The Dent Du Geant, with an elevation of 4013m (13,166 ft), lies at the western edge of the Grandes Jorasses ridge in the French/Italian Alps. It can be climbed in a day, starting at the Torino hut at the end of the Hellbronner cable car from the Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix. It was first climbed in 1882 and is one of the most beautifully striking and popular climbs in the Mont Blanc Massif, offering from its summit a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire mountain range.

The Historic 2001 Ascent

Pete Walsham, Alan Barr, Martin Schmildkopfe, Matt Needham, Matt James, Dave Futyan, Malcolm John and myself arrived at the Torino hut in the Italian alps on a bright and fresh Saturday morning in June, planning to start the breathtaking climb of the Dent Du Geant the following day.

Me at the Aiguille Du Midi, on the way to the Torino hut

Most of the team were, to some level at least, experienced Alpinists, but for me, it was my first attempt at an Alpine route, and so Saturday was spent learning some snow climbing techniques. This, however, didn't quite prepare me for the real thing....

After a day of aclimatisation and preparation, and a deep and restful night's sleep in the Torino Hut, we were ready for the climb that lay ahead of us. I had teamed up with Alan and decided to take the lead. Following a simple but much needed breakfast, we donned our ropes and crampons, and at 4am, we stepped into the cool, crisp air and began our journey across the glacier.

To our left, the french alps rose out of the still morning mist.

To our right italy slept soundly in the half-light of dawn.

Ahead of us, forbidding, immense, inescapable, lay The Dent du Geant.

After two hours, we were across the glacier and climbing steadily, and as we ascended the snow covered approach to the dent itself, the brilliant light of day break fell upon the opposing face of Mont Blanc.

Top Left: Keeping a steady pace behind us were Pete and Martin.
Bottom Left: One more hairy traverse before the slabs of the Dent. By this point I was pretty knackered,
and although most of the team were unsure as to whether to continue, I didn't feel I could turn back after all that way.
Right: After a break to catch one's breath, Pete, Martin, Alan and I made our way up the slabs, the rest of the group having decided not to pursue any further.
From the slabs themselves, the view of the valleys a couple of thousand feet below was fantastic.

The way up the slabs was extremely windy and exposed and was lead heroically all the way by Alan, after I bluntly refused to lead any of it. After an unsettling fall in which Alan was left hanging upside down from a peg by his boot, we made it to the top. Due to the amount of time we had taken, and our urges to get back to the hut, there were no poses at either of the two peaks...

It had got fairly late by the time we had done the three pitch abseil off the back and it was becoming clear that our chances of getting back to the hut in time for the last cable car were getting slimmer and slimmer. The snowy descent was becoming more treacherous with the melting snow which slowed us up even more...

After watching the last cable car leaving the Torino hut at 16:45, we were finally all resigned to another costly night in the alps. Martin had brought skis and sped off across the glacier to organise an extra four meals for us, while the remaining three of us trudged back. Behind us, the Dent still cut an impressive figure against the stunningly blue sky and off to our right, the Aiguille du Midi promised us a speedy return via cable car to Chamonix the next morning.

We finally got back to the hut at 7pm, a full fifteen hours after we left! After only two breaks of a couple of minutes and not a great deal of nourishment, we were understandably hungry and exhausted; sitting down to a meal was definitely what we needed.

After another gourmet Torino breakfast, we were just about ready to leave. It was 7am and we were all quite eager to return home when bad news arrived at the hut; another climber had fallen from the snow approach to the slabs and had died. The sight of the helicopter carrying the bodybag back to Chamonix brought home the seriousness of what we had just done, and with that sentiment, we took the first cable car back to the Aiguille du Midi.

One last pose with my gear before leaving the hut

Me at the Aiguille du Midi, returning from the Torino hut

And so the adventure was over; exhausted, in need of a hot bath and a day later than expected, we returned to Geneva to live happily ever after....

The final ascent team(in good spirits?) at the Aiguille du Midi