Grande Casse
3,855 m
France
Also known as La Grande Casse, გრანდ-კასიAlso known as
La Grande Casse · გრანდ-კასი
- Elevation
- 3,855 m
- Prominence
- 1,305 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Apr
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 8 Jun 2025
A British climber in his sixties died after slipping while descending the Glacier des Grands Couloirs unroped on 8 June 2025; the report notes that conditions worsen in warm weather and that the route is generally out of condition in summer.
connexionfrance.comWorksReported 28 Jul 2024
The fixed ropes on the left bank used for the summer approach to the Grands Couloirs glacier were replaced on 28 July 2024.
camptocamp.org
Routes
1Approximate 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 Col de la Vanoise → Col des Grands Couloirs: straight line 2769 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Refuge du Col de la Vanoise → Col des Grands Couloirs: straight line 2769 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Refuge du Col de la Vanoise → Col des Grands Couloirs: straight line: 77° over 25 m (> 55°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Refuge du Col de la Vanoise → Col des Grands Couloirs: sustained 68° > 40° on a straight line
- 29% straight-line fallback
- Refuge du Col de la Vanoise → Col des Grands Couloirs: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 2.8 km)
- Col des Grands Couloirs → Grande Casse: glacier (snap_failed, 0.6 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Lac des Vaches (OSM match off-route), Glacier des Grands Couloirs (OSM match off-route)
Sources differ: Camptocamp: PD+, engagement II; ski S4/S5 (300 m at 43°) (Camptocamp)
The first-ascent line of 1860: from Pralognan to the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, then up the crevassed Glacier des Grands Couloirs and a 300–400 m slope at 40–43° to the Col des Grands Couloirs and a fine summit ridge. Best in spring on ski or in early summer; from mid-July the slope turns to ice and rock and becomes dangerous.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 9.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,302 m
- −112 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,855 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 9h 05m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h 10m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Fontanettes car park above Pralognan-la-Vanoise (1,640 m) follow the GR along the ski lift to the Refuge des Barmettes (2,010 m), cross the torrent and continue up the valley past the Lac des Vaches and along the Lac Long to the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise (2,518 m), hidden just below a crest; about 2–2.5 hours. From the hut drop slightly towards the Lac Long and head south-west to the snout of the Glacier des Grands Couloirs. In winter and spring take its right bank (35°, crevasses). In summer the line shown on older maps is no longer viable because of glacier retreat: follow the crest of the left-bank moraine for about 20 minutes to a rock step, where two or three fixed ropes (replaced on 28 July 2024) on the left side of the first gully lead to the lower snow tongues; continue past the first big crevasses and bergschrunds. Climb the Grands Couloirs, about 300 m at 40–43° in crampons, to the Col des Grands Couloirs (about 3,700 m), then go north to a fore-summit (3,775 m) and east along the airy summit ridge to the top. Allow 4–5 hours from the hut. Descend the same way: about 2.5 hours to the hut and 2 hours to the car park. The west- and south-west-facing slope softens quickly in the sun, so do not linger before descending it in summer. As the season advances it steepens, and ice and rock appear; since glacier retreat the route is generally considered too dangerous from mid-July to October (rockfall, crevasses, bare ice). A British climber died after a fall while descending the glacier unroped in June 2025.
Start
Les Fontanettes1,661 m
- Train to Moûtiers, then the regional S66 coach to Pralognan-la-Vanoise (some departures on demand; book by phone). Walk or drive up from the village to Les Fontanettes.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Fontanettes → Refuge du Col de la Vanoise | 6.1 | 861 | 6 | 3h 39m |
| 2 | Refuge du Col de la Vanoise → Grande Casse | 3.3 | 1,436 | 102 | 5h 25m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Les Fontanettes1,661 m
- Hut: Refuge des Barmettes2,010 m
- Hut: Refuge du Col de la Vanoise2,516 m
- Col: Col des Grands Couloirs3,690 m
- Summit: Grande Casse3,855 m
Key Passages
- Moraine and fixed ropes onto the glacier (summer)
- Crevasses and bergschrunds below the couloirs
- Grands Couloirs: 300 m at 40–43°
- Col des Grands Couloirs and the summit ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 67%Overview
The 3,855 m Grande Casse above Pralognan is the highest summit of the Vanoise and of Savoie. Its normal route climbs a crevassed glacier and a 40–43° snow couloir (PD+), now a spring and early-summer objective as glacier retreat makes it dangerous from mid-July.
