Tour Noir
3,836 m
Switzerland, France
Also known as ტურ-ნუარი, Le Tour NoirAlso known as
ტურ-ნუარი · Le Tour Noir
- Elevation
- 3,836 m
- Prominence
- 302 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 1 Jul 2024
A rockfall in July 2024 (month precision) affected the route from the Cabane de l'A Neuve via the A Neuve glacier and north ridge; a passage on the left was possible, but stonefall was still active on 6 August 2024. Ask the hut warden for current conditions.
camptocamp.org
Routes
2Approximate 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? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Cabane de l'A Neuve → Passage d'Argentière: straight line 2216 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Cabane de l'A Neuve → Passage d'Argentière: straight line 2216 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Cabane de l'A Neuve → Passage d'Argentière: sustained 65° > 40° on a straight line
- 28% straight-line fallback
- Cabane de l'A Neuve → Passage d'Argentière: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path 4936 m > 1.8× straight 2216 m + slack, 2.2 km)
- Passage d'Argentière → Tour Noir: dem (snap_failed, 0.3 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Pierre Javelle, Glacier de l'A Neuve, South-east spur, SE face chimney
Sources differ: PD/2 (SAC selection guide Alpes valaisannes) (SAC route portal)
The SAC normal route from Val Ferret: hut walk from La Fouly with chains to the Cabane de l'A Neuve (2,735 m), then across the heavily crevassed A Neuve glacier and up a steep, loose rock spur to the Passage d'Argentière (3,620 m), ledges across the SE face and a 12 m chimney (II) to the summit. 4½–5½ hours from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 7.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,340 m
- −106 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,836 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 8h 58m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 6h
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From La Fouly (1,594 m) in the Swiss Val Ferret, cross the Dranse de Ferret and the Reuse de l'A Neuve to the campsite, where the hut path climbs west through forest between the two torrents. A triangular rock promontory (Pt. 2094) is climbed by a chimney with fixed cables (or bypassed to the west); the path then crosses the Reuse de l'Amône on a footbridge, passes the Pierre Javelle and zigzags up to the Cabane de l'A Neuve (2,735 m), about 3½ hours (T3, two sections with chains or fixed ropes). From the hut traverse to the heavily crevassed Glacier de l'A Neuve, reached below Pt. 2753. Climb west and follow the glacier to the south-east spur coming down from the north, joining it at about 3,100 m over a bergschrund that is not always obvious. Climb the spur's easy but shattered and fairly steep rock to the Passage d'Argentière (about 3,620 m), 3 hours from the hut. From the Passage follow an easy block ridge to a first step with a pointed gendarme, turned on either side, to a small notch below a second step. Traverse right onto the south-east face and cross it on ledges about 100 m below the summit, horizontal at first and then rising, broken by small steps. After about 80 m climb a 12 m chimney (II) onto a crest that leads over easy blocks to the gap between the two summits, and follow the ridge to the main (north) summit, about 1½ hours from the Passage. Descend the same way. The rock is poor and stonefall is frequent on this side; Camptocamp notes that the original 'Vires Javelle' ledges collapsed around 1970.
Start
La Fouly1,603 m
- Train to Orsières (St-Bernard Express from Martigny), then PostBus up Val Ferret to La Fouly
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Fouly → Cabane de l'A Neuve | 5.2 | 1,138 | 36 | 4h 31m |
| 2 | Cabane de l'A Neuve → Tour Noir | 2.5 | 1,202 | 70 | 4h 28m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: La Fouly1,603 m
- Hut: Cabane de l'A Neuve2,706 m
- Col: Passage d'Argentière3,595 m
- Summit: Tour Noir3,836 m
Key Passages
- Cabled chimney at Pt. 2094 on the hut path
- Crevassed Glacier de l'A Neuve and bergschrund
- Loose, steep south-east spur to the Passage d'Argentière
- Ledge traverse across the SE face
- 12 m chimney (II)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 68%Overview
A dark, twin-summited rock tower of 3,836 m on the frontier ridge between the Argentière glacier basin and the Swiss Val Ferret. A PD glacier-and-rock climb from the Cabane de l'A Neuve or the Refuge d'Argentière, on loose rock with a full view of the Mont Blanc massif.
