Punta Elena

4,045 m

Italy, France

Also known as Pointe Hélène, Pointe Hélène / Punta Elena

Pointe Hélène · Pointe Hélène / Punta Elena

Elevation: 4,045 m
Prominence: 10 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Jul
Routes: 2

Road closedReported 15 Jul 2026
On 15 July 2026 the Planpincieux glacier passed 800 mm/day of movement and Courmayeur activated its highest scenario (S4): the Val Ferret road between Meyen and Planpincieux and the track to Rochefort were closed and the red zone evacuated; Planpincieux could only be reached via the Montitta road by authorised traffic (residents, guests of accommodation with parking, taxis, mountain guides). Check the Comune di Courmayeur or the JARVIS PUBLIC app for the current status.
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Routes

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AlpineADUIAAIVMixedNormal route

Sources differ: AD (whole Grandes Jorasses → Rochefort traverse) (Camptocamp)

Pointe Hélène is a minor top on the Grandes Jorasses summit ridge and has no route of its own that is regularly climbed. The usual way is an extension of the Italian normal route: from the Boccalatte hut over the Rocher du Reposoir and the Rochers Whymper to Pointe Whymper (4,184 m), then west along the crest over Pointe Croz (4,110 m), mostly UIAA III on loose rock, and back the same way.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 7.4 km; one way
Ascent: +2,757 m; −295 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,201 m
Time Up: 10h 42m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 7h 25m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Pointe Hélène (4,045 m) is the third top west of Pointe Walker on the Grandes Jorasses ridge, between Pointe Croz and Pointe Marguerite. It is almost always climbed as part of the Grandes Jorasses: either as an out-and-back extension of the normal route from Pointe Whymper, described here, or on the traverse of all the tops from the Col des Grandes Jorasses (see the other route). Day one: from Planpincieux in the Val Ferret (about 1,580 m) path 21 climbs through forest and scree, with easy I–II steps, a metal ladder and fixed ropes at the end, to the Rifugio Boccalatte (2,804 m), about 3½ hours and 1,250 m. Day two, leaving around 01:00–02:00: go north onto the Planpincieux glacier, through a zone of large crevasses to the foot of the Rocher du Reposoir. Climb the rib (III–III+, a few IV moves at the start, rappel anchors every 25 m) until it fades into the glacier, then cross the Couloir Whymper, which is raked by stonefall from early morning in warm weather, and climb a corner (anchors) onto the Rochers Whymper. Follow this rock ridge (III–III+, odd moves of IV, old pegs only) to Pointe Whymper, about 5 hours from the hut. From Pointe Whymper descend west along the crest on shattered rock to Pointe Croz, then continue to Pointe Hélène. Camptocamp reports nothing harder than III with perhaps a few IV moves; some gendarmes can be turned on the south side, and the ground between Pointe Croz and Pointe Hélène is described as dubious rock. Return the same way to Pointe Whymper and descend the normal route, with rappels on the Whymper corner and the Rocher du Reposoir. This is a very long, committing day at over 4,000 m; the hanging serac above the upper plateau and the Couloir Whymper are the main objective dangers.

Start

Planpincieux1,583 m

Bus to Courmayeur (from Aosta, Turin/Milan or Chamonix), then the local Val Ferret bus to Planpincieux.
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Planpincieux → Rifugio Boccalatte	3.7	1,229	0	4h 34m
2	Rifugio Boccalatte → Punta Elena	3.6	1,529	295	6h 08m

Waypoints

Parking:
Planpincieux1,583 m
Large car park at the upper end of the hamlet; path 21 to the Boccalatte hut
Hut:
Rifugio Boccalatte2,804 m
Feature:
Ghiacciaio di Planpincieux3,023 m
Crevassed zone below the Rocher du Reposoir (not on route line)
Summit:
Pointe Whymper4,181 m
Summit:
Pointe Croz4,105 m
Summit:
Punta Elena4,045 m

Key Passages

Crevassed Planpincieux glacier
Rocher du Reposoir (III–III+, a few IV moves)
Crossing of the Couloir Whymper
Rochers Whymper (III–III+, odd IV)
Ridge from Pointe Whymper over Pointe Croz (III, loose)

Equipment

0/11 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 55%

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Overview

Pointe Hélène (Punta Elena, 4,045 m) is a minor top on the Grandes Jorasses summit ridge between Pointe Croz and Pointe Marguerite, on the French–Italian border. It is reached only as part of a Grandes Jorasses climb: from Pointe Whymper along the ridge, or on the traverse from the Col des Grandes Jorasses.

The Grandes Jorasses ridge runs about 1 km west from Pointe Walker (4,208 m) over Pointe Whymper, Pointe Croz, Pointe Hélène, Pointe Marguerite and Pointe Young to the Col des Grandes Jorasses. Pointe Hélène, with about 10 m of prominence, is one of the lesser tops but is on the UIAA list of Alpine 4,000 m summits, so 4,000er collectors have to go and stand on it. To the north it falls about 750 m to the Leschaux glacier, a part of the north face known for poor rock and seldom-repeated hard routes; to the south it overlooks the steep, rarely climbed south faces above the Planpincieux glacier.

