Punta Croz

4,110 m

Italy, France

Also known as Pointe Croz, Pointe Croz / Punta Croz

Pointe Croz · Pointe Croz / Punta Croz

Elevation: 4,110 m
Prominence: 10 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Jul
Routes: 2

AdvisoryReported 17 Sep 2026 · until 31 Oct 2026
Rifugio Boccalatte-Piolti stays open until the end of October 2026 but, because of a water shortage, only at weekends; check opening before going.
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Routes

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Approximate 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: Rifugio Boccalatte → Pointe Whymper: straight line 1827 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: Rifugio Boccalatte → Pointe Whymper: straight line 1827 m above the last hut/bivouac
danger scan: Rifugio Boccalatte → Pointe Whymper: straight line: 65° over 25 m (> 60°, high-res DEM)
danger scan: Rifugio Boccalatte → Pointe Whymper: sustained 57° > 45° on a straight line
last routed vertex 1823 m from the summit (closed by straight)
32% straight-line fallback
the line does not follow 'Pointe Whymper', the route's namesake (238 m away): mislabelled
Rifugio Boccalatte → Punta Croz: straight (unreachable; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 1.8 km)

AlpineADUIAAIIIMixedNormal route

Sources differ: IV (Camptocamp (a few moves of IV low on the Rocher du Reposoir)) · AD- (Wikipedia (Grandes Jorasses normal route to Pointe Walker))

Pointe Croz is the third summit of the Grandes Jorasses, 74 m below and about 250 m west of Pointe Whymper. It is reached as an extension of the Italian normal route: from the Boccalatte hut over the Rocher du Reposoir and the Whymper rocks to Pointe Whymper, then along the loose summit crest (about III, rock then snow or mixed) to Pointe Croz and back.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 5.6 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +2,631 m; −104 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,110 m
Time Up: ≈ 9h 40m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 6h 18m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Day one: from Planpincieux in the Val Ferret (1,580 m) a steep marked path, exposed and partly equipped above a rock band at about 2,100 m, leads to the Rifugio Boccalatte (2,803 m), about 3–3½ hours and 1,200 m. Day two: start at 01:00–02:00. Go north onto the Planpincieux glacier, past the Rognon de la Bouteille and a zone of big crevasses, to the foot of the Rocher du Reposoir. Its first 100 m are steep (III–III+, a few moves of IV; abseil stations every 25 m on the crest, easier just right of it), then the rib lies back (II–III) until it merges with the glacier. Climb a steep snow slope (40–50°, 50 m) and traverse the couloir between the Reposoir and the Whymper rocks, which is swept by stonefall in warm weather from early morning: cross it in the dark or at first light. Cross the bergschrund, climb 30 m of snow beside the rocks to an obvious corner (bolted belays every 25 m) and climb it 100 m to the crest of the Whymper rocks, then follow the rock ridge (old pitons and slings, no bolts) to Pointe Whymper (4,184 m), about 5 hours from the hut. From Pointe Whymper follow the summit crest west, keeping mostly to the south (Italian) side: loose rock at first, then a broader, sometimes snowy or mixed ridge, with the last rock bastion below Pointe Croz climbed on its south side (III). Return the same way to Pointe Whymper; Pointe Walker, the main summit, is a short snow walk further east. Descend the normal route, abseiling the Whymper corner (four 25 m stations) and the steep foot of the Reposoir (about six stations), 4–5 hours to the hut and 1½–2 hours more to Planpincieux. Some parties instead abseil 4–5 times (30–40 m, poor rock) from the ridge just east of Pointe Croz onto the Grandes Jorasses glacier, which is threatened by the Whymper serac.

Start

Planpincieux1,583 m

Bus from Aosta to Courmayeur, then the summer shuttle bus up the Val Ferret to Planpincieux.
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Planpincieux → Rifugio Boccalatte	3.7	1,227	0	4h 34m
2	Rifugio Boccalatte → Punta Croz	1.8	1,403	104	5h 07m

Waypoints

Parking:
Planpincieux1,583 m
Large car park just beyond the last houses; summer bus from Courmayeur
Hut:
Rifugio Boccalatte2,808 m
Feature:
Ghiacciaio di Planpincieux3,023 m
Crevassed; pass right of the Rognon de la Bouteille (not on route line)
Shoulder:
Pointe Whymper4,181 m
not on route line
Summit:
Punta Croz4,110 m

Key Passages

Exposed equipped path below the Boccalatte hut
Crevasses on the Planpincieux glacier
Rocher du Reposoir (III–IV at the start)
Couloir crossing below the Whymper rocks (stonefall)
Corner to the Whymper rocks crest (bolted belays)
Loose summit crest from Pointe Whymper to Pointe Croz (III)

Equipment

0/11 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 68%

Overview

The third-highest of the six summits of the Grandes Jorasses, 4,110 m, on the French–Italian frontier crest west of Pointe Whymper. A minor top with about 10 m of prominence, reached by extending the AD normal route from Pointe Whymper or on the classic traverse of the Jorasses.

