Dent Blanche

The Dent Blanche, 4,357 metres, is a striking pyramid in the Pennine Alps of Valais, standing between the Val d'Hérens and the Zinal valley. Though slightly lower than the nearby Weisshorn, it is regarded as one of the harder and more serious of the classic Swiss four-thousanders.

Its clean lines and relative isolation give it a formidable presence, and it has a long history of testing alpinists since its first ascent in 1862 by a party including the guide Jean-Baptiste Croz. The mountain's reputation for sustained difficulty keeps the crowds thinner than on its more accessible neighbours.

The normal route follows the South, or Wandflue, ridge, a sustained rock-and-mixed climb graded AD with continuous exposure and no truly easy ground; parties must move efficiently over rock steps and snow crests for many hours. The harder north ridge and the faces reach higher grades on solid gneiss. Crampons, ice axe, rope and confident scrambling are all required, and the long day demands fitness and reliable route-finding in what can be fickle weather.

The Dent Blanche hut, perched high on the mountain, is the standard base and shortens an otherwise very long ascent to a still-serious summit day. The reliable season is July to September, when the ridge is largely snow-free and the rock has dried. Guides operate from Arolla, Zinal and Zermatt. This is a committing objective best suited to experienced mountaineers comfortable moving quickly on exposed mixed terrain, and it rewards them with one of the finest ridge climbs in the Valais.