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Bouquetins

3,838 m

Italy, Switzerland

Also known as dents des Bouquetins, ბუკეტენი, +1

dents des Bouquetins · ბუკეტენი · Dents des Bouquetins - Sommet Central

Elevation
3,838 m
Prominence
486 m
Difficulty
5/10
Easy alpine
Best Season
Apr–Jul
Routes
1

  • AdvisoryReported 1 Jul 2024

    In July 2024 Cabane de Bertol reported that the summer path to the hut was closed and a provisional route marked with blue dots was in use (date precision: month). The approach changes with glacier retreat; check with the guardians.

    bertol.cas-neuchatel.ch

Routes

1
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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? 6 check notes
  • danger scan: Cabane de Bertol → Col des Dents des Bouquetins: straight line 2706 m (limit 200 m)
  • danger scan: Cabane de Bertol → Col des Dents des Bouquetins: straight line 2706 m above the last hut/bivouac
  • danger scan: Cabane de Bertol → Col des Dents des Bouquetins: sustained 44° > 40° on a straight line
  • Col de Bertol → Col des Dents des Bouquetins: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 2.7 km)
  • Col des Dents des Bouquetins → Dents des Bouquetins - Sommet Central: dem (snap_failed, 0.3 km)
  • unresolved waypoints: Plans de Bertol
AlpinePDSources differ: PD+ (hikr.org (2018): 'WS+' for the normal route from the Col des Dents des Bouquetins to the Glacier du Mont Miné)UIAAIIGlacierNormal route

Sources differ: PD+ (hikr.org (2018): 'WS+' for the normal route from the Col des Dents des Bouquetins to the Glacier du Mont Miné)

The easiest way to the highest point of the Bouquetins chain: from Arolla to Cabane de Bertol (3,311 m), then across the upper Glacier du Mont Miné to the east side of the chain, up a 200 m snow or ice slope (to 45–50°) to the Col des Dents des Bouquetins (3,671 m), and over loose rock (I–II) by the false summit (3,824 m) to the Sommet Central (3,838 m). PD/2a.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
1,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0000 km2.557.510Cabane de Bertol
Distance
≈ 11.6 km
one way
Ascent
≈ +2,067 m
−238 m lost on the way up
High Point
3,838 m
Time Up
≈ 8h 49m
DIN 33466
Time Down
≈ 6h 23m
DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from Arolla (Magine, 1,968 m) follow the road south along the Borgne d'Arolla, then zigzag up past the Refuge des Bouquetins junction to the Plans de Bertol (2,664 m). Continue up the moraine to the Glacier de Bertol, climb its southern lobe (line not obvious; flagged in summer) to a rock outcrop at about 3,150 m, and reach Cabane de Bertol (3,311 m) by ladders with a lifeline and a metal staircase on its rock spur, about 4¼ hours (T4, glacier). The approach changes from year to year with glacier retreat. Day two: from the Col de Bertol head south across the upper Glacier du Mont Miné to the foot of the north-east slope below the Col des Dents des Bouquetins, the deep notch between the Sommet Nord and the main summit. Cross the bergschrund and climb the slope, about 200 m at up to 45–50°, often icy in summer, to the col (3,671 m). Above the col, climb steep scree and loose rock (I–II) in the east flank, keeping close to the ridge where it is dry, to the false summit (3,824 m, trig point), then follow the ridge a short distance south-west to the Sommet Central (3,838 m) and its cross. Descend the same way; the steepest rock below the false summit can be abseiled, and an ice screw is useful on the slope below the col. The rock on this section is described as the most broken of the whole chain. Many parties prefer the route in spring on skis, when firn covers the loose rock between the ski depot at the col and the summit; the classic summer outing on the mountain is the long south–north traverse (D/5a) from the Refuge des Bouquetins.

Start

Arolla2,008 m

  • Train to Sion, then PostBus to Arolla via Les Haudères.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Arolla → Cabane de Bertol8.61,298525h 30m
2Cabane de Bertol → Dents des Bouquetins - Sommet Central3.17691853h 19m

Waypoints

  1. Trailhead:
    Arolla2,008 m

    Start at Arolla, Magine (1,968 m), just south of the village

  2. Hut:
    Cabane de Bertol3,253 m
  3. Col:
    Col de Bertol3,249 m
  4. Col:
    Col des Dents des Bouquetins3,646 m

    Reached by a 200 m slope up to 45–50° from the Glacier du Mont Miné

  5. Shoulder:
    Dents des Bouquetins - Faux Sommet3,609 m

    not on route line

  6. Summit:
    Dents des Bouquetins - Sommet Central3,838 m

Key Passages

  • Ladders and staircase up to Cabane de Bertol
  • Bergschrund and 200 m slope (45–50°) to the Col des Dents des Bouquetins
  • Loose rock (I–II) from the col to the false summit

Equipment

0/8 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Clothing

Downloads

Route confidence 50%

Overview

A long, jagged gneiss ridge of five summits between the Haut Glacier d'Arolla and the Tête Blanche, its central top reaching 3,838 m on the Swiss–Italian border. Rarely climbed: the easiest route is a PD glacier and loose-rock outing from Cabane de Bertol, and the classic is a long D traverse.

