Dorées (Aiguilles)

Overview

The Aiguilles Dorées is a set of rocky summits arranged along a ridge and located in the Swiss side of Mont Blanc, not far from the border with France. This long ridge is stretching from West to East and lies East of the Petite Fourche, between the glaciers of Trient and Saleina. In fact the Trient glacier branches off to the North of the rocky ridge and the Saleina glacier to the South.
There are several needles, the main and Westernmost summit is named Aiguille de la Varappe. 
There are multitudes of routes on either the North side or the South side although the traverse of all or half of the 2km ridge is usually the most common choice of visit. There is a short North facing couloir about 2/3rds of the way along that can be used as an escape route or starting point.

The most important needles are:

- Aiguille de la Fenêtre
- Aiguille de la Varappe W summit 3516 m
- Aiguille de la Varappe E summit 3519 m, highest point
- Aiguille Penchée W summit 3504 m
- Aiguille Penchée Central summit 3405 m
- Aiguille Penchée E summit 3490 m
- Pointe Fynn 3450 m
- Tête Biselx 3509 m
- Aiguille Sans Nom 3444 m
- Le Trident 3436 m
- Aiguille Javelle 3435 m
- Tête Crettez 3419 m

Getting There

You will need to get to Martigny,  then follow the road first to Sambrancher then to Orsieres and to Champex lac. If you are coming from Italy or the Grand St. Bernard area you will only have to head for Orsieres than Champex Lac. Once in Champex head for the Chairlift, once at the top of the chairlift follow the trail that will first pass the Cabane d'Orny and than continue on the Glacier to the Cabane de Trient.

Climbing History

Tête Crettez : Ed. Jeanneret-Perret + Ed. Wasserfallen + guide P. L. Délez - 1/8/1876
Aiguille Javelle : Egon Hessling + guides Adrien and Onésime Crettez - 6/8/1896
Trident : Edouard Béraneck + Emile Javelle - 1876
First W-E traverse : Valère A. Fynn + William J. Murphy - 30/8/1892
First E-W traverse : Adèle Heiner + Maurice Crettez - 31/8/1898
Aiguille Sans Nom : Guy Formaz + Christophe Vouilloz - 18/9/1961
Aiguille de la Varappe SW face : Pascal Gravante + guide Michel Piola - 20/8/1990

Important routes

1) W - E traverse AD+ IV+ 9 h from Trient hut
2) E - W traverse D V 6,5 h from Trient hut
3) Tête Crettez + Aiguille Javelle + Trident (les "trois pointes") AD+ IV 4,5 h from Tient hut
4) Aiguille Sans Nom, S ridge AD+ V 5 h from Trient hut
5) Aiguille de la Varappe, SW face (Eole danza per noi) TD+ VI 6,5 h from Trient hut
6) Copt couloir  In the past a nice ice route. Today acute danger of stone fall

Aiguille de la Varappe

Fantastic orange granit "swiss made" characterizes the Varappe needle,  also called the Grand Capucin of the poor person. See here on SP the dedicated page: Aiguille de la Varappe

Routes :

1- Route 1896
H. Dupont et G.B.P. Hochreutiner, 1896.

2 - ???
1st ascent : unknown
TD+, 400 m., A1.

2a - La chevauchée fantastique
ED

3 - Et je suis le vent
P. Gravante, L. Monnet, M. Piola, 1990, 11 rope length.
ED-, 400 m

4 - Face au large
F. Desplan, P. Gravante, L. Monnet, M. Piola, 1990
ED, 400 m.

5 - ???
First ascent : unknown
ED, 400 m.

6 - Eole danza per noi
P. Gravante, M. Piola, 1990
TD+, 400 m

6a - C'est Mozart qu'on assassine

7 - Arête sud
A. Crettex, F. Sandoz, 1897.
D+, 400

8 - Ananas
F. Devouassoud, M. Ravanel, 1987.
TD, 400 m

8a - Les chants du Midi
400 m

8b - Les Strapontins du Paradis

9 - Papillons sereins
F. Devouassoud, M. Ravanel, 1987.
TD, 450 m

10 - Face sud-est
M.Barrard, G. Moyer, 1969.
TD, 450 m.

11- Voie du grand couloir
V.A. Fynn, 1893
D, 450 m.

12 - Le sud, le soleil, la plage, les palmiers...
F. Desplan, L. Monnet, M. Piola, 1990.
ED, 400 m.

13 - Voie de l'écharpe
E. Bornand, A. Crettex, G. Roehring, 1902.

14 - Voie des Genevois
M. Dandelot, D. Rochat, 1978.
TD, 350 m.

Aiguille Sans Nom

1 - Arête sud  D, 300 m G. Formaz, C. Vouilloz, 1961
2 - A la recherche du temps perdu  ED, 200 m.  L. Abbet, M. Braun, 1978
3 - Du vent dans les voiles  ED+, 300 m  - G. Hopfgartner, M. Piola, 1989
4 - Voie des Japonais   TD+, 300 m  J.-L. Coquoz, B. Gross, J. Hauser, J.-P. Hiroz, 1973>
5 - Don Quichotte  ED-, 300 m.  W. Josi, V. von Kaenel, 1987
6 - Passe-Partout  AD, 300 m  L. Abbet, B. Dorsat, B. Totnay, 1980

Promontoire Aiguilles Sans Nom

Le retour en Afrique TD /6a 250 m
Dorees les Ballades  TD /6a 300 m

Tête Biselx

- Original Route - UIAA IV (10 h) - Y and M Vaucher, 2 July 1964. Winter: P Froidevaux
- NNE face - UIAA IV (6 h) - G Genoud, D and J Troillet, 1 July 1972
- Dianetic - UIAA VI+ (5 h) - C and Y Remy, 28 July 1983

Red Tape

Virtually no red tape. Find a parking - take the lift - walk - hut - sleep - climb - rest.

Huts

- Cabane d'Orny 2831 m -  SAC (Swiss Alpine Club “Les Diablerets”) Situation: Swiss side of Mont Blanc Group - Left shore of Orny Glacier, between two little lakes Open: open all year long, guarded in summer from 10.06 to 20.09 Size: 90 persons + 30 in the winter-shelter Guardians: Patricia and Raymond Angeloz - Pradurand 1991 Salins Hut's phone : 0041 277831887

- Cabane du Trient m. 3170 SAC (Swiss Alpine Club “Les Diablerets”) Situation: Swiss side of Mont Blanc Group - Col d'Orny Open: from middle March to middle May and from middle June to middle September Size: 140 persons + 40 in the winter-shelter Guardians: Mélanie & Olivier Genet Rte du Coteau 29 1927 Chemin-Dessus Hut's phone : 0041 277831438

Envers des Dorées Biwak

When To Climb

The best period is Summer, when the days are long. Winter would make it considerably more difficult.

Meteo

- Meteoswitzerland 
- Meteo Wallis 
- Meteo Chamonix

Guidebooks and maps

"Monte Bianco classico e plaisir" by Marco Romelli - Idea Montagna
"Schweiz Plaisir West" by Andreas Mürner – Edition Filidor, 2012 
"Schweiz Plaisir West" by Jurg von Kanel – Edition Filidor 
"Entremont Escalades" by Olivier Roduit, 2011 
"Sommets du Mont Blanc: les plus belles courses de F à D" by Jean-Louis Laroche - Florence Lelong, 2010 
"Guide du Valais - du Trient au Nufenen" by Hermann Biner, 1996

Maps:

IGN 3630OT Chamonix - Massif du Mont Blanc
Swiss National map 1:25 000 Sheet 1345 Orsières
Swiss National map 1:50 000 Sheet 282 Martigny