Combin de Valsorey
4,184 m
Switzerland
Also known as Combin du Valsorey, Grand Combin de Valsorey, +2Also known as
Combin du Valsorey · Grand Combin de Valsorey · კომბენ-დე-ვალსორეი · Гран-Комбен-де-Вальсоре
- Elevation
- 4,184 m
- Prominence
- 57 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: Camptocamp: AD+, rock 3c, engagement III · III (SummitPost (after Griffin, Valais Alps West))
The summer normal route to the Combin de Valsorey and the hut warden's recommended way up the Grand Combin: a 570 m rock ridge in three steps, equipped with 26 fixed bolts, from just above the Col du Meitin straight to the Combin de Valsorey (4,184 m). The main summit, Combin de Grafeneire, is a further 40 minutes along an easy snow ridge.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 10.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,602 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,184 m
- Time Up
- 10h
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 35m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The Combin de Valsorey is the western of the Grand Combin's three summits, 130 m lower than the Combin de Grafeneire. From the Valsorey side both normal routes top out on it, and most parties continue along the easy snow ridge to the Combin de Grafeneire (about 40 minutes) and return over the Combin de Valsorey. Day one: from Bourg-Saint-Pierre (1,632 m) follow the marked path up the Valsorey valley to the Chalet d'Amont (2,195 m, just under 2 hours), then via the Plan des Crétons to the Cabane de Valsorey (3,037 m): T3, 4 h 45 min and 1,480 m (SAC). If the side streams are in spate, cross at the Chalet d'en Bas (+30 minutes). Day two: climb the cairned path above the hut to a rock step, cross a small glacier rightwards and climb a rock rib on the left bank of the couloir below the Col du Meitin (3,610 m), joining the ridge about 60 m above the col at about 3,670 m (about 1.5 hours). The first step (350 m) is the crux: stay on or left of the crest, ignore the tempting ledges to the right, climb a steep move of 3c at a bolt and then steep rock (III+, bolts) below a large overhang before traversing right into a corner. Above, a path leads to about 4,000 m; traverse right on scree to a small couloir with a fixed rope (second step, 120 m), then climb the third step (80 m) to the summit of the Combin de Valsorey, marked by a cross. Recent parties take 4–4.5 hours from the hut. Descent is usually by the same route, with two abseils on the first step (50 m rope sufficient), or by the south-west face. Route-finding at night on the lower ridge is hard, so scout the approach the evening before. Loose slates and parties above cause stonefall.
Start
Bourg-Saint-Pierre1,620 m
- Train to Orsières, then PostBus line 12.211 (Orsières–Grand-Saint-Bernard) to Bourg-Saint-Pierre.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourg-Saint-Pierre → Cabane de Valsorey | 7.7 | 1,407 | 0 | 5h 40m |
| 2 | Cabane de Valsorey → Combin de Valsorey | 2.3 | 1,192 | 38 | 4h 20m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Bourg-Saint-Pierre1,620 m
Start at the church; PostBus stop
- Waypoint: Chalet d'Amont2,190 m
- Hut: Cabane de Valsorey3,032 m
- Col: Col du Meitin3,609 m
The ridge is joined about 60 m above the col
- Summit: Combin de Valsorey4,184 m
Key Passages
- Approach across a small glacier and up the rib beside the Col du Meitin couloir (hard to find at night)
- First step: 3c move at a bolt, then III+ below the large overhang
- Second step: small couloir with a fixed rope
- Third step to the summit cross
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The 4,184 m western summit of the Grand Combin, above Bourg-Saint-Pierre in Valais. Both routes from the Valsorey hut, the bolted Meitin ridge (AD+) and the south-west face (AD-), top out on it, and most parties continue 40 minutes to the main summit, the Combin de Grafeneire.
The Grand Combin is a broad, heavily glaciated massif between the Val de Bagnes and the Val d'Entremont, with three summits above 4,000 m: the Combin de Grafeneire (about 4,310 m), the Combin de Valsorey (4,184 m) and the Combin de la Tsessette (4,132 m). The Combin de Valsorey, with only about 57 m of prominence, is the western top; a short, easy snow ridge links it to the Grafeneire. From the south and west it presents steep, shattered rock faces above the Valsorey valley, while its north-west face is a steep snow and ice slope skied in spring.