The Grande Casse rises in the heart of the Vanoise National Park, between the Tarentaise to the north and the Maurienne to the south, with Pralognan-la-Vanoise at its western foot. Built of dark, shaly sedimentary rock, it looks like a long wall from most sides; its steep 600 m north face is a famous extreme-skiing objective, while the south-west side holds the Glacier des Grands Couloirs, the line of the normal route. A high ridge links it to the Grande Motte above Tignes.
The normal route is a classic two-day glacier climb from Pralognan: an easy walk to the large Refuge du Col de la Vanoise, then the crevassed glacier, 300–400 m of snow at 40–43° up the Grands Couloirs, and a fine, airy summit ridge. It is equally popular as a spring ski ascent, with a steep S4/S5 descent of the couloir.
Glacier retreat has changed the route markedly. The summer approach to the glacier now uses fixed ropes beside the moraine, the slope steepens and turns to ice as the season advances, and rockfall increases. Local sources now say it cannot be skied from July to October, and mountaineers are advised to go in spring or early summer.
Climbing Notes
You need glacier and crevasse-rescue skills and secure cramponing on 40–43° snow that may be hard or icy, plus the fitness for about 1,350 m of ascent from the hut. Acclimatise with a night at the Col de la Vanoise hut and ideally an easier Vanoise summit first. Rope up on the glacier, including on the descent.
Typical itinerary: day 1, Les Fontanettes to the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise (2–2.5 hours). Day 2, pre-dawn start, 4–5 hours to the summit and back down the couloir before the sun softens it, then 2.5 hours to the hut and 2 hours to the car park. In spring, ski mountaineers often wait for the snow to soften before skiing the couloir.
Go between spring and early July. From mid-July, check conditions with the hut guardian or the Pralognan guides before setting out; expect ice, rockfall and open crevasses.
History
William Mathews, with the guides Michel Croz and Étienne Favre, made the first ascent by the south-west side on 8 August 1860. The second and third ascents followed on the same day, 27 July 1876, by separate French and Italian parties. The Italians Aldo Bonacossa and L. Binaghi climbed the north face on 6 August 1933. In July 2024 surveyors from the Savoie chapter of the French expert surveyors' association remeasured the summit, about 20 years after the previous survey, and used drones to model the Glacier des Grands Couloirs to monitor its loss.
Season
Best Apr- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Good
- June: Best
- July: Possible
- August: Not advisable
- September: Not advisable
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut winter room only
- Feb
- Hut staffed from late February; serious winter ski ascent
- Mar
- Spring ski-mountaineering
- Apr
- Best spring ski conditions; hut staffed until late April
- May
- Hut staffed at weekends only; good snow on the couloir
- Jun
- Best month on foot; couloir still snowy
- Jul
- Early July possible; from mid-July ice, rockfall and open crevasses
- Aug
- Generally not advisable: bare ice and rockfall
- Sep
- Generally not advisable; hut closes mid-September
- Oct
- Not advisable until fresh snow consolidates
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge du Col de la Vanoise (FFCAM): online booking required for all periods; within 48 hours of arrival by phone only, +33 4 79 08 25 23, refugecoldelavanoise@ffcam.fr.
- Rules
- The mountain lies in the core zone of the Vanoise National Park; park regulations apply
- Bivouacking around the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise is prohibited because of overcrowding and pressure on the sanitation system
- Getting There
Pralognan-la-Vanoise
Chambéry (CMF), Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS) or Geneva (GVA)
- Train to Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, then the regional S66 coach to Pralognan-la-Vanoise (some departures on demand)
- Car: via Moûtiers and Bozel to Pralognan-la-Vanoise, then up to the Les Fontanettes car park
- Southern approach from Termignon via the Bellecombe car park (longer)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,010 m
Refuge des BarmettesRefuge
- 2,518 m
Refuge du Col de la VanoiseRefugeStaffedBooking required
129 beds · Staffed late February to late April, weekends in May, and early June to mid-September (2027: 26 Feb – 24 Apr, May weekends, 5 Jun – 18 Sep); 26-place winter room otherwise