Aiguille de Triolet

3,870 m

Italy, France

Elevation: 3,870 m
Prominence: 301 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Jul
Routes: 2

AdvisoryReported 1 Oct 2026
Access to the Couvercle: the Égralets ladders have been dismantled and can no longer be used; the route now leaves the Mer de Glace at a yellow marker before the end of the Leschaux glacier and climbs long ladders. Rope-up gear is advised. Date of the change not stated; page read in October 2026.
refugeducouvercle.ffcam.fr
RegulationReported 13 Aug 2026
Chamonix municipal order 2026-00719 regulates bivouacking around the Refuge du Couvercle; ask the warden for details.
refugeducouvercle.ffcam.fr

Routes

3D Preview

Approximate line — not for navigation

An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.

Why? 8 check notes

danger scan: Refuge du Couvercle → Col de Triolet: straight line 4277 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: Refuge du Couvercle → Col de Triolet: straight line 4277 m above the last hut/bivouac
danger scan: Refuge du Couvercle → Col de Triolet: sustained 61° > 40° on a straight line
37% straight-line fallback
low confidence 0.45
Refuge du Couvercle → Col de Triolet: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 4.3 km)
Col de Triolet → Aiguille de Triolet: dem (snap_failed, 0.4 km)
unresolved waypoints: Couvercle ladders, Glacier de Talèfre

AlpinePDGlacierNormal route

The French normal route, first climbed in 1900: from Montenvers across the Mer de Glace and up long ladders to the Couvercle hut (2,683 m), then up the whole Talèfre glacier basin to the Col de Triolet (3,703 m) and along the frontier ridge to the summit. A long, rarely climbed glacier outing graded PD.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 11.5 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +2,264 m; −315 m lost on the way up
High Point: 3,870 m
Time Up: ≈ 9h 37m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 7h 01m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: take the Montenvers rack railway from Chamonix to Montenvers (1,915 m), descend onto the Mer de Glace and walk up the glacier towards the Leschaux glacier. On the right bank, before the end of the Leschaux, look for a metal drum or a large yellow square on the slabs above the moraine; cross the moraine on cairns and yellow marks to the long ladders of the new path, then follow the path to the Refuge du Couvercle (2,683 m). The old Égralets ladders have been dismantled and that line can no longer be used. FFCAM gives 4½ hours from Montenvers; the hut recommends kit to rope up for the glacier and moraine. Day two: from the hut, follow the yellow poles down onto the Talèfre glacier (scout the start the evening before) and climb the glacier east, past the Jardin de Talèfre, through the upper Talèfre basin to the Col de Triolet (3,703 m), a broad saddle on the frontier between the Pointe Isabelle and the Petites Aiguilles de Triolet. From the col the route continues along the frontier ridge to the summit (3,870 m), with rock and mixed ground at the top. Descend the same way to the Couvercle and Montenvers; check the last train time. The Talèfre glacier is heavily crevassed and has changed significantly as it has thinned, and the route is rarely climbed, so up-to-date information from the Couvercle warden or the Office de Haute Montagne in Chamonix is essential.

Start

Montenvers1,921 m

Chemin de fer du Montenvers (Chamonix–Montenvers)
Train to Chamonix (Mont-Blanc Express from Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet), then the Montenvers rack railway (summer season 2026: 1 June to 1 November).

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Montenvers → Refuge du Couvercle	6.8	945	175	4h 21m
2	Refuge du Couvercle → Aiguille de Triolet	4.7	1,319	139	5h 16m

Waypoints

Station:
Montenvers1,921 m
Feature:
Mer de Glace1,756 m
Hut:
Refuge du Couvercle2,688 m
Col:
Col de Triolet3,689 m
Summit:
Aiguille de Triolet3,870 m

Key Passages

Moraine and long ladders below the Couvercle
Crevassed upper Talèfre glacier
Col de Triolet (3,703 m)
Summit ridge from the Col de Triolet

Equipment

0/11 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 45%

Overview

A 3,870 m granite summit on the French–Italian frontier at the head of the Argentière, Talèfre, Triolet and Pré de Bar glaciers. Best known for its steep, sérac-guarded north face, a historic ice route; the normal route from the Couvercle hut is a long, rarely climbed PD glacier outing.

