Aiguille de la Grande Sassière
3,751 m
Italy, France
Also known as Grande SassièreAlso known as
Grande Sassière
- Elevation
- 3,751 m
- Prominence
- 792 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: PD (with snow or ice on the final ridge) (Camptocamp (Spanish version)) · R4 / Difficile (French hiking scale) (altituderando.com)
Often called the highest walk in the French Alps: a steep path from the Barrage du Saut (2,280 m) above Tignes up a long schist ridge, past a plateau at about 3,100 m and a steeper rocky section, along the edge of the Sassière glacier to an exposed final zigzag slope. 1,500 m of ascent; no alpine kit needed when dry, but the summit slope can freeze hard even in summer.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 9.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,021 m
- −567 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,751 m
- Time Up
- 9h 04m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 08m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at the end of the road at the Barrage du Saut (2,280 m), reached from the D902 at Lac du Chevril via Le Villaret du Nial and Le Franchet, do not follow the signed hiking path: a discreet path leaves a few tens of metres higher on the left and climbs very steeply north up grass, traverses left above a small rock band and continues through thinner meadows to the ridge. A first rock step (not steep but slippery) is passed on the trail or avoided to the left; a first gendarme is turned on the north side. The path climbs steadily along the ridge, briefly leaving the crest around 2,900 m across sloping ground that is awkward when snowy, to a broad rocky plateau at about 3,100 m, a common bivouac spot. Above, the ridge steepens and becomes rockier; the steepest step is turned by a slightly scrambly traverse to the left. Around 3,300–3,350 m the ridge flattens, joins the crest from the Rocher de la Davie and runs along the southern edge of the Sassière glacier. A zigzag path climbs the final west-facing slope of schist to the summit. Parties with glacier skills can alternatively cross the glacier to the Petite Sassière and reach the summit by an easy ridge. Descend the same way. Allow 7–8 hours round trip (4–5 hours up for most walkers; fit trail runners take under 3). The final slope faces west and thaws late, so frozen schist or old snow can make it treacherous in the morning, even in summer; in wet or hot conditions the schist turns to slippery mud. Do not go into the loose slopes dropping into the Sassière valley. Go only in settled weather.
Start
Barrage du Saut2,296 m
- No public transport to the Barrage du Saut; buses run from Bourg-Saint-Maurice station to Tignes (Les Brévières), leaving about 6 km and 600 m of road to walk
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barrage du Saut → Aiguille de la Grande Sassière | 9.6 | 2,021 | 567 | 9h 04m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Barrage du Saut2,296 m
- Shoulder: Junction with the Rocher de la Davie ridge3,137 m
Ridge flattens and runs along the southern edge of the Glacier de la Grande Sassière
- Summit: Aiguille de la Grande Sassière3,751 m
Key Passages
- Steep grass start above the dam (unsigned path)
- Scrambly traverse left past the steepest step above the 3,100 m plateau
- Exposed final zigzag slope of schist, often frozen in the morning
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
A 3,751 m schist pyramid on the French–Italian border above Tignes, widely described as the highest summit in the Alps reachable on foot without mountaineering gear once the summer snow has melted. A long, steep ridge walk of 1,500 m from the Barrage du Saut, in the Grande Sassière nature reserve.
The Aiguille de la Grande Sassière stands at the head of the Isère valley between Tignes and Val d'Isère on the French side and the Valgrisenche and Val di Rhêmes in the Aosta Valley. It is the fifth-highest summit in Savoie and the high point of the Réserve naturelle nationale de la Grande Sassière, a 22 km² reserve created in 1973 that rises from 1,798 m in the Daille gorges to the summit.
The normal route follows the long south-west and west ridge from the Barrage du Saut. With glacial retreat it has become, in a dry late summer, a steep but technically easy walk on a path, which has earned it the label of the highest hike in the French Alps. That label hides 1,500 m of ascent to 3,750 m, an exposed final slope of loose schist that freezes hard on cold mornings, and serious weather exposure. In early season or after snowfall it is a genuine alpine climb needing ice axe and crampons.
The summit view takes in the Mont Blanc massif, the Gran Paradiso, the Vanoise glaciers and the Tsanteleina next door. The lower slopes are rich in ibex, chamois, marmots and edelweiss.
Climbing Notes
Fitness is the main requirement: 1,500 m of steep ascent to 3,750 m and back in one day, 7–8 hours round trip for most walkers. Spend a night or two at altitude in Tignes or Val d'Isère first if you are coming from low ground. Sure-footedness on loose, sloping schist and a head for some exposure on the final slope are needed; there is no glacier on the normal route.
Check conditions before going: the Tignes Tovière webcam shows the ridge. From roughly late June in recent dry years until the first autumn snow the route is usually snow-free, but the west-facing summit slope thaws late and can be icy in the morning, so carry crampons and an ice axe unless you have recent reports of dry conditions. Start early (around 06:30) to avoid afternoon storms and the midday mud on the schist. Weekdays from late August are quieter.
The road to the Barrage du Saut is usually free of snow from May; in winter it is cleared only to Le Franchet. Many parties bivouac to split the climb, but bivouacking in the nature reserve is tightly restricted (see access).
History
The first known ascent was by Bertrand Chaudant, an inhabitant of Tignes, probably before or around 1810. The second recorded ascent was made on 5 August 1860 by Michel Croz and William Mathews with a porter, recounted in 'Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers'. Karl Blodig and Ludwig Purtscheller traversed from the Tsanteleina over the Pointe de la Traversière to the Grande Sassière on 13 August 1893, and an almost-winter ascent was made on 26 March 1894 by Achille Escudié, C. V. Louis and Émile Piaget.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Road to the dam not cleared; winter mountaineering or ski touring only
- Feb
- Ski touring for experienced parties; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Ski-touring season (north-west face and Grande Combe routes); road closed above Le Franchet
- Apr
- Spring ski touring
- May
- Road to the dam cleared during May; snow on the ridge, ice axe and crampons needed
- Jun
- In dry years the ridge is snow-free by late June; otherwise snow on the upper part
- Jul
- Usually dry; afternoon thunderstorms; bivouac allowed only June–August in the designated area
- Aug
- Best conditions; busy at weekends
- Sep
- Quieter; frozen summit slope in the morning and first snow possible
- Oct
- Snow and ice likely on the final slope; crampons strongly advised
- Nov
- Road may be closed; winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Réserve naturelle nationale de la Grande Sassière: camping forbidden; bivouac only from June to August, 19:00–07:00, on the designated area on the left bank by the dam; no fires
- Dogs only on a lead in the nature reserve
- No picking of plants (including génépi), minerals or fossils; no hunting
- Motor vehicles forbidden except authorised ones; mountain biking only on the vehicle track to the Lac de la Sassière
- Overflight below 1,000 m above ground, including drones and paragliders, is prohibited over the reserve
- Getting There
Tignes; Val d'Isère; Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Geneva (GVA) or Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc (CMF)
- Car: Albertville – Moûtiers – Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then the D902 towards Val d'Isère; at the Lac du Chevril turn left after the second tunnel onto the steep road via Le Villaret du Nial and Le Franchet to the car park at the Barrage du Saut (2,280 m)
- Train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, then bus towards Tignes and Val d'Isère; no service to the Barrage du Saut
- In winter the road is cleared only to Le Franchet (1,920 m); it is usually clear to the dam during May
Hazards
- Altitude
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Exposure