Combin de la Tsessette
4,135 m
Switzerland
Also known as Grand Combin de Tsessette, კომბენ-დე-ლა-ტსესეტი, +2Also known as
Grand Combin de Tsessette · კომბენ-დე-ლა-ტსესეტი · Grand Combin de la Tsessette · Гран-Комбен-де-ла-Тсесетт
- Elevation
- 4,135 m
- Prominence
- 52 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- May
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: Ski: AD-, S3 (Labande) (Camptocamp)
The technically easiest line to the eastern summit of the Grand Combin: up the Corbassière glacier from the Panossière hut, then the long ramp of Le Corridor beneath an 800 m band of seracs to the saddle below the Mur de la Côte, and an easy snow slope to the top. Simple ground, but the Corridor is one of the most serac-threatened passages on any Alpine normal route.
About 56% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 3 check notes
- 55% approximate geometry
- Cabane FXB Panossière → Combin de la Tsessette: glacier (snap_failed, 8.4 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Greniers de Panossière, Glacier de Corbassière, Plateau des Maisons Blanches, Plateau du Déjeuner, Le Corridor, Col sous le Mur de la Côte
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 15.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,755 m
- −112 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,135 m
- Time Up
- 11h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Fionnay (1,491 m) in the Val de Bagnes a well-marked path (T2) climbs the north side of the valley past the Greniers de Panossière and the Bisse de Corbassière to the Cabane FXB Panossière (2,641 m) on the lateral moraine of the Corbassière glacier, about 3½–5 hours. Other approaches come from Mauvoisin via the Col des Otanes or from Brunet via the Col des Avouillons. Day two: follow the moraine, then cross the Corbassière glacier towards the Combin de Corbassière and climb its west bank, around a large crevasse barrier, to the Plateau des Maisons Blanches (about 3,300 m). Here you must choose between turning east late, under the huge serac above the Plateau du Déjeuner, or earlier through a zone of larger crevasses. From the Plateau du Déjeuner traverse left into Le Corridor, a broad ramp rising eastwards beneath the serac wall of the summit plateau, and climb it as fast as possible to the saddle at about 4,083 m below the Mur de la Côte. From there pass north of the small hump (Pt 4117) and slant left up easy snow to the summit. Descend the same way. The Corridor was the normal route to the Grand Combin until a series of serac falls and fatalities moved traffic onto the Couloir du Gardien after about 1980; today it is used mostly in descent, quickly, in spring, and the SAC describes all north-side routes as threatened by icefall at any time. Most parties climb it on ski in April–May; in summer it is rarely used as an ascent route.
Start
Fionnay1,489 m
- Train to Martigny, St-Bernard Express to Le Châble, then the TMR/PostBus line Le Châble–Lourtier–Fionnay–Mauvoisin.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fionnay → Cabane FXB Panossière | 6.6 | 1,157 | 7 | 4h 41m |
| 2 | Cabane FXB Panossière → Combin de la Tsessette | 8.4 | 1,598 | 107 | 6h 36m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Fionnay1,489 m
Bus stop and parking; Hôtel du Grand Combin
- Hut: Cabane FXB Panossière2,641 m
- Summit: Combin de la Tsessette4,135 m
Key Passages
- Crevasse barrier on the Corbassière glacier below the Plateau des Maisons Blanches
- Approach to the Plateau du Déjeuner (serac above, crevasses below)
- Le Corridor (serac fall)
- Easy final snow slope from the saddle at about 4,083 m
Equipment
0/12 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The eastern of the three 4,000 m summits of the Grand Combin, above the Val de Bagnes and Lac de Mauvoisin. Easy on its final slopes but reached only through glacier terrain dominated by large seracs, either directly by Le Corridor or as part of a traverse of the Grand Combin.
The Grand Combin is a broad, heavily glaciated massif in south-west Valais with three summits over 4,000 m: the Combin de Grafeneire (4,314 m, the main summit), the Combin de Valsorey (4,184 m) and the Combin de la Tsessette (4,135 m), with the Aiguille du Croissant on the crest between the first and the last. The Tsessette is the lowest and most easterly of the three, with only about 50 m of prominence; to the east its face drops about 1,200 m to the Glacier de la Tsessette and Lac de Mauvoisin.
