Mont Vélan
3,731 m
Italy, Switzerland
Also known as Monte Vélan, მონ-ველანი, +1Also known as
Monte Vélan · მონ-ველანი · Mont Velàn
- Elevation
- 3,731 m
- Prominence
- 621 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 27 Jun 2026
The Cabane du Vélan has reopened after renovation; in 2026 it was staffed from 27 June to 27 September. Winter 2027 dates had not been published.
velan.chWorksReported 1 Sep 2025
The fixed chains, pegs and bolts on both sides of the Col de la Gouille were renovated in September 2025 (month precision), funded by the AGMBV and the CAS Genevoise section.
sac-cas.ch
Routes
2Sources differ: 2a (rock, Col de la Gouille) (SAC Route Portal)
The classic Swiss normal route: walk up from Bourg-Saint-Pierre to the Cabane du Vélan (2,642 m), then cross the Glacier du Tseudet, climb chained rocks over the Col de la Gouille (3,148 m) and follow the gently angled Glacier de Valsorey to the summit dome. PD, about 1,170 m from the hut.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 12.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,129 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,731 m
- Time Up
- 8h 41m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 52m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Bourg-Saint-Pierre on the Great St Bernard road, a T2 path (or the narrow road to the Cordonna alp, 1,834 m, where cars can usually park) leads up the Valsorey valley to the Cabane du Vélan at 2,642 m, about 3–3¼ hours. The hut sits on the moraine below the Glacier du Tseudet and is the usual overnight stop. From the hut follow the path and water pipe south-south-west onto the Glacier du Tseudet. Keep low and well left of the serac zone: Camptocamp notes that serac debris from above travels a long way. Cross the main body of the glacier south-east to the foot of the rocks below the Col de la Gouille and climb them directly, with fixed chains, to the col (3,148 m), about 2 hours from the hut. On the far side, down-climb about 50 m of steep rock (2a, chains and pegs/bolts) onto the Glacier de Valsorey. The fixed gear on both sides of the col was renovated in September 2025. Climb the gently sloping Glacier de Valsorey south towards the Col des Chamois, then south-west past the Pointe du Capucin and the Col du Capucin to the Tête de Riondet, and arc right (west) onto the east flank of the summit dome, about 2½ hours from the col. Some parties instead reach the north-east (Gouille) ridge at about 3,500 m between two crevasse systems for a shorter finish. Allow 4½–5 hours from the hut; descend the same way, reversing the chained rocks at the col with care.
Start
Bourg-Saint-Pierre1,620 m
- Train to Martigny and Orsières, then the TMR bus towards the Great St Bernard to Bourg-Saint-Pierre
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bourg-Saint-Pierre → Cabane du Vélan | 7.0 | 1,022 | 10 | 4h 19m |
| 2 | Cabane du Vélan → Mont Vélan | 5.3 | 1,107 | 12 | 4h 23m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Bourg-Saint-Pierre1,620 m
Bus stop on the Great St Bernard road
- Parking: Cordonna1,848 m
Road end and parking when the road is clear of snow
- Hut: Cabane du Vélan2,639 m
- Feature: Glacier du Tseudet2,783 m
not on route line
- Col: Col de la Gouille3,113 m
- Summit: Mont Vélan3,731 m
Key Passages
- Crossing the Glacier du Tseudet below the seracs
- Chained rocks up to the Col de la Gouille
- 50 m down-climb (2a) onto the Glacier de Valsorey
- Final east flank of the summit dome
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
A broad, glaciated 3,700 m summit on the Swiss–Italian border just east of the Great St Bernard Pass, and one of the first big Alpine peaks to be climbed (1779). The Swiss normal route is a PD glacier climb from the Cabane du Vélan with a chained rock step at the Col de la Gouille.
Mont Vélan is the highest summit between the Great St Bernard Pass and the Grand Combin, standing on the frontier between the Val d'Entremont (Valais) and the Valpelline and Ollomont valleys (Aosta Valley). Its north side carries two glaciers, the Tseudet to the west and the Valsorey to the east, and from the Swiss side it shows as a white dome above Bourg-Saint-Pierre. The rock, mostly gneiss and schist, is generally poor, and several older lines have fallen out of use because of rockfall.