From the Cabane de Valsorey two routes reach it. The Arête du Meitin, a 570 m west ridge in three rock steps with 26 bolts, is the hut warden's recommendation and the usual summer route (AD+, III+). The south-west face via the Plateau du Couloir (the Épaule or Spalla Isler) is technically easier (AD-, 45° and II) but loose, exposed to stonefall and best done on hard snow in spring or early summer. These southern routes avoid the Corridor on the north side of the massif, which is swept by serac falls.
Expect a long hut walk (1,480 m), an early start, and loose rock throughout. The view from the summit takes in Mont Blanc, the Pennine 4000ers and the Valais high-level route crossings.
Climbing Notes
You should be at ease climbing UIAA III on loose rock in boots, sometimes in crampons, and able to find a line through complex terrain in the dark, abseil and handle 45° snow. The day from the hut is 8–10 hours return; with the 4–5 hour walk-in, plan two days, or three if you want to rest at the hut. Acclimatise first: the hut itself at 3,037 m helps, and nearby objectives such as the Mont Vélan are common warm-ups. A guide is a sensible choice for parties new to long rock ridges at altitude.
Typical plan: Bourg-Saint-Pierre to the Cabane de Valsorey, scout the approach to the Meitin ridge in the evening, leave at about 03:00, reach the Combin de Valsorey in 4–4.5 hours, continue to the Combin de Grafeneire, and descend to the hut and the valley the same day. Choose the south-west face only on hard snow and be off it before it softens.
History
Henri Isler and the guide Joseph Gillioz made the first ascent on 16 September 1872 by the south-west face, from the Col du Sonadon side. The Meitin ridge was first climbed on 1 September 1884 by Charles Boisviel with Daniel Balleys and Séraphin Henry. The Valsorey hut lies on the original 1903 line of the Chamonix–Zermatt ski Haute Route.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Good
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Hut closed; winter room only
- Feb
- Hut closed
- Mar
- Hut reopens in late March (19 March in 2027) for ski touring
- Apr
- Ski ascents of the south-west face; hut staffed
- May
- Spring snow on the south-west face; watch for spring avalanches
- Jun
- Good snow on the face; Meitin ridge may still be snowy
- Jul
- Main season for the Meitin ridge; hut staffed
- Aug
- Meitin ridge dry; south-west face often bare and stonefall-prone
- Sep
- Hut partly staffed; colder, shorter days
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Cabane de Valsorey (CAS La Chaux-de-Fonds): online at alpsonline.org (hut_id 400), +41 27 787 11 22 or info@valsorey.ch.
- Fees
- Cabane de Valsorey: SAC hut tariff (see valsorey.ch); CSS insurance holders get member rates
- Rules
- Cabane de Valsorey: booking through the SAC online reservation system; the winter room has no cooking facilities, so bring your own stove and food
- Getting There
Bourg-Saint-Pierre (Orsières and Martigny further down the valley)
Geneva (GVA); Turin (TRN) via the Great St Bernard tunnel
- Train to Martigny, then St-Bernard Express to Orsières, then PostBus line 12.211 to Bourg-Saint-Pierre
- By car: Martigny – Orsières – Bourg-Saint-Pierre on the Great St Bernard road; from Italy via Aosta and the Great St Bernard tunnel
- Hut approach: Bourg-Saint-Pierre – Chalet d'Amont – Plan des Crétons – Cabane de Valsorey, T3, 4 h 45 min, 1,480 m
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 3,037 m
Cabane de ValsoreyHutStaffedBooking required
52 beds · Staffed in spring and summer (fully April, July and August; partly March, May, June and September); 2027 reopening on 19 March; emergency room year-round
- 3,662 m
Bivacco Biagio MussoBivouacUnstaffed
9 beds · Year-round, unstaffed