The Dents des Bouquetins ('ibex teeth') form a wild, saw-toothed chain at the head of the Arolla valley in the Valais, on the border with Italy's Valpelline. From south to north the ridge carries the Pointe Barnes (3,611 m), the Petit Bouquetin or Sommet Sud (3,670 m), the Sommet Central (3,838 m, the highest point), the false summit (3,824 m) and the Sommet Nord (3,779 m), with the deep Col des Dents des Bouquetins (3,671 m) between the last two. The rock is mostly gneiss with fragile schist layers dipping north-north-west, so much of it is loose and prone to rockfall.

Despite standing just below 4,000 m among some of the most popular peaks of the Haute Route, the Bouquetins see few ascents: most routes are long, remote and demanding. The south–north traverse from the Refuge des Bouquetins to Cabane de Bertol, first completed in 1925, is one of the 'grandes courses' of the Valais, with the longest rock climbing around Arolla.

The easiest ascent of the main summit comes from the east, from the Glacier du Mont Miné via the Col des Dents des Bouquetins. It is short on technical difficulty but combines glacier travel, a steep and often icy slope and very loose rock, and many prefer it on skis in spring.

Climbing Notes

This is a mountaineering objective: glacier travel, crampon and ice-axe work on a slope up to 45–50°, and moving carefully on very loose rock up to grade II. Parties should be competent at crevasse rescue and confident placing ice screws, or go with an IFMGA guide from Arolla or Les Haudères. Acclimatisation to 3,300–3,800 m helps; a night at Cabane de Bertol is the usual approach (about 4¼ hours from Arolla, with ladders on the final rock spur).

In summer the slope below the col is often bare ice and the rock above is loose, so conditions matter more than grade; many prefer the ascent on skis in spring (March–June), when firn covers the rock. The long south–north traverse (D/5a, 12–16 hours hut to hut) is a serious undertaking for experienced rope teams with solid grade IV–V skills; it starts from the unstaffed Refuge des Bouquetins (2,980 m).

Glacier retreat is changing the approaches every year; check the current Bertol access with the hut guardians before going.

History

Jean Anzévui, Arthur Bold Hamilton and Jean Vuignier made the first ascent of the Sommet Central on 6 September 1871 by the north-east side. The north ridge from the Col des Dents des Bouquetins was first climbed on 1 September 1885 by Henri Seymour King with Ambrose Supersaxo and Alois Anthanmaten, and the first Italian ascent, by Ettore Canzio, Felice Mondini and Giacomo Noro, followed the same line on 20 August 1898. Joseph Georges and I. A. Richards made the first complete south–north traverse on 21 July 1925; in 1974 the guide André Georges traversed every summit between the Col du Mont Brulé and the Col de Tsarmine solo in nine hours.

Season

Best Apr–Jul
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Possible
  4. April: Good (best window)
  5. May: Good (best window)
  6. June: Good (best window)
  7. July: Good (best window)
  8. August: Possible
  9. September: Possible
  10. October: Not advisable
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; Cabane de Bertol unguarded (winter room)
Feb
Winter; Cabane de Bertol unguarded (winter room)
Mar
Ski mountaineering; Bertol guarded from early March
Apr
Spring ski ascent; firn over the loose rock
May
Spring ski ascent
Jun
Snow still covers the slope and rock
Jul
Summer; the slope below the col may be icy
Aug
Often bare ice below the col and very loose dry rock; rockfall
Sep
Bare ice likely; Bertol guarded until the end of September
Oct
Hut usually closed; early winter conditions
Nov
Winter conditions
Dec
Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Cabane de Bertol (CAS Neuchâtel): book via hut-reservation.org or bertol@cas-neuchatel.ch; guardians reachable on +41 79 626 65 79 (via WhatsApp in 2026). Winter room with 16 places, CHF 25. Refuge des Bouquetins (CAS) is unstaffed.
Rules
  • The ridge forms the Swiss–Italian border; carry identification
Getting There

Arolla (Val d'Hérens, Valais)

Geneva (GVA); Sion airport has few scheduled flights

  • Train to Sion, then PostBus via Evolène and Les Haudères to Arolla
  • Car: from Sion up the Val d'Hérens to Arolla; park at Arolla or Magine

Hazards

  • Glacier
  • Crevasses
  • Rockfall
  • Altitude
  • Weather
  • Avalanche
  • Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

1