Tete Blanche

Overview

Tete Blanche lies on the border of Switzerland and Italy . It is about a third of the way on the route from Arolla over to Zermatt. Most people take the easy route on the Swiss side with the majority of climbers using Cabane Bertol as the start point. From the hut it i takes an easy couple of hours to cross the Glacier du Montmine to the col. It is an easy and pleasant walk from here. Generally this summit is done while nearing the end of the Haute Route. The Matterhorn dominates the view to the west and mont Blanc can be seen away in the distance on a clear day. You can literally have one foot in Italy and one in Switzerland

Getting There

Arolla would be the best start point. From the village there is a good path which eventually takes you onto a large snowfield (not crevassed) that ascends to the base of the rock on which Cabane Bertol is perched. It would be possible to go the whole way from Arolla to the summit in one decent push but leaving from the hut ensures good early morning snow conditions. An alternative would be to approach from the Zermatt side using the Schonbielhutte as a starting point. This is a longer and more serious route as you have to ascend the Stockji Glacier which is normally very heavily crevassed. If you took a normal start (about 7am) from the hut then chances are you would hit poor snow conditions while making the ascent up the Stockji - much easier and more pleasant to descend this way plus you get great views of Matterhorn.

Red Tape

No red tape

When To Climb

Popular during summer with school groups and also as an easy detour for those on the Haute Route. I imagine it is also popular with ski tourers in the Spring.

Camping

Cabane Bertol is nearest hut. No mountain fees Camping would be feasible but I never saw any tents in the close vicinity

Mountain Conditions

Zermatt info site has weather for the region

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Images

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