Testa del Rutor
3,486 m
Italy
Also known as tête du Ruitor, Теста дел РюторAlso known as
tête du Ruitor · Теста дел Рютор
- Elevation
- 3,486 m
- Prominence
- 847 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: F+ (inalto.org)
A classic easy glacier climb over two days: a busy path past the Rutor waterfalls from La Joux (about 1,600 m) to Rifugio Deffeyes (2,494 m), then moraine with a short chained ledge onto the broad, crevassed Rutor Glacier, which is climbed along its left side under the Flambeau and Château Blanc to the summit ridge and the Madonna statue. About 1,900 m of ascent in all.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 12.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,018 m
- −131 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,486 m
- Time Up
- 8h 36m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 05m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at La Joux above La Thuile, follow the mule track (trail 2 / Alta Via 2) over a wooden bridge and up through larch forest past the three Rutor waterfalls, then over the Alpe du Glacier basin (Lago del Ghiacciaio, about 2,160 m) and a small col to Rifugio Deffeyes (2,494 m), about 2½–3 hours and 900 m. Leave the hut in the dark. Take the path south-east towards the Col de Planaval over meadows and past small lakes, then over rocky moraine following cairns; an exposed ledge around 2,800 m is equipped with chains. Where the Planaval path turns east (about 2,900 m), continue south over a rocky hump and drop over debris to the glacier at the foot of the Flambeau. Because the glacier has retreated and its upper-left tongue has become detached, there are now several ways onto the ice: the high path to the detached upper glacier at about 2,950 m, a shorter pathless crossing of the moraine to the ice at about 2,705 m, or the long low route via the Rutor lakes to the snout at Lago Superiore (2,584 m). Older descriptions may no longer match the ground. On the glacier, rope up and keep to the left side, which has fewer crevasses, passing under the Flambeau (3,315 m), the Doravidi and the Château Blanc (3,408 m) to a wide plateau; distances are longer than they look. Climb the final steeper slope to the ridge near a ruined shelter and follow the scree ridge (or, in snow, a short steep traverse) to the summit and its Madonna statue. About 4 hours from the hut; descend the same way (about 3¼ hours to the hut). In mist the plateau is very hard to navigate; late in hot summers expect bare ice, open crevasses and loose rock near the col.
Start
La Joux1,597 m
- Bus from Aosta/Pré-Saint-Didier to La Thuile; free summer shuttle La Thuile – La Joux (18 July – 30 August in 2026)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Joux → Rifugio Deffeyes | 5.7 | 943 | 51 | 3h 57m |
| 2 | Rifugio Deffeyes → Testa del Rutor | 7.2 | 1,075 | 80 | 4h 38m |
Waypoints
- Parking: La Joux1,597 m
- Hut: Rifugio Deffeyes2,491 m
- Feature: Flambeau3,278 m
Pass along its foot on the left side of the glacier (not on route line)
- Summit: Testa del Rutor3,486 m
Key Passages
- Chained ledge on the moraine above Rifugio Deffeyes
- Getting onto the retreating glacier below the Flambeau
- Crevasse zones on the Rutor Glacier
- Final slope and scree ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest point (3,486 m) of the Rutor massif between La Thuile and Valgrisenche, a rocky hump crowned by a Madonna statue above the broad Rutor Glacier. A classic easy glacier climb from Rifugio Deffeyes, and a popular spring ski-mountaineering summit.
Testa del Rutor (Tête du Ruitor in French) rises above one of the largest glaciers of the Aosta Valley, the Rutor Glacier, at the head of the La Thuile valley; the Valgrisenche lies to the east and the French Tarentaise (Sainte-Foy) to the west across the Invernet glacier. From the north it looks like a flat-topped dome at the back of a wide glacial plateau ringed by the Flambeau, Doravidi and Château Blanc.
The normal route is a two-day outing: a heavily used path past the Rutor waterfalls to Rifugio Deffeyes, then a long but never steep glacier ascent of about 1,000 m. It is a good first glacier summit for parties with rope skills, with views of Mont Blanc, the Grandes Jorasses and the Gran Paradiso. The glacier has retreated strongly and is crevassed; how you get onto the ice now varies from year to year.
In spring it is a favoured ski-mountaineering objective from La Thuile and from La Savonne on the French side, and the area is also used for heli-skiing.
Climbing Notes
You need basic glacier skills: roped travel, crevasse rescue and crampon technique; otherwise hire a guide in La Thuile or Courmayeur. Fitness for about 900 m on day one and 1,000 m up plus 1,900 m down on day two is required. Altitude is moderate at 3,486 m.
Typical itinerary: walk up to Rifugio Deffeyes in the afternoon (2½–3 hours from La Joux), leave before dawn so you reach the glacier at first light, summit in about 4 hours and return to La Thuile the same day. The glacier plateau is featureless; in mist, stay on the left (fewer crevasses) and use the rock walls as a reference, and carry GPS. After hot summers, late-season conditions bring bare ice, open crevasses and loose rock near the col; June and July are usually best on foot. Bring a sleeping-bag liner; dogs are not allowed inside the hut.
History
The first ascent was made on 16 August 1858 by Johann Jakob Bucher, Jean-Baptiste Frassy, Gottlieb Studer and Johann Jakob Weilenmann, climbing the south-east side and descending the north-west. Thomas George Bonney, Jean-Baptiste and Michel Croz and William Mathews made the second ascent by the north-east ridge on 8 August 1862. The first winter ascent was on 17 January 1898 by the guide Maurice Bonnier with Paul Moyne, Louis Rivoire and a porter. The Chapel of Santa Margherita near the Rifugio Deffeyes was built in 1606–07 to protect the valley from floods caused by the bursting of ephemeral lakes dammed by the glacier.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Good
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Possible
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Hut closed; winter ski mountaineering only
- Feb
- Ski mountaineering for experienced parties; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Ski-touring season (from La Thuile or La Savonne); hut winter room only
- Apr
- Spring ski touring; long approach on foot from La Joux until snow melts
- May
- Late ski tours; hut closed
- Jun
- Hut opens mid/late June (20 June in 2026); good snow cover on the glacier
- Jul
- Best on foot; shuttle bus to La Joux from mid-July
- Aug
- Busy; crevasses open up and bare ice late in hot summers; road to La Joux restricted by day
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September (13 September in 2026); bare ice and open crevasses
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow over open crevasses
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Deffeyes (CAI Aosta): book by phone (+39 0165 884239) or email info@rifugiodeffeyes.it; open mid-June to mid-September; winter room outside the season.
- Rules
- In peak summer the road from La Thuile to La Joux is closed to private cars during the day (roughly 09:00–17:00/18:00); park lower down and walk or use the free shuttle
- Dogs are not allowed inside Rifugio Deffeyes
- Getting There
La Thuile
Turin (TRN) or Geneva (GVA)
- Car: A5 motorway to Morgex/Pré-Saint-Didier, then the SS26 to La Thuile and the side road to La Joux (car park about 1,600 m)
- Bus: regional buses from Aosta and Pré-Saint-Didier to La Thuile
- Free summer shuttle La Thuile – La Joux (18 July – 30 August in 2026, Arriva Aosta)
- From France: over the Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard from Bourg-Saint-Maurice (summer)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Weather
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,494 m
Rifugio DeffeyesHutStaffed
70 beds · Staffed mid-June to mid-September (20 June – 13 September in 2026); winter room