The Aiguille de Triolet stands at the eastern end of the Mont Blanc massif, where the ridge from the Grandes Jorasses meets the chain running north to Mont Dolent. It closes four glacier basins: the Argentière glacier to the north, the Talèfre to the west, the Triolet to the south (Italian Val Ferret) and the Pré de Bar to the east. The rock is protogine, the greenish granite typical of the massif.

Its reputation rests on the north face above the Argentière glacier, a 700–800 m sweep of snow and ice cut by a large hanging sérac, first climbed by Robert Gréloz and André Roch in 1931 and long regarded as one of the classic ice climbs of the Alps. The face changes from year to year with the hanging glacier, and recent seasons have seen a threatening sérac below the upper exit.

The easiest way up, by contrast, is a remote glacier tour: two days from Montenvers via the Couvercle hut, the Talèfre glacier and the Col de Triolet, graded PD. It sees few parties compared with the neighbouring Courtes or Pointe Isabelle, and up-to-date route information is scarce, so plan with the hut warden or the Office de Haute Montagne.

Climbing Notes

The normal route needs solid glacier-travel and crevasse-rescue skills, competence on PD rock and mixed ground at nearly 3,900 m, and fitness for a long summit day from the Couvercle. Acclimatise first on shorter routes around Chamonix. Day one is Montenvers to the Couvercle hut (about 4½ hours, including the moraine and long ladders, for which the hut advises carrying gear to rope up); day two is the hut to the summit and back, followed by the walk out. Given the sparse recent information, many parties will want an IFMGA guide.

The north face is a serious ice route (D, engagement IV) for experienced alpinists comfortable on 60–65° ice under séracs; conditions are best after a snowy spring, and the face should be inspected before committing. Check the Montenvers train timetable for the return and book the Couvercle in advance. After the first autumn snow the hut asks for an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe.

History

The first ascent was made on 26 August 1874 by J. A. G. Marshall with the guides Ulrich Almer and Johann Fischer, from the Pré de Bar side. The south side via the Col Supérieur de Triolet was climbed on 18 September 1877, and the south-east (Monts Rouges) ridge in 1898 by J.-B. Guyot, Joseph Brocherel and Adolphe Rey. Thomas Maischberger, Heinrich Pfannl and Franz Zimmer opened today's French normal route from the Couvercle in 1900. The north face was attempted in August 1930 and first climbed on 20 September 1931 by Robert Gréloz and André Roch in 8 h 40; Armand Charlet and Maurice Azéma made the second ascent in 1945, and André Contamine and Louis Lachenal the third in 1947. The first winter ascent was by Raymond Lambert and Walter Marquart on 25 February 1934.

Season

Best Jul

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Possible
April: Possible
May: Possible
June: Good
July: Best (best window)
August: Good
September: Good
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Winter; Couvercle winter room only
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Ski-mountaineering in the Talèfre basin; hut staffed from spring in some years
Apr: Spring ski season; Couvercle staffed from early April
May: Good snow cover on glaciers; north face may be in condition
Jun: Snow bridges still solid; good for the north face
Jul: Main summer season
Aug: Glacier crevasses open up; more rockfall in warm spells
Sep: Often stable weather; Couvercle staffed until the end of September
Oct: Hut unstaffed (winter room); short days
Nov: Winter conditions; Montenvers train closes in November
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Book the Refuge du Couvercle online via the FFCAM site (refugeducouvercle.ffcam.fr); booking of the 20-place winter room is also recommended to avoid overcrowding.

Fees

Montenvers rack railway ticket
Hut overnight fees (reductions for alpine club members)

Rules

Bivouacking near the Refuge du Couvercle is regulated by Chamonix municipal order 2026-00719; contact the warden
The Égralets ladders have been dismantled; use the new ladder route from the Mer de Glace to reach the Couvercle

Getting There

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Geneva Airport (GVA)

Train to Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet, then the Mont-Blanc Express to Chamonix
Montenvers rack railway from Chamonix to Montenvers (1,915 m); summer 2026 season 1 June to 1 November
For the north face: Refuge d'Argentière, reached from the Grands Montets area above Argentière (lift access has been limited since the 2018 Lognan fire; check current options)

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Rockfall
Altitude
Weather
Avalanche

Huts & Shelters

Refuge du CouvercleHutStaffedBooking required
64 beds · Staffed early April to end of September; 20-place winter room otherwise
Book Refuge du Couvercle Website of Refuge du Couvercle
2,683 m
Refuge d'ArgentièreHutStaffed
Website of Refuge d'Argentière
2,771 m