Mont Blanc - Face Est
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