Dent Parrachée
3,697 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,697 m
- Prominence
- 1,180 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jun–Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: F+ (Camptocamp) · PD (Altituderando)
From the Plan d'Amont dam above Aussois to the Refuge de la Dent Parrachée (2,511 m), then up the Fournache valley, a 300 m couloir of snow or loose scree at 35–40° to the Col de la Dent Parrachée (3,338 m), and the loose, exposed west ridge over the Pointe de la Fournache to the summit. About 1,650 m of ascent over two days; no glacier.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 7.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,719 m
- −74 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,697 m
- Time Up
- 6h 49m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 38m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the end of the road at the Plan d'Amont dam (about 2,050 m) above Aussois, follow the track along the north-west shore of the lake and through a cliff to the Pont de la Sétéria (2,208 m), then east past the turn to the Refuge du Fond d'Aussois and, below the Refuge de la Fournache, left up to the Refuge de la Dent Parrachée (2,511 m), about 1¼–1½ hours. From the hut a steep path leads north-east into the Fournache valley, passing left of the Grand Châtelard and keeping left of the Chaix stream across a rock glacier; many cattle paths make this confusing in the dark. At the foot of the col, climb the wide couloir, 35–40° snow early in the season or unpleasant loose scree later, passing right of a yellow rock tower in its middle and then staying in its axis (to avoid knocking stones onto parties below), to the Col de la Dent Parrachée (3,338 m). Late in the season a cairned line between two yellow spurs and a path in the scree reach the col. From the col, get round a large block on the left (Mahure side) and follow the west ridge, partly on its north side and up a short couloir that is awkward when icy, to the Pointe de la Fournache (3,639 m). An exposed crest, often snowy and sometimes corniced, leads on to the summit. Stay on the crest: the flanks are 45° rubble above long drops. Allow about 4½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way (about 3 hours to the hut and 1 hour to the car park) or, only in good snow early in the season, by the 40° couloir from the Brèche de la Loza (3,480 m) back into the Fournache valley.
Start
Plan d'Amont2,050 m
- Bus to Aussois (from Modane station); from the village about 2 hours on foot to the hut via the Refuge de Plan Sec.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plan d'Amont → Refuge de la Dent Parrachée | 3.1 | 469 | 5 | 1h 58m |
| 2 | Refuge de la Dent Parrachée → Dent Parrachée | 4.5 | 1,249 | 69 | 4h 52m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Plan d'Amont2,050 m
Car park at the end of the road below the Plan d'Amont dam
- Hut: Refuge de la Dent Parrachée2,516 m
- Feature: Le Grand Châtelard2,707 m
Passed on its left (north-west) in the Fournache valley (not on route line)
- Col: Col de la Dent Parrachée3,352 m
- Shoulder: Pointe de la Fournache3,540 m
- Summit: Dent Parrachée3,697 m
Key Passages
- Couloir to the Col de la Dent Parrachée (35–40° snow or loose scree, about 300 m)
- Large block and short couloir on the west ridge above the col
- Exposed, sometimes corniced crest from the Pointe de la Fournache to the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The Dent Parrachée (3,697 m) is the highest summit of the southern Vanoise, a crumbling limestone and schist pyramid above Aussois in the Maurienne. Its normal route, PD- without a glacier, climbs a 35–40° couloir and a loose, exposed ridge, with a wide view over the Alps.
The Dent Parrachée rises at the southern end of the Vanoise glaciers, above the Maurienne valley at Aussois and the Plan d'Amont and Plan d'Aval reservoirs. With almost 1,200 m of prominence, it dominates the southern part of the range and gives a sweeping view from the Écrins to the Grand Paradis and Mont Blanc. Its rock is a black, schisty limestone mixed with cargneule, quartzite and other rocks, in places very broken; the colours change every few metres.
The normal route from Aussois is a varied two-day climb without a glacier: an easy walk to the Refuge de la Dent Parrachée, then a long couloir of snow or scree to the Col de la Dent Parrachée and a ridge over the Pointe de la Fournache. Technically it is modest, but the terrain is loose and exposed and the descent through scree is long. The north-west face above the Vanoise glaciers carries steeper snow and ice lines, and in spring the mountain is a sought-after ski-mountaineering summit.
The hut and the approach lie in the core zone of the Vanoise National Park.
Climbing Notes
You need to be comfortable cramponing on 35–45° snow and moving carefully on loose, exposed rock with the occasional grade II move; rope skills help, as many parties rope up for the ridge and the descent. Fitness for about 1,200 m of ascent from the hut and a long descent through scree is essential. Spend the night at the Refuge de la Dent Parrachée, leave at about 04:00 and expect to reach the summit around 08:00–09:00. The best conditions are usually June to early July, when the couloir is snow-filled; later the couloir becomes tedious loose scree and stonefall from other parties is a real hazard. Guides offer the climb as a two-day trip. Do not go onto the south face below the Brèche de la Loza.
History
The first ascent was made on 3 August 1864 by Thomas Blanford, R. M. Cuthbert, Edward Penning Rowsell and the guides Alexandre Deymoniez, Joseph Victor Favret and Jérôme Gisioz, by the line of the present normal route; they found a survey cairn on the Pointe de la Fournache, built by two Modane hunters about ten years earlier. Later ascents included Italian climbers led by Luigi Vaccarone in 1876, W. A. B. Coolidge with Christian Almer father and son by the full ridge in 1878, and the first spring ascent on 9 April 1896 by Jean-Joseph and Jean-Marie Blanc with Alexandre Chambre.
Season
Best Jun–Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut partly staffed in some winters
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering; hut staffed from late February in recent years
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season
- Apr
- Ski-mountaineering; hut staffed until mid or late April
- May
- Snow-covered; hut staffed on request
- Jun
- Hut opens early June; couloir usually snow-filled
- Jul
- Best early in the month while the couloir holds snow
- Aug
- Couloir often loose scree; stonefall
- Sep
- Dry, loose terrain; hut staffed to around 20 September
- Oct
- Hut unstaffed; early snow possible
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Refuge de la Dent Parrachée online via refugeladentparrachee.ffcam.fr or by phone (+33 4 79 20 32 87); outside the staffed periods check the hut's availability calendar.
- Rules
- Vanoise National Park core zone (around the hut and the upper mountain): dogs are banned even on a lead; drones and fires are prohibited; no picking of plants or collecting of minerals; bivouacking only near staffed huts between 19:00 and 08:00 and only with a booking
- Getting There
Aussois; Modane
Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc (CMF); Turin (TRN)
- Train to Modane (Lyon/Chambéry–Turin line), then bus to Aussois; from Aussois village about 2 hours on foot to the hut via the Refuge de Plan Sec
- Car: from Modane up to Aussois, then the road to its end below the Plan d'Amont dam (car park)
- In winter the Aussois chairlifts (Grand Jeu, Armoise, Fournache) shorten the approach to the hut
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Avalanche
- Cornices
- Weather
- Altitude
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,511 m
Refuge de la Dent ParrachéeRefugeStaffed
42 beds · Staffed in spring (late February to April) and summer (early June to late September; 7 June – 20 September in 2025); 24 places in the unstaffed room
Book Refuge de la Dent ParrachéeWebsite of Refuge de la Dent Parrachée