Mont Gelé
3,518 m
Italy, Switzerland
Also known as Monte Gelé, მონ-ჟელეAlso known as
Monte Gelé · მონ-ჟელე
- Elevation
- 3,518 m
- Prominence
- 622 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: EE (lovevda.it (Aosta Valley tourist board))
The Italian normal route from the Valpelline: a hut walk to the Rifugio Crête Sèche (2,410 m), then up the stony Plan de la Sabla and a moraine or snow gully to the Col du Mont Gelé (about 3,150 m), and across the small, shrinking Mont Gelé glacier to a short rocky finish. F, about 1,100 m from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,820 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,518 m
- Time Up
- 7h 08m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 43m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Ruz (1,696 m), above Dzovennoz in the upper Valpelline, path no. 2 climbs through larch woods, crossing the farm road to the Alpe Berrier several times, then traverses west below the Mont de Crête Sèche to the Rifugio Crête Sèche (2,410 m), about 1½–2½ hours. From the hut follow the path north, almost level at first, to the stony plain of the Plan de la Sabla and the Bivacco Spataro (about 2,600 m). Cross the plain to the left, ignoring the turn right for the Col de Crête Sèche, and climb a steep, loose moraine (or, early in the season, a 30° snow gully) to the upper shelf above 2,900 m. Continue to the Col du Mont Gelé, keeping to its right on scree and rock marked with yellow arrows and cairns. From the col, follow the ridge towards the Mont de Balme, then put on crampons and slant up what remains of the Mont Gelé glacier towards the summit. After the gendarmes of the east ridge, join the ridge on the right at a big cairn and follow the easy crest to the top. Recent reports describe the glacier as largely a snow and ice remnant with a short steep step and broken rock below the summit; in dry late-summer conditions F understates it. Allow about 3–4 hours from the hut and descend the same way, or traverse the glacier towards the Bivacco Regondi and Glassier (Ollomont).
Start
Ruz1,699 m
- Regional buses run from Aosta up the Valpelline towards Bionaz; check the current timetable for the stop at Dzovennoz, about 1 km below Ruz.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruz → Rifugio Crête Sèche | 4.2 | 719 | 0 | 2h 56m |
| 2 | Rifugio Crête Sèche → Mont Gelé | 4.3 | 1,101 | 0 | 4h 13m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Ruz1,699 m
Paved car park before the hamlet, above Dzovennoz
- Feature: Berrier2,613 m
not on route line
- Hut: Rifugio Crête Sèche2,388 m
- Bivouac: Bivacco Spataro2,589 m
- Col: Col du Mont Gelé3,137 m
- Summit: Mont Gelé3,518 m
Key Passages
- Loose moraine or 30° snow gully above the Plan de la Sabla
- Col du Mont Gelé
- Mont Gelé glacier remnant
- Short rocky ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 3,518 m frontier peak between the Swiss Val de Bagnes and the Italian Valpelline, climbed from the Rifugio Crête Sèche by an F route over a moraine, a col and a dwindling glacier. Long and quiet rather than technical, with a wide view of the Grand Combin and the Valais peaks.
Mont Gelé stands on the main Alpine watershed between the Val de Bagnes (Valais) and the Valpelline (Aosta Valley), north-west of Bionaz and just east of the Fenêtre Durand. Its south side carries a small glacier of the same name above about 2,900 m, now much reduced; the north side drops towards the Chanrion area and the Mauvoisin reservoir.
The normal route comes from Italy: a walk from Ruz to the Rifugio Crête Sèche, then about 1,100 m of moraine, scree and snow to the Col du Mont Gelé and a short crossing of the glacier remnant to a rocky summit ridge. It is graded F, and in early summer, with snow on the gully and glacier, it is a straightforward first glacier summit. In dry late-summer conditions the final step can be bare ice and broken rock, and reports call F an understatement.
The Valpelline is quiet compared with the big Valais resorts, and the Crête Sèche hut is a pleasant, simple base. In winter and spring the mountain is a ski-touring objective from Ruz, the Bivacco Regondi or the Swiss Cabane de Chanrion.
Climbing Notes
You need fitness for a two-day outing with about 1,800 m of ascent from Ruz, sure-footedness on loose moraine and scree, and basic crampon and ice-axe skills. The glacier is normally only lightly crevassed, but crevasses have opened on the upper part in dry summers; a rope is sensible for parties without glacier experience, and the Aosta Valley tourist board recommends a guide for those new to high mountains.
Typical itinerary: walk up to the Rifugio Crête Sèche (2–2½ hours) in the afternoon, start before dawn while the snow is firm, and return to Ruz the same day (about 3–4 hours up from the hut). In June the hut may still be closed; its winter room and the Bivacco Spataro, 200 m higher, are alternatives.
Stonefall in the moraine and gullies, often set off by ibex, is the main objective hazard. Early season brings more snow and easier glacier travel; from August the final step can be icy.
History
The first ascent was made on 11 August 1861 by the Chamonix guide Michel Croz, his brother Jean-Baptiste and their English client Frederick William Jacomb, from the Col de Crête Sèche by the east-south-east side, roughly today's normal route; Jacomb described it in Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers (1862). The second known ascent, in 1866, came from the Fenêtre Durand by the west and south-west sides. The Rifugio Crête Sèche was built in 1982 near the Berio del Governo, which held a guard post during the French Revolution.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut winter room only
- Feb
- Ski touring for experienced parties; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Ski touring; the hut opens on request in spring
- Apr
- Spring ski touring
- May
- Late spring snow; hut closed
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June; snow in the gully helps
- Jul
- Main summer season
- Aug
- Glacier may be bare and the final step icy
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September; often stable weather
- Oct
- Early snow; hut closed
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Rifugio Crête Sèche through its website (rifugiocreteseche.eu) or by phone; it is staffed from mid-June to mid-September and in March–April by reservation only. The winter room is open all year.
- Fees
- Rifugio Crête Sèche overnight fees; a deposit of EUR 10 per person is requested for bookings of more than four people
- Rules
- The farm road from Ruz to the Alpe Berrier is closed to traffic; park at Ruz
- Getting There
Bionaz (Valpelline); Aosta for most services
Turin Airport (TRN); Geneva Airport (GVA)
- By car: from Aosta (Aosta Est motorway exit) take the Great St Bernard road to the Valpelline turn, then up the valley through Valpelline and Oyace to Dzovennoz; turn left to the car park at Ruz
- Public transport: regional buses run up the Valpelline from Aosta; check current timetables to Bionaz
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,410 m
Rifugio Crête SècheHutStaffedBooking required
86 beds · Mid-June to mid-September; March–April by reservation only; winter room (8 places) always open
- 2,600 m
Bivacco SpataroBivouacUnstaffed
Always open