The usual ascent starts from the Cabane du Vélan (2,642 m), a lens-shaped CAS hut above Bourg-Saint-Pierre. The summit day crosses the Glacier du Tseudet, climbs and then down-climbs short chained rock steps at the Col de la Gouille, and finishes up the gently angled Glacier de Valsorey: about 1,170 m and 4½–5 hours from the hut at PD. From Italy, a longer ridge route from the Bivacco Rosazza al Savoie above Ollomont joins the same glacier.
The mountain is a good step up from walking peaks for parties with basic glacier skills, and a popular spring ski tour. The summit looks straight across at the Grand Combin. Published heights vary between about 3,720 m and 3,734 m; this site uses 3,731 m.
Climbing Notes
You need fitness for a 1,000 m hut approach followed by a summit day of about 1,200 m and 8–9 hours round trip, plus basic glacier skills: roped travel, crevasse rescue and crampon technique. The chained rocks at the Col de la Gouille are short but steep and must be reversed on the way down; in winter and spring parties abseil from fixed stations on the east side. Altitude is moderate, but sleeping at the hut helps.
Typical itinerary: bus or drive to Bourg-Saint-Pierre (cars can usually continue to the Cordonna alp), walk up to the Cabane du Vélan in about 3 hours, and leave before dawn the next morning. Keep low on the Glacier du Tseudet to stay away from serac debris. Parties without glacier experience should hire an IFMGA mountain guide.
The Italian route from Glassier via the unstaffed Bivacco Rosazza is longer and more serious, with a ridge traverse (II+, fixed rope) and 40–45° snow or ice slopes. In late summer both routes can get icy, and the glaciers continue to retreat; check recent conditions on Camptocamp or with the hut wardens.
History
The first ascent, on 31 August 1779, was made by Laurent-Joseph Murith, a canon of the Great St Bernard Hospice and a botanist, with the chamois hunters Moret and Genoud. They approached from the west over the Glacier de Proz on a line no longer used today, Murith cutting steps up an ice wall with a pointed hammer; he later wrote to Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and Marc-Théodore Bourrit describing the view. The third ascent, in 1826 by the hospice monks D'Allèves and Marquis, went up the Glacier de Valsorey and the frontier ridge, roughly today's Italian normal route. The Tseudet (NNW) ridge was first climbed in 1897 by a party including Tom Longstaff. The original Cabane du Vélan, built during the Second World War with army support, burned down in 1991; the present lens-shaped hut won a heritage award in 1993 and was renovated in 2025.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut unstaffed, emergency room only
- Feb
- Winter; hut unstaffed
- Mar
- Ski touring possible when the hut is staffed for spring; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Classic spring ski-touring season
- May
- Spring snow; check hut opening
- Jun
- Lingering snow; hut opens late June (27 June in 2026)
- Jul
- Main summer season; hut staffed
- Aug
- Main season; glacier may become icy and crevasses open late in the month
- Sep
- Hut staffed until late September (27 September in 2026); bare ice possible
- Oct
- Hut unstaffed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Cabane du Vélan through its website (velan.ch) or by phone (+41 27 787 13 13). The Bivacco Rosazza al Savoie on the Italian side is unstaffed and cannot be booked.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees at the Cabane du Vélan, with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- When the Cabane du Vélan is unstaffed only an emergency room is open, with no gas, electricity or water
- A sleeping-bag liner and pillowcase are compulsory at the Cabane du Vélan
- Getting There
Bourg-Saint-Pierre (Switzerland); Ollomont (Italy)
Geneva Airport (GVA); Turin Airport (TRN) for the Italian side
- Swiss side: train to Martigny and Orsières, then the bus towards the Great St Bernard to Bourg-Saint-Pierre
- By car: Great St Bernard road (A21/E27) to Bourg-Saint-Pierre; a narrow road continues to the Cordonna alp (1,834 m) when clear of snow
- Italian side: from Aosta up the Valpelline to Ollomont and the road end at Glassier
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,642 m
Cabane du VélanHutStaffedBooking required
44 beds · Summer 2026: 27 June – 27 September; spring opening varies; emergency room (6 places) always open
- 2,674 m