The Grandes Jorasses form a 1 km crest of six summits between the Leschaux glacier (France) and the Val Ferret (Italy): from east to west Pointe Walker (4,208 m), Pointe Whymper (4,184 m), Pointe Croz (4,110 m), Pointe Marguerite (4,065 m), Pointe Hélène (4,045 m) and Pointe Young (3,996 m). Pointe Croz is named after Michel Croz, the Chamonix guide who was with Whymper on the first ascent of Pointe Whymper in 1865. Its north side is the top of the Croz Spur, one of the great north-face routes of the Alps.

On the Italian side, the normal route of the Grandes Jorasses climbs from the Boccalatte hut over the Rocher du Reposoir and the Whymper rocks to Pointe Whymper: a long AD climb on rock, snow and glacier, with stonefall in one couloir and serac hazard below Pointe Walker. From Pointe Whymper, Pointe Croz is a short excursion west along a loose, sometimes snowy crest (about III). Climbers collecting the 4,000 m summits also reach it on the two- to three-day traverse from the Rochefort ridges, which crosses every summit of the Jorasses.

Neither way is a beginner's outing. The Italian side is long (about 2,600 m from the valley), the rock is mediocre, and the upper glacier is overhung by the monitored Whymper serac. Check conditions with the Boccalatte hut or the Courmayeur guides before going.

Climbing Notes

You need to be fast and secure on III–IV rock in boots, on 40–50° snow, on crevassed glaciers and with abseil descents, and fit enough for a 1,400 m summit day from the hut. Acclimatise beforehand, for example with a night at the Torino hut and a climb in the Géant basin.

Typical plan by the normal route: Planpincieux to the Rifugio Boccalatte (3–3½ hours); start at 01:00–02:00 so as to climb the Reposoir by headlamp and cross the stonefall couloir at first light; Pointe Whymper in about 5 hours; then out to Pointe Croz and back, and perhaps over to Pointe Walker; descend with abseils to the hut and the valley. Courmayeur guides lead the normal route; the full traverse from the Rochefort ridges is a two- to three-day expedition with a night at the Canzio bivouac or near Pointe Marguerite.

Ask the Boccalatte hut (+39 375 6596222) about water, opening days and the state of the glacier and serac before committing: access to the hut and the normal route can be restricted when the Whymper serac is judged unstable.

History

Edward Whymper with Michel Croz, Christian Almer and Franz Biner climbed Pointe Whymper on 24 June 1865 by the rocks now named after him; the highest point, Pointe Walker, was reached on 30 June 1868 by Horace Walker with Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange. Michel Croz died on the Matterhorn three weeks after the 1865 Jorasses ascent. The first west-to-east traverse of the summits was made on 31 August 1930 by Géraldine Fitz-Gerald with Alfred Couttet and Anatole Bozon. On 1 November 2024 Vivian Bruchez, Boris Langenstein and Gilles Sierro made the first ski descent of the south face of Pointe Croz.

Season

Best Jul

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Not advisable
April: Not advisable
May: Not advisable
June: Possible
July: Best (best window)
August: Good
September: Good
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Winter; hut unstaffed
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Winter conditions; steep-ski descents only
Apr: Spring snow; steep-ski descents only
May: Deep snow on the approach
Jun: Possible late in the month; more snow on the rock
Jul: Main season; stonefall in the Whymper couloir in heat
Aug: Popular for the traverse; glacier and couloirs dry out
Sep: Often stable; Boccalatte open at weekends only from mid-September 2026
Oct: Short days; hut open some weekends in October 2026
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Rifugio Boccalatte-Piolti (CAI Torino): contact the manager, +39 375 6596222 or +39 0165 844070. The Canzio bivouac (8 places) cannot be booked.

Fees

Rifugio Boccalatte overnight fee
Skyway Monte Bianco ticket for the traverse from the Torino hut

Rules

Val Ferret road in summer: compulsory parking in equipped car parks from La Palud, limited to about 400 vehicles a day, and no cars beyond Lavachey between 09:00 and 17:00 (guides and valley residents exempt); a free shuttle bus runs from Courmayeur
Access to the Boccalatte hut and the Grandes Jorasses normal route can be prohibited by the authorities when the Whymper serac is judged to be at high risk of collapse

Getting There

Courmayeur (Italy)

Turin (TRN) or Geneva (GVA)

Bus from Aosta to Courmayeur, then the summer shuttle up the Val Ferret to Planpincieux
By car: from Courmayeur or the Mont Blanc Tunnel exit via La Palud to Planpincieux (summer traffic restrictions)
For the traverse: Skyway Monte Bianco from Pontal d'Entrèves to Pointe Helbronner

Hazards

Rockfall
Glacier
Crevasses
Avalanche
Exposure
Altitude
Weather

Huts & Shelters

Rifugio BoccalatteRefugeStaffed
24 beds · Staffed in summer (historically July to end of September); weekends only from mid-September to the end of October 2026
Website of Rifugio Boccalatte
2,803 m
Rifugio TorinoRefugeStaffedBooking required
160 beds · Summer season; 2026 closure planned for 11 October
Website of Rifugio Torino
3,375 m
Bivouac CanzioBivouacUnstaffed
8 beds · Year-round, unstaffed; mattresses and blankets, no gas
3,825 m