Mont Blanc du Tacul
4,248 m
France
Also known as Монблан дю Такюл, Монблан-дю-ТакюльAlso known as
Монблан дю Такюл · Монблан-дю-Такюль
- Elevation
- 4,248 m
- Prominence
- 219 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jun–Jul
- Routes
- 1
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: Col du Midi → Mont Blanc du Tacul: straight line 1429 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Col du Midi → Mont Blanc du Tacul: straight line 1429 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Col du Midi → Mont Blanc du Tacul: straight line: 63° over 25 m (> 55°, high-res DEM)
- danger scan: Col du Midi → Mont Blanc du Tacul: sustained 58° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 1429 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 38% straight-line fallback
- ascent 945 m is 1.9× the net gain 508 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- Col du Midi → Mont Blanc du Tacul: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 1.4 km)
Sources differ: AD+ (Camptocamp ski grade (Labande))
The quickest 4,000 m summit from Chamonix: down the Aiguille du Midi arête to the Col du Midi, then 700 m up a crevassed 35–45° glacier slope threatened by three serac bands to the Tacul shoulder and a few easy rocks to the top. Technically modest, but serac avalanches have killed at least 14 people here since 2000.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 3.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +945 m
- −437 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,248 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 4h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 3h 49m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the top station of the Aiguille du Midi cable car (3,777 m), descend the exposed snow arête and cross the plateau of the Col du Midi (about 3,520 m), passing the Refuge des Cosmiques (3,613 m), where many parties spend the night to start early and acclimatise. From the Italian side the same point is reached from Pointe Helbronner and the Torino hut across the Col du Géant and the upper Glacier du Géant, about 2 hours of crevassed glacier. The route climbs the north-west flank of Mont Blanc du Tacul, a 550 m hanging glacier averaging about 37°, with short steps of 40–45° and several bergschrunds. The line changes from year to year as crevasses and seracs move. Three zones of seracs cross the face, at about 3,730 m, 3,950 m and 4,100 m below the shoulder; ice from these, or the slab avalanches they trigger, have caused the face's fatal accidents. Gain the shoulder (about 4,100 m), turn left along it and finish by a short, often icy gully and easy rocks to the summit; an abseil may be needed there in icy conditions. Descend the same way and remember the 250–300 m climb back from the Col du Midi to the cable car, tiring for unacclimatised parties; the last cabin down limits the day. Avoid the face after fresh snow and wind, and move through the serac-exposed sections quickly and early. This is the first part of the Three Monts route to Mont Blanc.
Start
Aiguille du Midi3,740 m
- Aiguille du Midi cable car from Chamonix (booking with boarding number required); Skyway Monte Bianco from Courmayeur
- Train (Mont-Blanc Express) or bus to Chamonix, then the Aiguille du Midi cable car. From Italy: bus to Courmayeur/Entrèves and the Skyway Monte Bianco to Pointe Helbronner.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiguille du Midi → Refuge des Cosmiques | 1.4 | 151 | 292 | 1h 16m |
| 2 | Refuge des Cosmiques → Mont Blanc du Tacul | 2.3 | 794 | 145 | 3h 14m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Aiguille du Midi3,740 m
- Hut: Refuge des Cosmiques3,593 m
- Col: Col du Midi3,519 m
- Summit: Mont Blanc du Tacul4,248 m
Key Passages
- Aiguille du Midi exit arête
- Bergschrunds and crevasses on the north-west flank
- Serac bands at about 3,730, 3,950 and 4,100 m
- Short icy gully and rocks below the summit
- Re-ascent from the Col du Midi to the cable car
Equipment
0/12 packedDownloads
Route confidence 63%Overview
A 4,248 m glaciated summit in the Mont Blanc massif, an hour's walk from the Aiguille du Midi cable car above Chamonix. Its PD normal route is a short, popular first 4,000 m peak, but the face it climbs is swept by serac falls that have caused repeated fatal avalanches.
Mont Blanc du Tacul lies between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Maudit, the first of the three summits on the Three Monts route to Mont Blanc. Its north and west sides carry a large hanging glacier; the steeper east and south sides, above the Glacier du Géant, are a famous playground of granite pillars, couloirs and goulottes (the Triangle du Tacul, the Grand Capucin, the Gervasutti couloir and pillar). It has about 220 m of prominence and is on the UIAA list of 4,000 m peaks.
The Aiguille du Midi cable car puts climbers at 3,777 m, so the normal route involves only about 700 m of ascent from the Col du Midi. It is often done in a day from Chamonix or after a night at the Cosmiques hut, and is frequently used as an acclimatisation climb before Mont Blanc. The north-west flank is a 550 m glacier slope averaging 37°, with three serac bands. A study by the geomorphologist Ludovic Ravanel for La Chamoniarde counted 13 deaths on this face between 2000 and 2022 (eight in August 2008 alone); a further serac-triggered avalanche on the night of 4–5 August 2024 killed at least one climber and injured four.
The ease of access is the trap: parties arrive unacclimatised, at altitude, under seracs that can fall at any hour. Choose cold, stable conditions, avoid the slope after snowfall and wind, and move through the exposed zones without stopping.
Climbing Notes
You need glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue), crampon and axe technique on 40–45° snow or ice with bergschrunds, and the judgement to turn back when conditions are wrong. Fitness demands are modest, but the altitude is not: spend at least a night or two above 3,000 m first, for example at the Cosmiques hut, or climb lower peaks around the Col du Midi.
Typical plans: first cable car up and back down the same day (watch the last descent time), or a night at the Cosmiques hut with a pre-dawn start. Book the cable car with a boarding number and the hut in advance. Check the forecast for new snow and wind, the Chamonix mountain office and La Chamoniarde for serac activity, and recent outings. A Chamonix guide is a sensible choice for a first 4,000 m peak here.
History
The first ascent was made on 8 August 1855 by Charles Hudson, Edward John Stevenson, Christopher and James Grenville Smyth, Edward Shirley Kennedy, Charles Ainslie and G. C. Joad. The face's serious avalanches include August 2008 (eight dead), August 2013 (two), August 2016 (three) and 5 August 2024.
Season
Best Jun–Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- 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; Cosmiques hut closed (Abri Simond open)
- Feb
- Cosmiques hut reopens mid-February; winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring ski ascents; wind slab common
- May
- Late spring; avalanche risk after snowfall
- Jun
- Good snow cover on the face; check for recent snow
- Jul
- Main season; start early
- Aug
- Busy; several fatal serac avalanches have occurred in August
- Sep
- Quieter; more ice; Cosmiques hut closes end of September
- Oct
- Hut closed; short days, early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge des Cosmiques: online via refuge-des-cosmiques.com (deposit required; bookings open in January). Outside the season the Abri Simond nearby has about 15 places.
- Fees
- Aiguille du Midi cable car return ticket (from about EUR 60 to 83 in 2026, booking with boarding number required)
- Refuge des Cosmiques: half board or night with breakfast
- Rules
- Aiguille du Midi cable car: reservation and boarding number required; the last descent sets the time limit for day ascents
- Getting There
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc; Courmayeur on the Italian side
Geneva (GVA); Turin (TRN) for Courmayeur
- Train (Mont-Blanc Express) or bus to Chamonix, then the Aiguille du Midi cable car (paid parking at the Grépon car park)
- From Italy: Courmayeur and the Skyway Monte Bianco to Pointe Helbronner, then about 2 hours across the Glacier du Géant to the Col du Midi
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Avalanche
- Altitude
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,613 m
Refuge des CosmiquesRefugeStaffed
130 beds · Mid-February to end of September; Abri Simond (about 15 places) open when the hut is closed