The Best Rock Climbing Routes in Haute-Savoie

From the Albert Premier Hut, with a suitably early start, follow the good track, which leads gently up and then easily down onto the Le Tour Glacier. This is actually highly crevassed, though early in the season they are normally well covered....

Due to the large vertical interval with no lifts this side of Mont Blanc is far quieter than the French side. It is certainly more effort on the summit day, but the approach to the Gonella Hut is no longer than the approach to the highest hut on the French side....

Take the train from Chamonix to Montenvers at 1912m. From there take the downhill path which branches off to the R to the top of the ladders. A series of these descend ever increasing distances with glacial recession, until the moraine that leads down a rough track to the glacier itself....

Chamonix is best known for its long, hard and scary climbs but there are plenty of excellent low grades routes here, and the Tête Blanche North-west ridge is one of them....

Before the day's climbing even begins on this route you will have a special experience simply by waking up in the beautiful Conscrits hut. It sits in a valley that feels more Himalayan than alpine, and sitting in the curved dining room in the pre-dawn darkness is a wonderful feeling....

The first day of the Haute Route Glacier Trek that takes you onto a glacier (rather than just walking next to one as you did on the approach to the Albert Premier Hut) and what a wild glacier it is....

For the low grade alpinist, this is a great way to get into longer glacier routes. Once you've got down the Aiguille du Midi arete, the route is non-technical but you will need to be able to route find through glaciated terrain and, if things don't go to plan, carry out a crevasse rescue....

The route as described here starts from the Aiguille du Midi lift. The vast majority of people will make a very short approach day, and spend the night in the Cosmiques Hut, leaving after a 1am breakfast, in order to complete the descent before it gets dangerous....

Although this is only the access day for Mont Blanc it is still a big day with significant height gain. Ideally take the first lifts to Nid d’Aigle, arriving at 9....

With an extremely early start leave the hut and go almost horizontally with amazing views of the lights in the valley far below, over your R shoulder. Take care to have plenty of rope between you and if you are only a pair then consider knots in the rope, as it is extremely hard to hold a fall into a crevasse as just a rope of two....

With an extremely early start leave the hut and traverse pretty much horizontally on quite steep snow slopes to gain the Glacier du Dôme. Follow this, meandering to one side and the other, taking the least crevassed route....

This is a lovely mixed route, which is relatively straightforward early season when it is snow covered. Loose rock, the descent gully and the bergschrund can be problematic later in the season....

This is an early season route, which becomes both icy and dangerous from rockfall from mid-season onwards. For this reason, it may be impractical from mid-July, unless it is a particularly snowy summer (i....

This is a magnificent summit, somewhat dwarfed by its bigger neighbours, but nonetheless has some fantastic routes, completely independent of other mountains. The ordinary route to the summit is a short diversion from the 3 Monts Route up Mont Blanc....

From the hut backtrack along the path you came up on yesterday a short distance, then follow the cairned climber’s path to the vestigial Moine Glacier, (more of a snow patch) heading to the top of it....

From Gruvaz at 1120m follow the well marked obvious 4WD track to the Chalets de Miages at 1559m. Follow the path heading SE from there, heading to the L in ascent of the stream marked on the map as le Grand Pont, briefly heading SW at about 1730m, where it steepens, then SE and E again until about 2130m, where the path heads N....

This is a truly classic route which you are unlikely to have to yourself, but that is the price you pay for getting to such a wonderful peak with so little effort....

In the summer follow the standard route from the Albert Premier Hut, as for the Aiguille du Tour. This will be a very well-travelled track with plenty of people. Leave the route to the Aiguille du Tour at the Col Superior du Tour, then head E then SE up the Trient Glacier, heading gently up to the base of your objective....

The Whymper Couloir, first climbed by in 1865 by Edward Whymper and Christian Almer, is the most commonly ascended route up the Aiguille Verte. Despite the (relatively) modest difficulty of AD+, it is nonetheless a serious undertaking requiring solid snow and ice climbing skills....

This is an easy accessed, low grade alpine route but much of it is staggeringly exposed so don't underestimate it and be prepared for an exciting day! Begin by descending the famous snow arête east of the Aiguille du Midi and follow it as it mellows and widens to a large flat area atop the Aiguille du Midi north face....