The Tour Noir stands on the France–Switzerland frontier between the Aiguille d'Argentière and Mont Dolent. It is a slender tower crowned by two summits, a north (main) and a south summit separated by a small notch; to the north stands its satellite, the Aiguille de l'A Neuve. The west side looks onto the glaciers of the Argentière basin, while the east face plunges into the gorge of the Reuse de l'A Neuve above La Fouly.
None of the peaks on this frontier ridge reach 4,000 m, but they feel like it: the approaches are long, the glaciers crevassed and the rock often shattered. The usual routes meet at the Passage d'Argentière, north of the Col d'Argentière, and finish over ledges and a short chimney or gully on the south-east side. The summit is a fine viewpoint over the whole Mont Blanc massif.
The peak is closely linked with the writer-alpinist Émile Javelle, who made the first ascent and whose name is on a boulder by the A Neuve hut path.
Climbing Notes
You need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, confidence on steep loose rock up to grade II (III+ on the French side) and fitness for a long day: about 1,100 m from either hut, 4½–5½ hours up. A helmet is essential; stonefall is frequent on the A Neuve side, and the rock throughout is rotten in places. Guides from Champex, Orsières and Chamonix offer the climb.
From Switzerland: day one from La Fouly to the Cabane de l'A Neuve (3½ hours, T3 with chains); day two summit and descent. The hut is staffed from late June to mid-September and is completely closed outside that period, with no winter room. From France the Refuge d'Argentière is the base, but its approach is long while the Grands Montets lifts are out of service.
Check conditions with the hut wardens: in 2024 a rockfall affected the north-ridge route from the A Neuve.
History
The first ascent was made on 3 August 1876 by Émile Javelle and F. F. Turner with the guides Josef Moser and François Tournier (Fournier in some sources), by the south-east side (the 'Vires Javelle') and the south ridge; the second followed on 18 August 1876. The first winter ascent, using skis to the Col d'Argentière, was on 24 January 1911 by Camille and Joseph Ravanel with Jean de Rufz de Lavison. The north ridge was first climbed on 23 July 1898 by Louis-H. and Théodore Aubert with the guide Maurice Crettez.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski approaches to the Col d'Argentière possible; summit rocks wintry
- Apr
- Spring ski-mountaineering from the Refuge d'Argentière (staffed March–May)
- May
- Late spring
- Jun
- Snowy rock; huts open mid- to late June
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; stonefall increases in warm spells
- Sep
- A Neuve hut staffed until about 20 September; drier, icier glaciers
- Oct
- A Neuve hut closed (no winter room)
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Cabane de l'A Neuve (CAS Diablerets, 28 places): book via cas-diablerets.ch/aneuve or +41 27 783 24 24. Refuge d'Argentière (FFCAM): refugedargentiere.ffcam.fr.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees
- Rules
- The Cabane de l'A Neuve is completely closed outside the staffed season, with no emergency room, since vandalism in autumn 2021
- Getting There
La Fouly / Orsières (Switzerland); Argentière (France)
Geneva (GVA)
- Train Martigny – Orsières, then PostBus up Val Ferret to La Fouly
- By car to La Fouly
- French side: train to Argentière; Grands Montets lifts out of service in summer 2026
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Altitude
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,735 m
Cabane de l'A NeuveHutStaffedBooking required
28 beds · Staffed late June to mid-September (26 June – 20 September 2026); completely closed otherwise, no winter room
- 2,769 m
Refuge d'ArgentièreRefugeStaffed
94 beds · Staffed early March to early May and mid-June to mid-September; winter refuge with 16 places