Aiguille du Tour - Face Ouest

Not the most extreme of mountains, but prominent above its namesake glacier, Aiguille du Tour is a first summit for many budding mountaineers (and in fact one I summited with my then-fiancée and our wedding party just a few days before the ceremony!). The West Face shown here is the one facing the village of Le Tour and visible from the Albert 1er hut. It has a couple of classic routes (Arête de la Table and South Ridge of Aiguille Purtscheller) as well as a number of unjustly forgotten lines.

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Route List

1: Sommet N par la Brèche du Pissoir, AD, Ravanel, 1920
2: Face W du Sommet N, D- WI1 4b, Basset, Charlet, Charlet, 1941
3: Couloir de la Brèche, AD 4c
4: Goulotte N, D- WI3
5: L’Autre Couloir de la Table, AD WI2
6: Arête W du Sommet S, AD, Charlet, Ravanel, Reynier, 1911
7: Couloir du Gendarme de la Table, AD WI1 4b
8: Arête de la Table, AD 4c, Dreyfus, Duval, Duval, Henry, Ichac, 1926
9: Voie Cretton-Fournier, TD 5c A1, Cretton, Fournier, 1963
10: Variante Haertens, TD 5c A1 X, Haertens, Terray, 1945
11: Voie de Droite, TD 5c A1 X, Rébuffat, Gurékian, Terray, 1942
12: Arête S, D 5a, Aubert, Dittert, Marullaz, 1943
13: Arête S Intégrale, TD- 5c, Berthoud, Marcoz, 1958

Sources

• “Guide Vallot : La Chaîne du Mont Blanc, Volume III”, Lucien Devies et Pierre Henry, 4ème édition, Arthaud, 1975

• “Neige, Glace et Mixte, Tome 1”, François Damilano, JMEditions, 2018

• Camptocamp.org

Updates

Dec 2, 2020: First version published.

Oct 9, 2022: Graphic design update

May 18, 2024: Graphic design update

Aug 15, 2025: Graphic design update