Tour Sallière

3,220 m

Switzerland

Also known as Tour Salière, ტურ-სალიერი

Tour Salière · ტურ-სალიერი

Elevation: 3,220 m
Prominence: 726 m
Difficulty: 6/10; Alpine climb
Best Season: Aug–Sep
Routes: 1

Routes

3D Preview

Open 3D

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: L'Epaule → Glacier de la Tour Sallière: straight line 550 m (limit 200 m)
danger scan: L'Epaule → Glacier de la Tour Sallière: sustained 44° > 40° on a straight line
last routed vertex 550 m from the summit (closed by straight)
ascent 1941 m is 1.6× the net gain 1250 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
DIN time up 9.31 h vs published 5.5 h (+69%)
DIN time down 7.65 h vs published 4.25 h (+80%)
Lac d'Emosson → Combe des Fonds: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 9.2 km)
Combe des Fonds → Les Chaux Derrière: dem (snap_failed, 0.6 km)

AlpinePDUIAAIISACT6ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: III (Camptocamp (final 5 m wall; first step direct)) · PD- (altituderando.com user comment, 2023 (glacier now only a névé))

The only route the SAC portal currently lists: a long day from the Emosson dam along the lake, up the trackless Combe des Fonds and Les Chaux Derrière to a névé below the south face, then loose gullies and short rock steps (II, one or two moves of III) on the SE ridge from the Épaule to the 3,220 m top. About 1,300–1,400 m; 5–6 hours up.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: ≈ 11.7 km; one way
Ascent: ≈ +1,941 m; −691 m lost on the way up
High Point: 3,220 m
Time Up: ≈ 9h 19m; DIN 33466
Time Down: ≈ 7h 39m; DIN 33466 · same way back

From the car park at the Col de la Gueulaz (1,965 m) by the Emosson dam, take the tunnel under the Bel Oiseau and follow the road, then the path, along the east shore of the Lac d'Emosson to its northern end and the Combe des Fonds, about 5 km of nearly flat going. Many parties use a mountain bike for this section, especially on the way back. Stay on the left bank of the stream, pass a step near point 2115 by a waterfall, then follow cairns, red paint marks and an intermittent trail through scree to the flat Les Chaux Derrière (about 2,430 m). Cairns continue to about 2,700 m, where the route aims for a gorge carrying the stream from the Glacier de la Tour Sallière; the traverse into it crosses steep, gravelly slopes that need care. Above, easy slopes lead onto the small glacier, now largely a névé, and up to the saddle between the Épaule (3,011 m) and the Tour Sallière. The SE ridge rises about 200 m in loose gullies and short steps. Avoid the first steep couloir on the south side and climb a second, easier one to the left (II), or the first step direct by a chimney with an unstable start (III). Stay close to the crest over small steps (II), climb a chimney or a 35–40° couloir past a bastion of towers, and finish over the last 5 m wall or slab (II–III) to the summit. Cairns mark much of the line. Descend the same way: the SAC gives 3¾–4¾ hours back to the dam. Rockfall from parties above is the main danger; avoid the ridge if several parties are on it.

Start

Col de la Gueulaz1,970 m

VerticAlp Emosson (Le Châtelard–Emosson, three lifts, summer only)
Mont-Blanc Express (Martigny–Chamonix) to Le Châtelard VS, then the VerticAlp Emosson funicular, panoramic train and mini-funicular to the dam (summer); there is no longer a bus to Emosson
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Col de la Gueulaz → Tour Sallière	11.7	1,941	691	9h 19m

Waypoints

Parking:
Col de la Gueulaz1,970 m
Car park by the Emosson dam; road from Finhaut open from about May to mid-October; VerticAlp lifts from Le Châtelard
Feature:
Lac d'Emosson1,963 m
Follow the east shore through the tunnel and along the road to the northern end of the lake
Feature:
Combe des Fonds2,457 m
Feature:
Les Chaux Derrière2,515 m
Feature:
Glacier de la Tour Sallière3,178 m
Small glacier, now largely a névé, below the south face (not on route line)
Shoulder:
L'Epaule3,004 m
Start of the SE ridge from the saddle between the Épaule and the Tour Sallière
Summit:
Tour Sallière3,220 m

Key Passages

Traverse into the gorge at about 2,700 m on steep gravel
Névé of the Glacier de la Tour Sallière
First step of the SE ridge (II by the left-hand couloir or III direct)
Final 5 m wall (II–III)

