Tour of the Dents-du-Midi (hiking in the Alps)

Sports and Hobbies
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This is one of the two hikes I have shortlisted to do over this rather (sadly ) short summer.

Tour of the Dents-du-Midi

My search criteria include that

1. It must have the highest rating on effort, I plan to hike up to 10-12 hours and I hike at about twice the guidebook times. I plan to go when weather is forecast to be perfect, with the option to stay in one of the huts if I can't seem to finish well by evening.

2. I am looking for reasonably high rating on power and psyche (around 3), it must be a bit scary at some point, but this is optional.

3. My weak area is orientation, so I'd rather have it as easy as possible on this dimension of difficulty. Especially given that I'll probably do it alone. I'll of course carry maps, spend the previous day at the local tourism office and collect all possible info, will make the final decision there, but still.

4. Last but nor least, I am just not a snow guy, I have cold hands, so snow/cold related risk is something I'd rather not take. I am willing to carry an axe/crampons just in case, but won't do if the route demands them in normal circumstances. This is the most important constraint

To give an idea in subjective terms, my risk appetite is a touch lower than this guy in this report , I'd probably take 5 hours for this hike in good weather; I also usually make friends on the way.

Now I have a few specific queries, but any other feedback is welcome too:

1. Does the route given above fulfill my criteria, especially 3 and 4 (orientation and cold temperatures)?

2. More confusing is, google throws up different shorter variants of the route, such as the trip report I linked above I saw this post discussing this variant too, so what exactly is "the" Tour of dents du midi? If ChrisW finds this variant too difficult, I would rather pass it too; I would rate my hiking fitness close to his.

If there are two variants, and each is very different, I could possibly do both hikes. I see some common points between the two routes, but couldn't figure out the starting town for the variant. Any recommendations where I should stay the previous day, which towns, and possibly find similar hikers?

Hope I have articulated my various queries with some clarity. I will be stepping out of my comfort zone on this hike, the area will be unfamiliar to me, and please remember that I don't know any local language. But that is the fun part.

Thanks in advance for any helpful comments

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I have never done it, though I have it on my list of possible hikes.

The link you give at the top of your post gives a hike very similar (minor variation in start) to one on a brochure that has disappeared from the web. My quick arithmetic gives a total time of 16+ hours; if you hike at double signpost speed that means about 8-9 hours for you.

About one third of the tour is hiking trails (yellow) and the remaining two thirds mountain hiking trails (white-red-white), that means no navigational problems, and no ice axe/crampons in normal summer weather. But note the comment at the end of the page: If this is not enough for you the site suggests additions: The Haute Cime is a non-technical scramble (needs good ability to move on rock, no ropes). A Google search on Haute Cime will give you many links; this is a site that I trust very highly: Haute Cime .

Happy hiking ... my Swiss trip starts in about three weeks

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I could not locate Antheme on the map, is it spelled as Anteme on this map ?

Okay, the description sounds like my cup of tea, just what I had imagined. Now as I understand, the Haut Cime climb is an out and back trip from Van d'en Haut whereas the Tour is a loop starting at Verossaz/La Doey. The two routes intersect at Salanfe or Col du Susanfe.

So, if I want to do both the peak and the loop in one itinerary, Which town should I be starting from, Van d'en Haut or Verossaz?

I would do all this in two days, with a more conservative planned speed of two thirds of the marked times.

Option 1: Irrespective of which town I start from, I ascend Haut Cime on Day 1, I come down and stay overnight in Cabande de Susanfe. The next day I can do the remainder of the Tour loop before returning to Verossaz.

Option 2: I would normally plan on one acclimatization day before attempting Haut Cime (3257m). I am wondering if I can avoid the additional acclimatization day by instead doing the trip in the opposite direction of Option 1. i.e. I do most of the loop in counter-clockwise direction on Day 1, sleep at Cabane de Susanfe (2050 m), and then do the Haut Cime on Day 2 before getting down back to town and completing the loop.

Option 3: and this one appeals to my senses very much, is to stay overnight at Refuge des Dents du Midi. With this option I can just reach this hut on Day 1 starting from either of the towns. Then do the Haut Cine summit and the rest of the loop on Day 2.

Hmmm, I think I already know the answer now, but a second opinion doesn't hurt.

RetiredINH, would love to meet you/do some hikes if it works out, I plan to do this trip not before mid-July. Thanks so much for the tips.

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ha, ha this is also on our to do list to jog round in 1-2 days, without taking in the summit. There used to be a marathon but it hasn't run for sometime. We've bought a really good, clear 1:25 000 map that marks the main routes and variants. It's produced by orell fussli has a green and yellow cover and title is chablais valaisan.

I don't think it matters where you start from apart from some places are easier to get to than others. The refuge/guest house on Lac Salanfe lacks character, is large, but is well situated (we've camped down the valley from there and jogged up for a look see).

