment I've been dreading since this morning: we have to go back down. Throughout the climb, I've managed to suppress my anxiety, but it's resurfacing. The abseils required to descend from Dent du Géant are renowned for being impressive. As I approach the south face, I'm gripped by its verticality. Will I make it? Johann takes the lead at search of the first belays and I'm left alone at summit before joining him. With fear in my stomach, I take the plunge. And before I knew it, I was at the bottom. In the end, it wasn't so difficult. To think that I'd been putting off doing this race for years because of the difficulty of the abseils! Relieved to be back at the foot of Dent du Géant, I see this descent as perfect training for future climbs. We then continue on through the glacier du Géant and the mountain's scree to reach the Torino hut.
On the way back, I think about our timeless day at summit in the Mont-Blanc massif. We endured the cold and the fury of the winds. Assailed by doubt, the outcome of this adventure seemed uncertain for a long time. And then I discovered the intransigence of granite. The ascent of Dent du Géant gave me the desire to come back stronger. Throughout the winter, I'll be training so that next summer, I can climb the Mont-Blanc mountains in the best possible conditions. Dent du Géant is the 42nd summit over 4000 metres that I have climbed, out of the 82 listed by the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme). When I get home this evening, I'll be proud to be able to tell my partner that I'm more than halfway up the challenge I set myself!