Equipment

0/9 packed

Technical

Cramponsnévé below the ridge and snow in the couloirs; slopes up to about 45°Required
Ice axeRequired
Harness and 20–30 m ropeshort-roping or belaying on the ridge stepsRecommended

Safety

Helmetvery loose rock and stonefall from parties aboveRequired
Headlamplong day; early start advisedRequired

Footwear

Mountain bootsRequired

Clothing

Waterproof and warm layersRequired

Navigation

Map or GPS trackpath fades above 2,700 mRecommended

Other

Mountain bikeabout 5 km of flat road and path along the lakeRecommended

Downloads

Route confidence 65%

Overview

A three-sided rock pyramid of 3,220 m between the Lac d'Emosson and the Salanfe basin, just west of the Dents du Midi. Its normal route is a long, partly trackless day from the Emosson dam finishing up loose gullies and short grade II steps on the SE ridge.

The Tour Sallière rises at the head of the Emosson, Susanfe and Salanfe valleys in the Lower Valais, just west of the Dents du Midi. It is a large three-sided pyramid: a steep rocky south face above the Lac d'Emosson, a glaciated north-west face above the Susanfe valley, and the 1,300 m east face, the Grand Revers, carrying the subsidiary summits of the Dôme and the Église above the Lac de Salanfe. The rock throughout is loose shale.

The only route the SAC portal currently describes is the south-east ridge from the Emosson dam. It is a long day: about 5 km along the lake, a trackless climb through scree and over a small névé, then about 200 m of gullies and short rock steps (II, a few moves of III) to the summit. Most of the effort is the approach; the climbing is short but committing because of the loose rock. Experienced parties also climb the north ridge (PD+) from the Cabane de Susanfe or make a loop over the north ridge and down the SE ridge. The SAC warns that the whole east side, the Grand Revers, should be avoided because of unstable ground.

The SAC calls the summit a fine viewpoint well worth the climb. The area is remote, and parties often have the mountain to themselves.

Climbing Notes

Suitable for fit mountaineers comfortable moving unroped on loose grade II ground and steep scree, with crampons and an ice axe for the névé and any snow in the couloirs. Plan 5–6 hours up and about 4 hours down from the dam; a mountain bike for the lakeside section saves time on the return. Some parties bivouac at the head of the Combe des Fonds.

Start early: the south side heats up and stonefall increases during the day. Wear a helmet, and avoid the ridge when other parties are on it above you. The route above 2,700 m is only marked by cairns and the path fades, so carry a map or GPS track. The road to the Col de la Gueulaz is only open from about May to mid-October; outside that season the dam is reached on foot or by the VerticAlp lifts in summer.

History

No record of the first ascent was found; Camptocamp notes that the SE ridge route was already climbed in 1870 by unknown climbers. The SAC derives the name from a Celtic root 'sal', meaning a point or mountain; it is also spelled Tour Salière. A well-known accident on the Grand Revers killed three young French climbers one July evening, probably in 1913, after they ignored warnings about fresh snow on the face.

Season

Best Aug–Sep

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

Jan: Emosson road closed; ski tours only for experienced parties
Mar: Ski tours to the south face and couloirs in good conditions; long approach with the road closed
Apr: Spring ski touring
May: Road to Emosson usually reopens in May; lots of snow
Jun: Snow in the combe and couloirs; ice axe and crampons
Jul: Snow patches remain; stream crossings can be high
Sep: Usually driest; névé hard in the morning
Oct: Road open until about mid-October; first snow possible

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

No hut on the normal route; it is done as a long day from the Emosson dam or with a bivouac in the Combe des Fonds. The Cabane de Susanfe serves the north ridge.

Fees

VerticAlp Emosson lift tickets if arriving by public transport

Rules

The SAC advises avoiding the whole east side (Grand Revers) because of unstable ground.
The Finhaut–Emosson road is closed in winter; in 2026 it reopened on 9 May and stays open until about mid-October, weather permitting.

Getting There

Finhaut

Geneva Airport (GVA)

Train: Mont-Blanc Express (Martigny–Chamonix) to Le Châtelard VS, then the VerticAlp Emosson lifts to the dam (summer only); Emosson is no longer served by bus
By car: Martigny – Col de la Forclaz – Finhaut – Col de la Gueulaz, or from Chamonix via the Col des Montets; car park at the Col de la Gueulaz
On foot from Finhaut: about 2–3 hours and 800 m to the dam

Hazards

Rockfall
Exposure
Remoteness
Weather
Avalanche