Dent du Géant
Encyclopedia
The Dent du Géant (4,013 m) is a mountain
in the Mont Blanc massif
in France
and Italy
.
The mountain has two summits, eighty-eight feet apart and separated by a small col (an 'extremely awkward notch' according to W. W. Graham
):
The Dent du Géant had remained unclimbed during the golden age of alpinism
, and was a much-coveted peak in the 1870s, repelling many parties who attempted it mostly from the Rochefort ridge. In 1880 the strong team of Albert F. Mummery
and Alexander Burgener tried to force a passage via the south-west face but were repelled by a band of slabs, causing Mummery to exclaim 'Absolutely inaccessible by fair means!'
The following huts serve the mountain:
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Mont Blanc massif
Mont Blanc Massif
The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The mountain has two summits, eighty-eight feet apart and separated by a small col (an 'extremely awkward notch' according to W. W. Graham
William Woodman Graham
William Woodman Graham was a British mountaineer who led the first pure mountaineering expedition to the Himalayas and may have set a world altitude record on Kabru....
):
- Pointe Graham (4,013 m), first ascent by W. W. Graham with guides Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse Payot on 20 August 1882. This ascent marked the end of the so-called silver age of alpinismSilver age of alpinismThe silver age of alpinism is the name given to the era in mountaineering that began after Edward Whymper and party's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 and ended with W. W...
. - Pointe Sella (4,009 m), first ascent by Jean Joseph Maquignaz with son Baptiste Maquignaz and nephew, Daniel Maquignaz on 28 July 1882. The same party climbed Pointe Sella a second time on the following day with clients Alessandro Sella, Alfonso Sella, Corradino Sella and Gaudenzio Sella. Graham noted on his first ascent that one of the Maquignazes had carved the letter 'M' on a rock step just below the summit of Pointe Sella.
Golden age of alpinism
The golden age of alpinism was the period between Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 and Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, during which many major peaks in the Alps saw their first ascents....
, and was a much-coveted peak in the 1870s, repelling many parties who attempted it mostly from the Rochefort ridge. In 1880 the strong team of Albert F. Mummery
Albert F. Mummery
Albert Frederick Mummery , was an English mountaineer and author. Although most notable for his many and varied first ascents put up in the Alps, Mummery, along with J...
and Alexander Burgener tried to force a passage via the south-west face but were repelled by a band of slabs, causing Mummery to exclaim 'Absolutely inaccessible by fair means!'
The following huts serve the mountain:
- Rifugio Torino (3,372 m, CAI, staffed mid May–end September)
- Torino hut (3,332 m, CAI, all year)
- Pointe Hellbronner (3,462 m, téléphérique station which can be used as a base)