Mont Blanc - Face Est

Wild, difficult to access and dangerous, the Brenva face of Mont Blanc is also home to some of the longest and most committing snow and ice climbs of the Alps, as well as the hardest route up Mont Blanc, Divine Providence. Through the 20th century, it was the testing ground for a lot of the top climbers and skiers in the world, with names like Bonatti, Grassi, Gabarrou, Marsigny, De Benedetti and Boivin everywhere in the credits. Today, it sees very few attempts, apart from a few classics. 

Route List

1: Pilier Central de Freney, TD+ 7a, Bonington, Glough, Duglosz, Whillans, 1961

2: Intégrale de Peuterey, TD+ 5, Hechtel, Kittelmann, 1953

3: Voie Güssfeldt, D, Güssfeldt, Klucker, Ollier, Rey, 1893

4: Éperon NE, D, Bron, Müller, Müller, 1925

5: Couloir NE, D/5.4 E4, Gabarrou, Suzuki, 1975/Benedetti, 1980

6: Face N, Voie de Gauche, D, Chabod, Grivel, 1933

7: Face N, Voie de Droite, D,/5.3 E3, Bastien, Coutin, Gaudin, Julien, 1952/Baud, Vallençant, 1977

8: Face NE du Col de Peuterey, AD, Herzog, Herzog, Rébuffat, Terray, 1944/Boivin, Gabarrou, 1977

9: Voie Bonatti-Zapelli, ED-, Bonatti, Zapelli, 1963

10: Voie des Polonais, ED A3, Chrobak, Laukajtys, Mroz, 1969

11: Faux Pas, ED- A1, Fijackowski, Kozackiewicz, 1983

12: Divine Providence, ED+ 7c/7a obl., Gabarrou, Marsigny, 1984

13: Voie Bonatti-Gobbi, ED- A1, Bonatti, Gobbi, 1957

14: Un Autre Monde, ED+ 6c A4, Lafaille, 1991

15: Voie des Slovaques, ED WI3 5c A2, Chrenka, Launer, Mizicko, Piacek, Svec, Tarabek, 1976

16: Voie des Belges, TD+ 6a, Caise, Grandmont, Munting, 1977

17: Voie Cecchinel-Nominé, TD+ WI5 5c A1, Cecchinel, Nominé, 1971

18: Directissime Gabarrou-Long, ED- WI5 5c, Gabarrou, Long, 1983

19: Voie Boivin-Vallençant, TD+ WI5, Boivin, Vallençant, 1975

20: Voie Bouchard, TD+ WI4+ 5c, Bouchard, 1975

21: Voie Dufour-Fréhel, TD+ WI4 5c A1, Dufour, Fréhel, 1973

22: Voie Baumont-Becker, TD+ WI4, Baumont, Becker, 1976

23: Voie Bonatti-Zapelli, TD WI4, Bonatti, Zapelli, 1962

24: Voie des Japonais, D WI2 X, Inoue, Matsumi, 1974

25: Le Sérac de la Poire, D+ WI3 X, Comino, Grassi, 1979

26: Voie Contamine-Merle, D+ X, Contamine, Merle, 1951

27: La Poire, D+ 4c X, Aufdenblatten, Graham Brown, Graven, 1933

28: Grand Couloir de la Brenva, D XX, Shigi, Shigi, 1979/Valeruz, 1978

29: Cascata Major, ED WI5, Civra Dano, Vidoni, 2021

30: Voie Mazeaud-Sorgato, TD- 5c X, Mazeaud, Sorgato, 1971

31: Voie Major, D WI2 4b X/5.4 E4, Graham Brown, Sidney Smythe, 1928/Benedetti, 1979

32: La Sentinelle Rouge, D X/5.4 E3, Graham Brown, Sidney Smythe, 1927/Bessat, 1977

33: Éperon Mummery, D X, Gréloz, Roch, 1936

34: Couloir de Droite de l’Éperon Mummery, D X, Dubois, Flouret, Laut, 1976

35: Voie Diagonale, D X/5.4, Azéma, Charlet, 1937/Benedetti

36: Éperon de la Brenva, D X/5.2 E3, Anderegg, Anderegg, Matthews, Moore, Walker, Walker, 1865/Holzer, 1973

37: Jardin Suspendu, AD+, Chovin, Merlin, Page, Pouey, Perroux, 1990

38: Vendredi 13, D, Fayard, Gerbaud, Perroux, 1995

39: Variante Güssfeldt, AD, Croux, Güssfeldt, Rey, Savoye, 1892/Holzer, 1973

40: Brenvitudes, 5.3, Sainte Marie, Tardivel, 2009

41: Voie du Caribou, 5.3, Bonnet, Tardivel, 2010

42: Voie Gruber, Gruber, Rey, Von Bergen, 1881

43:Descente Tardivel, 5.3 E3, Tardivel, 1988

44: Couloir du Bicentenaire, D+ WI5, Fava, Grassi, 1986

45: Voie Domenech-Hanoteau, D, Domenech, Hanoteau, 1974

46: Goulotte Ghersen-Twight, D WI4 5a, Ghersen, Twight, 1989

47: Goulotte SE, D WI5, Grassi, Marchisio, 1985

48: Nata di Pietra, TD- WI5, Grassi, Rossi, 1989

49: Tableau d’Honneur, D WI4, Chovin, Merlin, Page, Pouey, Perroux, 1990

50: Country Couloir, TD- WI5, Belinger, Fantini, 1979

51: Bonnet d’Anne, TD- WI5, Gabarrou, Marsigny, 1988

52: Voie Griffin-Torrans, D+ WI1 5a, Griffin, Torrans, 1975

53: Overcouloir, TD- WI5, Grassi, Margaira, Siri, 1986

54: Voie Diagonale, D/5.4 E4, Baumont, Decorps, 1977/Benedetti, 1983

55: Voie Giannina, TD, Bonatti, Ferrario, Oggioni, 1959

56: Couloir E, D, Bonnenfant, Simonet, 1961/Boivin, 1982

57: Neige, Glace et Mixte, D WI4, Artru, Damilano, Guérin, Heinz, Maurus, Perroux, Pilou, 1996

58: Variante des Suisses, Aubert, Dittert, Marullaz, 1937

59: Dom, TD+ WI6, Gabarrou, Marsigny, 1987

60: Voie Crétier, D+ 5c, Binel, Chabod, Crétier, 1929

61: Voie Bougerol-Mroz, TD 5c, Bougerol, Mroz, 1971

62: Voie Bonatti, TD 5c, Bonatti, Gallieni, Oggioni, 1959

63: Slovaque Directe, TD+ 5c A1, Chrenka, Launer, Piacek, Tarabek, 1975

64: Carroz d’As, TD- WI5, Broisin, Gabarrou, 1987

65: Voie Kagami-Perren, D+ WI3, Kagami, Perren, 1929

66: Directe Polonaise, TD- WI3 6a, Sadus, Zawadzki, 1963

67: Rencontre au Sommet, TD- WI4+, Grassi, Marchisio, Marsigny, Rossi, 1985

68: Couloir SE, TD- WI4+, Gabarrou, Steiner, 1981

69: Arête Küffner, D, Burgener, Furrer, Küffner, 1887

Updates

Dec 3, 2021: Added a new route (Cascata Major), opened November 2021.

Oct 22, 2022: Graphic design update

March 7, 2024: Graphic design update