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I view Haute Cime as an out and back from the Col de Susanfe, a big extra. Also note that the Refuge des Dents du Midi is also an extra out and back, three hours up, two down according to signpost times.

One suggestion: Start from Mex (reachable by bus from St. Maurice) and go counter clockwise to Cabane de Susanfe (10:40 signpost time), spend the night at 2,102 meters. Next day go up to the col, side trip to the Haute Cime, and out.

I am not sure how you could incorporate a night at the Refuge des Dents du Midi, as it is too close to the potential starting points. On day two you would have to go down from the Refuge and do most of the loop plus the Haute Cime. But then you are so much faster than I am that my opinion is not really relevant

If you PM me your snail mail address I can mail you a copy of the old brochure on tours in the Valais; I have an extra copy. Also contains the Tour of Mont Rosa that you are interested in.

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then there's the Tour des Combins www.tourdescombins.ch , Tour du Ruan www.tourduruan.com , Tour du muveran and the Europaweg to name a few to add to the lists. should keep us busy and happy for awhile.

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Agreed, the most sensible one, and I will keep this as baseline.

OK, I may or may not do this for other reasons, but for the sake of future reader:

How I reasoned was (and I could be wrong as I have yet plot my route precisely), if I stay in the Refuge des Dents du Midi I am almost at the Haut Cime . Next morning I will have just 400m ascent, and then the descent to re-enter the original loop at Col du Sufanse, maybe 2-3 hours extra in total. This is about the same time I would take to reach the Col du Sufanse had I started from the designated start town. So this is not any longer than the original loop? In fact, a bit shorter?

Hopp! Hopp! Kate

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One problem ... is there a good route from the Refuge to the Haute Cime? There is a well known route from the Col de Susanfe, but I have read nothing (did not search very hard!) about getting to the Haute Cime from the Refuge.

OK, searched a bit more, found Dents du Midi : So there is a PD route from the Refuge ...

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Just got a pm to answer this; posting it here so info is available at one place.

"I mainly ask to be sure that there is a route a round (not necessarily up) that does not require technical ability other than possibly a short scramble."

I would be almost sure the classical Dents du midi loop is a walking path the whole way. It should have no scrambles, and scary steep sections either.

In fact, even the Haute Cime (which is the peak that one can do by detouring as I plan above) is not necessarily a scramble, but a rather steep and sustained walk in dry conditions. Feel free to ask any more concerns and RNH will be here soon to allay your concerns.

I saw you described yourself as a nutter, too bad you are going with the missus. I am recruiting some nutters to accompany me, anyone reading this thread and is inspired to join, pm me

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Received with thanks

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Just a quick update for those interested:

All nice when posting on internet, but when you go there alone, nearly 3 km up there and gusts almost pushing you off-balance, it can get scary. Basically I wimped and turned back at 2740m.

The Dents tour per se is nice, not too easy though, easily T3 grade. I was surprised to find families with 5-6 year olds doing this.

Coming back to my trip, I started at 8:30 am at Champery, full kit/big boot gross weight 10 kilos (in hind sight I could have gone a lot lighter and retained some agility), and lost an hour of detour by carelessness. I was consciously walking very slowly so that I would still be fresh when I will have to step off the trail at Col de Susanfe (2450m) and head up toward Haute Cime. reached the Col around 1 or 1:30 I think. Can't say I arrived there fresh, I wasn't as good as normal, possibly altitude.

It would be interesting to know how I felt then. The thing is this mountain is the tallest structure in a 30 km radius, so it is very airy. Air rushes through this Col. I paused for eat, dressed up warmly and started hiking up on the Huate Cime trail. Like most T4s, this one too is barely discernible trail, it is rather steep scree. I normally feel pretty secure on 70+ degree grass slopes, but on a 30-40 degree scree you can't really bend down and use your hands, nor did I feel very secure on my feet. The drop is maybe 1 km (not exaggerating). I think this is what the summit post grade aptly covers under the psychological factor: although technically it was well within my physical abilities, I just didn't have the head for it, especially as I was alone.

So, long story short, I just wimped and turned back Heck! When I analysed it after coming home, and even as I write now, I think it was a combination of (1) altitude (2) exposure (3) snow melting from above and creating torrents of water to cross (4) not confident that I could retrace my way back, and most importantly (5) I was alone and it was late already. Factor 5 is a multiplicative rather than additive. A bit disappointing, quite a bit of dent on my ego/pride, but good thing is I am writing this post, 36th year of 100% injury-free sporty life, that is more important in the long run.

Anyway the rest of the hike was brilliant, I would recommend the Dents tour very highly, it has a distinct flavour. Then I hiked down to Mex, and then got tempted to run.

