Acording to the Guidebook of the SAC: "the West-ridge of the Dent de Tsalion is definitly the best rock route of it's kind in the Arolla area".

The West-ridge of the Dent de Tsalion is a 600 meter rock climb on the best rock you can imagine (compared to the Pennine Alps). The route is a real classic and doesn't have a single bolt in the route. You have to be able to climb III grade very easy, this because of the lenght and the (long) descent. After you've reached the summit you can complete the climb by ascending the Aiguille de la Tsa the at the same day. This way you'll have a long climb with two beautiful summits. The view from the summit is beautiful, especially the view of the Dent Blanche is stunning.

First ascent of the West-ridge: Ethel M.L. Wood, Jean Maître and Pierre Maureys (6. august 1897).

Deep view of the West-ridge.

Getting There

In general:

By Car: From Sion in the Rhône Valley, advance to Val d'Herens, Les Haudères and then to Arolla.

Public Transport: The nearest trainstation is in Sion (about 40km away), from Sion you'll have to take the bus that leads to the village.

To the Cab de la Tsa:

Arolla 2089m - Les Places - La Tsa 2607m : 1 h 45'

See this page for a map of the route.

To the start of the route:

From the Cab de la Tsa, descent along the path for Arolla for about 50 meters. Then scramble your way up in southeast direction. The rest of the acces is marked with stones and goes along the morene beneath the Dent de Tsalion (45 minutes from the hut to the route).

Route Description

The route is very easy to find because you have to stay on the ridge for all the time. The climbing is very continuous, wich makes it very nice to climb. The start of the route is marked with stones and is very easy to find. Just take the first crack that leads to the ridge.

A descent along the ridge is difficult, so be sure that you can reach the summit.

Time required for the West-ridge: 3-5 hours
Difficulty: III+ (long parts), AD+

Selfdrawn line of the West-ridge

Essential Gear

Alpine rock climbing gear. Single rope, you don't need a double rope. Some quickdrawns, rack of nuts and some friends are usefull.

External Links

Add External Links text here. Bertol hut - www.cabanebertol.ch/
Tsa hut - www.vs-wallis.de
Digital map - www.mapplus.ch
Weather forecast - www.meteoschweiz.ch
Time schedule train/bus - www.sbb.ch

Images