There is no regular route to Pointe Hélène alone. Parties either extend the Italian normal route (AD) from Pointe Whymper west along the crest over Pointe Croz, on loose rock of about UIAA III, or cross it on the traverse of all the tops from the Canzio bivouac (D, V), usually as the continuation of the Rochefort Ridge. Either way it is a long, serious outing above 4,000 m, on terrain where retreat is slow.

The Italian approach is exposed to objective danger: stonefall in the Couloir Whymper, a hanging serac above the upper plateau whose collapse risk has led to closures of the normal route and hut path in the past, and in hot summers the accelerating Planpincieux glacier, which can close the Val Ferret road at the trailhead.

Climbing Notes

This is for experienced alpinists only: you need to move quickly and confidently, roped together or solo, on loose UIAA III–IV rock and mixed ground at over 4,000 m, and to rappel efficiently. Be well acclimatised; other Mont Blanc massif 4,000 m peaks are good preparation. Many parties climb with a Courmayeur or Chamonix guide.

Typical plans: (1) Planpincieux to the Boccalatte hut (3½ hours), then a 01:00–02:00 start for Pointe Whymper (about 5 hours) and the ridge out to Pointe Hélène and back, then the long descent; or (2) Skyway to Pointe Helbronner, Rochefort Ridge to the Canzio bivouac (6–8 hours), then Pointe Young, Marguerite and Hélène the next morning, usually continuing over Croz and Whymper to Pointe Walker and down the normal route. Choose a settled, cold spell, check the state of the Whymper serac and the Planpincieux road situation with the Courmayeur guides or the Fondazione Montagna Sicura before setting off, and expect the Canzio bivouac to be crowded in good conditions.

History

Pointe Hélène and Pointe Marguerite were first climbed on 22 August 1898 by Luigi Amedeo di Savoia-Aosta (Duke of the Abruzzi) with the guides Joseph Petigax, Laurent Croux, César and Félix Ollier and Alfred Simond; the duke named the tops after Queen Margherita and Princess Hélène of Orléans. The first west-to-east traverse of the summit ridge from the Col des Grandes Jorasses was made on 31 August 1930 by Géraldine Fitz-Gerald with Alfred Couttet and Anatole Bozon, and the first traverse from the Rochefort Ridge by R. Schinko, H. Stange and K. Wallenfels on 21–23 July 1935. The north face below Pointe Hélène was first climbed by a Polish party (Chrobak, Poręba, Wróż) on 24–25 July 1970.

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; only for very experienced winter alpinists
Feb: Winter conditions
Mar: Winter conditions
Apr: Winter conditions; the normal route is occasionally skied
May: Ridges still snowy; hut closed
Jun: Early season; lots of snow on the ridge
Jul: Main season; Boccalatte hut staffed; start very early
Aug: Stonefall in the Couloir Whymper rises in heat waves; Planpincieux glacier may close the Val Ferret road
Sep: Often stable and cold; hut closes in mid-September
Oct: Hut open on some weekends only; short days and early snow
Nov: Winter conditions
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Rifugio Boccalatte: +39 375 6596222, info@rifugioboccalatte.com (CAI Torino hut). Rifugio Torino: info@rifugiotorino.com, +39 0165 844034 (bookings by e-mail only).

Fees

Rifugio Boccalatte (CAI Torino) overnight fee; winter-room stays are by voluntary donation
Skyway Monte Bianco ticket and Rifugio Torino fee for the Rochefort Ridge approach

Rules

Courmayeur can close the Val Ferret road between Meyen and Planpincieux, the Rochefort track and the surrounding red zone by ordinance when the Planpincieux glacier accelerates (this happens most summers); access to Planpincieux is then limited to authorised traffic via the Montitta road
The Boccalatte hut path and the Grandes Jorasses normal route have been closed by municipal ordinance in the past because of the Whymper serac (2019); check before going
The Bivacco Canzio is unstaffed, has 8 places and no gas

Getting There

Courmayeur (Italy)

Turin (TRN) or Geneva (GVA)

Bus to Courmayeur from Aosta, Turin/Milan or Chamonix (through the Mont Blanc Tunnel)
Val Ferret local bus or car from Courmayeur to Planpincieux (about 5.5 km); large car park above the hamlet
Skyway Monte Bianco from Pontal d'Entrèves to Pointe Helbronner for the Rochefort Ridge approach

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Rockfall
Altitude
Exposure
Weather
Cornices
Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

Rifugio BoccalatteRefugeStaffed
24 beds · Staffed in summer (around July to mid-September); some autumn weekends in 2026 (18–20 September and weekends in October); winter room always open
Website of Rifugio Boccalatte
2,804 m
Rifugio TorinoRefugeStaffedBooking required
160 beds · Summer season; closing for 2026 planned for 11 October
Website of Rifugio Torino
3,375 m
Bivacco CanzioBivouacUnstaffed
8 beds · Year-round, unstaffed
Website of Bivacco Canzio
3,825 m