The descent from Mex to St. Maurice is a delectable one for downhill running enthu's (kate are you listening ). With boots/pack it still took me well under half an hour to descend 600m, it is a soft, steep trail like none that I have seen before (T3, but pretty safe).

Total trip stats:

35.4 km horizontal

Ascent: 2250m

Descent: 2850m

Total moving time: 8.43 hours, out of which 8 were leisurely.

In summary my report may deter people from trying Haute Cime. That is not my intention though. Every report that I have read earlier and later, gives a more lenient view of this hike, 12 year olds have gone with dad, and lots of people do it as a 1 day trip Champery to Champery in 8-9 hours. Maybe it was just my bad day.

I am not motivated to go there again, not in this season at least, but it is worth trying in case someone can go with a suitable partner. I think weather will be more stable soon, so end of Aug/early Sep may be optimal.

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Sorry you did not make the summit; glad you made it back home!

I do some instructing in Boston for beginning hikers, and we have two very similar sayings:

The mountain will be there next year; make sure you are Reaching the summit is optional; returning to your car is not

The effects of altitude are very hard to predict; not only do they vary from person to person, but can also vary in the same person from trip to trip.

And, of course, we all have our bad days.

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Discretion is the better part of valour. Glad you got home safely. Sometimes it takes more courage to break off a tour than to press on regardless and risk an accident. There are other days and other mountains.

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You've come a long way from running up the Uetliberg Niranjan!

Show me some decent weather and I'll join you for a day.

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You can skip the initial 400m ascent by driving up from Champery, this would then make approx 1.5 summer day Rigis in effort, you can do the rest of the math.

Will let you know if dates and weather fit.

RNH: you are right about the altitude, once I was down at Mex I had regained my spirits, except for some normal tiring.

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I wonder if it's close to where I actually had a whole group of us return, must have been around 2,5km high, it was a hike from Lacs de Fully up, I forgot the name of the actual peak, some other Dents.. It was about 40%, 3 degrees, in weather changing every ten mins, on icy snow with drops few hundred meters long, one could have held onto only long slippery and icy grass, the group had no equipment at all, the kids were too antsy to hold safely to a group cable and the captain ended up in ER as soon as we got home, for respiratory troubles. Sometimes to return is the smartest thing to do, no matter how you feel about it afterwards. I would never go there alone, or, with an over enthusiastic leader again who overestimated his abilities...

It is stunning there, though, isn't it. We took a cable car from Ouvronaz, beautiful walk up from there...

I wouldn't feel bad little kids do it, I wouldn't take mine there for another 15 years. Some people's judgment over how safe things are gets defeated by passion for mountains, sometimes.

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I think you mean the Dents de Morcles, it is a stone's throw away from where I was. From what I gather, the easiest way up the Morcles is a T5. Just to give an idea, T5 is what I have set as my hiking upper limit, and I consider myself fairly adventurous and fit. Taking kids up there...you can do the math.

Not to go alone, yes indeed, it is one of the cardinal rules of alpine hiking. Unfortunately it is not always possible to go with someone suitable, as you can infer, then the remaining options are (i) not to go, or (ii) go, but turn back a step before rather than later.

Just to add some clarity: the Tour of the Dents du Midi, which is what i started this thread with, is a T3 hike. Except weather changes, the hike per se is nothing dangerous, I personally would be happy to take my kid, provided I do this as a 2-4 day trip depending on age/endurance.

The Haute Cime is rated T4, which usually marks the transition where you sometimes use your hands (or wish you could ).

Hope this gives a more complete picture for those who may want to check out this amazing and distinctive mountain range.

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Yeah, those Dents! I don't think our captain really intended going all the way, and the "kids" were roughly 17, so it could possibly work, but something in my bones was telling me to get back. The weather was changing very few mins, from sunny and blue to complete black fog and snowing, early May is basically still winter there, so we hiked half way and got back. We actually hang around for 3 days, stayed over in Cabane du Sex Carro, that was the best part. Beautiful early morning views, it's imprinted in my memory, those clouds rolling so close you could touch them, air so clear and biting. The Morcles do look scary, I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed there alone, if that is a good term, I was and I had a troop with me...

I did Le Suchet a few weeks back, what a breeze compared to our earlier expedition..Nice easy walk, not so dramatic, the views were lovely and the fondue in the challet, yay. You should go, if you need something to fatten you up for your future adventures..

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We are thinking of trying the hike up to Haut Cime this weekend (just me and her) as the weather is looking perfect. Would you say, if we drive up as far as possible above Champery, that it is a one-day trip up and back again? We are both fit and strong walkers, but more than about 8 hours walking is probably getting past what we would call fun...

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Definitely. From your description I would think you should take max 5-6 hours actual walking time or 7-8 hrs total. And since you start that high, you can drink/eat before the hike and carry very light.

And TBH even I am not 100% sure hiking beyond 8 hours is fun...