Ref. d'Argentière
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Ref. d'Argentière

9,091 feet/2,771 meters
Haute-Savoie (Mont Blanc), France, Europe

Last update: April 14th, 2002
   © Copyright by Rahel Maria Liu

Ref. d'Argentière

Ref. d'Argentière

 (Picture credit to: © Clubalpin Chamonix )
Overview
The Ref. d'Argentière is a modern big hut with a view directly to the northfaces on the opposite side: from Aiguille Verte to Mont Dolent. It is situated near the corner where the Glacier d'Argentière and the Glacier des Améthystes come together.
    according to Eberlein :
  • 120 beds
  • serviced from 15. March to 15. September
  • If you pay a little fee, you can also cook by yourself downstairs in the entrance/drying room, although this is not heated very well (only with one little heater) and in winter therefore a little bit cold.
  • winter room with 35 beds
  • prices for staying overnight: ??
  • phone: +33-450 531692
  • Email: refugeargentiere@wanadoo.fr
  • internet: Ref. d'Argentière
Getting There (To Argentière)
 
1. You reach the Ref. d' Argentière from Argentière.

2. You reach Argentière by train :
  • a. From Martigny (Switzerland) via Vallorcine.
  • b. From Geneva (airport) via Anncey (TGV till here) and St. Gervais.
    •
3. You reach Argentière by bus :
  • From/via Annecy, Geneva, Grenoble, Courmayeur, Aoste and Turin
    •
4. You reach Argentière by car :
  • a. From Geneva (from the NW) on the A40 till St. Gervais and from here on the N205.
  • b. From Martigny (from the NE, Switzerland) via Vallorcine and the Col des Montets on the road no. N506.
    •
Approach from Argentière to the hut
  • In order to reach the hut, you have 3 possibilities:

  • a. From Croix de Lognan (1970 m) in 3 - 3,5 h, to Croix de Lognan with cable car from Argentière: From Croix de Lognan, you go on foot up over the morainecrest till about 2250m. Than you continue horizontally to the glacier, which you follow on the orographically left side. After about 1 km, the glacier becomes steeper and more torn. You climb onto the morain of the Rognons, first over a slippery shelf, than via a marked way which you follow until you reach the upper end of the ice break. You climb the glacier with SE-direction and reach over the moraine the hut.

  • b. On foot from Argentière in 5 h: From the ground station of the cable car, you follow the wide aisle of the ski-run. You leave it at the height of about 1750m and reach the way of the middle station of the cable car (2 h). Now, you need 3 h to the hut.

  • c. From Aiguille des Grands Montets (summit station of the cable car from Argentière; last train up: 4:45 p.m.) in 2 h: From the summit station, you go via a stairway to the Col des Grandes Montets. You traverse a bergschrund (maybe with the help of a rope) and go up the steep hang to the Glacier Rognons. You go with ENE-direction on the western side along P. 3000 to P. 2754m. You go down southeastern to the glacier d'Argentière, which you reach above the icebreak. From here in 2 h to the hut.

    		•
    Related Mountains

    The Ref. d' Argentière is the starting point and "basecamp" for an climbing ascent of the following mountains of the Mont Blanc Group :
    • Aiguille d'Argentière
    • Aiguille de Triolet
    • Aiguille du Chardonnet
    • Aiguille Verte
    • Les Courtes
    • Les Droites
    • Mont Dolent
      etc.
    Related Village and City
    1. The nearest village to the Ref. d' Argentière is Argentière in the Chamonix-valley. You find infos on Argentière:

  • Office de Tourisme Argentière: 0033/450540214

    2. The next bigger city to the Ref. d' Argentière with an airport is Geneva. You find infos on Geneva here:

  • Geneva

    • Cable Car
    You find infos concerning the Cable Car from Argentière to the Grand Montets here:

  • Phone of the Cable Car in Argentière: ++33(0)450/540071

    		•
    Map
    The Ref. d' Argentière is marked on the following map:

  • Institut Géographique National
      1:25000 no. 3630 OT (Chamonix)
      (to order at 
    DAV Service
    cordee.co.uk 
    http://www.swisstopo.ch/
    http://www.ign.fr/

    • Books
    The following books provide further information on the Ref. d' Argentière:

  • Damilano/Perroux, Neige, Glace Et Mixte: Mont Blanc.Editions Ice 1996.
    ISBN 2950986803
    (to order at cordee.co.uk )

  • Hartmut Eberlein: Mont-Blanc-Gruppe. DAV-Gebietsführer. 9th ed. Munich 2000.
    ISBN 3-7633-2414-3
    (to order at amazon.de )
    •

    Experiences
    1 . Rahel Maria Liu : 9.-11. March 2001

    I stayed some nights on the Ref. Argentière in winter (early March 2001). The woman who manages the hut is very kind. But she does not really speak English. So you should be able to order your beer and liquor in French ....;o). When I was there, the hut was very empty (I have to confess that the weather was very bad, avalanche grade 4). So my 2 companions and me, we had one big room (with about 20 beds) for us alone. The earth closets are cold and stinking and during winter, there is, of course, no water available at all. But especially the dining room has a wonderful view and panorama to all the great northfaces of the Argentière Glacier (Aig. Verte, Les Courtes, Les Droites etc.). But even if there is snow storm it is funny to watch it through the huge windows and to enjoy the view and to enjoy your life in the mountains ....;o)