The summit itself is an easy snow dome, but every route to it crosses the north side of the massif, where an 800 m band of seracs on the edge of the summit plateau overhangs the approaches. The direct line, Le Corridor from the Panossière hut, is technically the easiest and was the historic normal route for the whole massif, but it lies directly below the seracs. Most climbers now reach the Tsessette as the last summit of a Grand Combin day: up the Couloir du Gardien to the plateau, over the Grafeneire and the Aiguille du Croissant, down the Mur de la Côte, and then back down the Corridor.
The massif is at its best as a ski-mountaineering objective in spring; the Panossière hut names May on ski as the best period. In summer the Couloir du Gardien turns to bare ice from about late July. A serac collapse on the north side in May 2022 killed two climbers and injured nine, and the SAC stresses that icefall is possible at any time.
Climbing Notes
This is a serious glacier objective rather than a beginner's 4,000 m peak. You need efficient crampon technique on 45° (sometimes steeper) snow and ice if you take the Couloir du Gardien, confident movement on steep slopes in descent (Mur de la Côte), crevasse-rescue skills, and the judgement to minimise time under seracs. Fitness for 1,500–1,700 m of ascent from the hut and a long descent to Fionnay on the same day is needed.
The usual plan is two days: Fionnay to the Cabane FXB Panossière, then an early (around 03:00) start for the summit and return. In spring most parties go on ski; in summer go early in the season, while the Gardien still holds snow. A local IFMGA guide is strongly advisable, both for the technical sections and for current knowledge of serac activity.
Book the Panossière hut in advance by phone, email or online, and ask the guardians about current conditions: they give daily advice on the state of the Gardien and the Corridor. Avoid the north side altogether after heat waves or when the serac band has been active.
History
The first ascent of the Combin de la Tsessette was made on 21 July 1894 by E. F. M. Benecke and H. A. Cohen. The main summit of the Grand Combin had been climbed on 30 July 1859 by Charles Sainte-Claire Deville with the Balley brothers and Basile Dorsaz as guides. The Panossière hut has a long history of destruction and rebuilding: the third hut was crushed by an avalanche in March 1988, and the present private hut, financed by the François-Xavier Bagnoud foundation, was built in 1996.
Season
Best May- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Possible
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed
- Feb
- Winter; hut closed
- Mar
- Hut staffed from late March; ski ascents
- Apr
- Ski-mountaineering season
- May
- Best period, on ski (hut advice); hut closes end of May
- Jun
- Hut closed until late June
- Jul
- Summer season; Couloir du Gardien usually good until about late July
- Aug
- Gardien often bare ice; higher serac and rockfall activity in heat
- Sep
- Hut closes late September; icy conditions
- Oct
- Hut closed
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Cabane FXB Panossière: online via panossiere.ch, by phone +41 27 771 33 22 or info@panossiere.ch; reservations for 2027 open on 1 January 2027.
- Fees
- Cabane FXB Panossière (private hut, no Alpine Club discount): CHF 80 per adult per night with dinner and breakfast (2026)
- Rules
- Panossière hut: reservation required for overnight stays; sleeping sheet compulsory
- Panossière hut: water is strictly rationed in spring, no showers
- Getting There
Fionnay (Val de Bagnes); Le Châble and Verbier further down the valley
Geneva (GVA)
- Train to Martigny, then the St-Bernard Express to Le Châble
- Bus (TMR/PostBus) Le Châble–Lourtier–Fionnay–Mauvoisin; some weekend runs on reservation only
- By car: Martigny–Sembrancher–Le Châble–Fionnay; parking in Fionnay or at the Mauvoisin dam in summer
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Avalanche
- Altitude
- Weather
- Exposure
- Cornices
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,641 m
Cabane FXB PanossièreHutStaffedBooking required
75 beds · Staffed 28 March – 30 May and 27 June – 26 September 2026