Les Diablerets summit
3,216 m
Switzerland
Also known as Диаблерет, Les Diablerets Gipfel, +5Also known as
Диаблерет · Les Diablerets Gipfel · Les Diablerets sommet · Vetta des Diablerets · Sommet des Diablerets · vrh Les Diablerets · Diableret
- Elevation
- 3,216 m
- Prominence
- 974 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Lift closedReported 7 Oct 2026 · until 6 Nov 2026
Glacier 3000 cable cars closed for annual maintenance from 19 October to 6 November 2026; the winter season runs from 7 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.
glacier3000.ch
Routes
1Sources differ: Ski tour: difficult, 'short but demanding' (Gstaad tourism)
The short normal route from the Glacier 3000 top station at Scex Rouge (about 2,950 m): along the rocky crest above the Tsanfleuron glacier to the Dôme, a short fixed-rope downclimb (II) to the Col du Dôme, then a long, gentle walk up the Diablerets glacier to the summit. About 580 m of ascent including the dips; 1½–2 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 3.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +456 m
- −123 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,216 m
- Time Up
- 2h 13m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 47m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the Glacier 3000 cable cars from the Col du Pillon (1,546 m) via the Cabane station to Scex Rouge. Head south-south-east following the line of the ski piste, keeping the Tsanfleuron glacier on your left and the rock wall above the Prapio glacier on your right, to a small dip near the Col de Prapio (about 2,830 m). Climb along the crest on a cairned path, with a few steps cut in the rock, to the 'Dôme 3016 m' signpost, a rocky knoll with a large cairn. Continue south-west in a slightly descending traverse past some slabs to a fixed rope. A few moves of easy downclimbing (II), or a snow slope early in the season (watch for a bergschrund), lead to a small saddle, the Col du Dôme. Follow it briefly, then step south onto the Diablerets glacier. Rope up and climb its gentle slope south-south-west for about 1.8 km to the summit. The glacier is not steep and the usual line has few crevasses, but it ends abruptly in cliffs both to the south (towards the Tête de Barme) and south-east (above Derborence), and there is nothing to navigate by in fog. Descend the same way and keep an eye on the last cable car down (lifts close at 16:50). Without the lift, the shortest approach is from the Col du Pillon via the Cabane des Diablerets (about 1,670 m of ascent).
Start
Scex Rouge2,883 m
- Glacier 3000 cable cars Col du Pillon – Cabane – Scex Rouge (about 15 minutes), daily 09:00–16:50, last ascent 16:20; closed for maintenance 19 October – 6 November 2026.
- Train to Les Diablerets (from Aigle) or Gstaad, then PostBus to the stop Col du Pillon, Glacier 3000.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scex Rouge → Sommet des Diablerets | 3.7 | 456 | 123 | 2h 13m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Scex Rouge2,883 m
Glacier 3000 top station and Peak Walk; coordinates approximate
- Col: Col de Prapio2,828 m
- Shoulder: Le Dôme2,976 m
Rocky knoll with a large cairn and signpost 'Dôme 3016 m'; not the separate summit of Le Dôme des Diablerets
- Summit: Sommet des Diablerets3,216 m
Key Passages
- Cairned crest above the Tsanfleuron glacier
- Fixed-rope downclimb (II) to the Col du Dôme
- Long, featureless slope of the Diablerets glacier
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of the Diablerets massif and of the Vaud Alps, a glaciated limestone summit on the Vaud–Valais border. From the Glacier 3000 cable car it is a short glacier tour with a fixed-rope step, rising high above Les Diablerets and Derborence.
The Diablerets are a large, ice-capped limestone massif at the western end of the Bernese Alps, stretching about 10 km between the Pas de Cheville and the Sanetsch pass. The main summit, officially the Sommet des Diablerets, stands almost exactly on the border between Vaud and Valais; its south-west shoulder at 3,210 m is the highest point of the canton of Vaud. To the north, an amphitheatre of cliffs about 1,600 m high falls to the Creux de Champ above the village of Les Diablerets; to the south the mountain overlooks the valley of Derborence.
Two glaciers lie on the Valais side: the broad, gently tilted Tsanfleuron glacier, with the Glacier 3000 ski area on it, and the smaller, higher and steeper Diablerets glacier below the summit, separated from it by the rocky Dôme. Since 1964 a cable car has climbed from the Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge, so the summit is only about 1½–2 hours from the top station, but that last stretch involves an exposed fixed-rope step and roped travel on a glacier that ends in cliffs on two sides.
The view takes in the Valais Alps and Mont Blanc. The massif is also climbed from Anzeindaz in the south and from Pierredar in the north, and the summit is a popular spring ski tour from Scex Rouge.
Climbing Notes
Needs basic glacier and crampon skills and a steady head for the fixed-rope downclimb (II) to the Col du Dôme, which is easy on dry rock but awkward when snowy or icy. Rope up on the Diablerets glacier. Altitude is moderate, but arriving at nearly 3,000 m by cable car without acclimatisation can still be tiring.
Typical day: first cable car from the Col du Pillon (09:00), summit by late morning, back at Scex Rouge well before the last descent (lifts close 16:50). In fog, the Diablerets glacier is featureless and drops off in cliffs to the south and south-east; carry a GPS track and turn back if visibility closes in. Parties without glacier experience should hire a guide.
In winter and spring the summit is a short ski tour from Scex Rouge with avalanche equipment; the descent over the steep south slopes below the Dôme is not advised in hard snow.
History
The cable car from the Col du Pillon to Scex Rouge opened in 1964; the Tsanfleuron glacier became the Glacier 3000 ski area, and the Peak Walk suspension bridge was added in 2014. The Mario Botta restaurant building at Scex Rouge burned on the night of 18–19 September 2022 and was rebuilt to Botta's design, reopening in November 2024.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Good
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Short ski tour from Scex Rouge for experienced ski-mountaineers; cold and windy
- Feb
- Ski touring season
- Mar
- Ski touring season
- Apr
- Spring ski touring; lifts in winter season to end of April
- May
- Summer lift season starts 1 May; snow on the fixed-rope step
- Jun
- Snow cover helps the glacier; watch the bergschrund at the Col du Dôme
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; glacier drier, more crevasses visible
- Sep
- Often stable
- Oct
- Lifts close for maintenance from 19 October (2026); fresh snow and ice on the rocks
- Nov
- Lifts reopen 7 November (2026) for winter; early-season snow
- Dec
- Winter ski tours; short days
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Glacier 3000 cable car return ticket (prices on glacier3000.ch)
- Paid flat-rate parking at the Col du Pillon and Reusch
- Rules
- Walking on the Glacier 3000 ski pistes is prohibited in the ski season
- Lifts run daily 09:00–16:50 (last ascent 16:20), weather permitting
- Getting There
Les Diablerets (Vaud); Gstaad
Geneva (GVA)
- Train from Aigle to Les Diablerets or from Zweisimmen/Montreux to Gstaad, then PostBus to the stop Col du Pillon, Glacier 3000 (free with the Gstaad Card or the Les Diablerets Welcome Carte)
- By car via Aigle and Les Diablerets or via Gstaad to the Col du Pillon; paid parking
- Glacier 3000 cable cars Col du Pillon – Cabane – Scex Rouge
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Weather
- Avalanche