Mont Dolent

At the very end of Val Ferret, where the road stops, a pointed summit rises above a large glacier. This is Mont Dolent, 3,820 metres according to Italian maps (3,823 for the Swiss). It closes off the Mont Blanc massif to the east. Above all, it is where Italy, Switzerland and France meet.

Three countries, three glaciers

Each country has its own side. On the Italian side, to the south, the Pré de Bar glacier comes down, clearly visible from Val Ferret. On the Swiss side lie the Dolent and A Neuve glaciers. On the French side, the west face towers over the Argentière glacier.

The exact point where the three borders meet is not quite on the summit. For Italy and Switzerland, it lies a little lower down the ridge, at around 3,749 metres. The summit itself is on the Italian-Swiss border.

A first ascent by Whymper

On 9 July 1864 the Englishman Edward Whymper reached the summit with several companions, among them the Chamonix guide Michel Croz. In his accounts he describes the top as a tiny cone of snow of great beauty. A year later, Whymper and Croz would be on the Matterhorn.

A quiet climb, but not an easy one

Mont Dolent sees fewer climbers than its neighbours. From Italy, the normal route starts from Arnouvaz, at the end of Val Ferret, and climbs to the Fiorio bivouac (2,724 m), an unstaffed shelter. The next day you go up the Pré de Bar glacier and snow slopes of up to 45 degrees, then a rocky ridge with a few sections of climbing. Allow about four hours from the bivouac and nearly 2,000 metres of ascent in all.

Getting there

Rifugio Elena (2,061 m)
Pré de Bar, Val Ferret
11013 Courmayeur (AO)
+39 0165 844688 · rifugioelena.it

Società delle Guide alpine di Courmayeur
Strada Villair, 2
11013 Courmayeur (AO)
+39 0165 842064 · guidecourmayeur.com

To see it, simply walk up from Arnouvaz to the Elena hut, in about 40 minutes, on the Tour du Mont Blanc: the Pré de Bar glacier and Mont Dolent are right in front of you. The summit itself calls for high-mountain experience: go with a guide.