Tour Ronde
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Tour Ronde
Height: 12,440 feet/3,792 meters
Location: Haute-Savoie/Aosta (Mont Blanc), France/Italy, Europe
Lat/Lon: 45.85°N, 6.9°E

Last update: April 15th, 2002
   © Copyright by Rahel Maria Liu


Tour Ronde

Tour Ronde with its steep Northface in the middle

 (Picture credit to: © Jean-Marie Malherbe )
Overview

Tour Ronde is a little mountain in the Mont Blanc Massif. It is easy to reach. You have a wonderful view to Peuterey, Brenva, Maudit, Tacul, and Capucin. It is often visited. You can see the northface far from the Glacier du Géant.

First ascent: J.H. Backhouse, T. H.Carson, D.W.Freshfield, C.C.Tucker, D. Balley, M. Payot, 22. July 1867.

Routes Overview

1. West/Gervasutti Couloir: 50°, AD, 250 hmm 3,5 h from Col du Géant (Eberlein, p. 179)
2. Northface: 55°, D-, 350 hm, 2-3 h (Eberlein, p. 180)
3. South-East-Ridge (normal route): II, mixed, PD, 600 lm, 250 hm, 3-4h from Col du Géant (Eberlein, p. 179)
4. Northeast-Pillar: VI-, mostly IV and V with passages V+, TD-; most difficult passage: also A0 (V). 250 hm, 4-5 h (Eberlein, p. 180)

Getting There
1. To the Tour Ronde:
  • a. You can come from the Ref. Cosmiques/Biv. Abri Simond. (Compare the route discription of the NE-ridge and the N-flank of Mont Maudit.)

  • b. You can come from the Rif. Torino
    •
2. To the Ref. Cosmiques and the Biv. Abri Simond:
  • In order to reach the hut, you need about 1/2 h from the Aig. du Midi. If you leave the cable car station via the bridge, you go to the Southsummit. On the firn ridge, you go down with SE-direction to an even ridgeplatform; then turn right to the S and SW-direction below the S-face of the Aig. du Midi. Pay attention to crevasses!

  • You reach the Aig. du Midi with cable car from Chamonix.
    •
3. To the Rif. Torino
  • You reach the hut directly with the cable car from Entrèves/ Courmayeur (Italy).

  • You can reach the hut directly also with the Helbronner cable car from the Aiguille du Midi (to Aiguille du Midi with the cable car from Chamonix ). Pay attention: The Helbronner cable car, traversing the Géant glacier, is mostly closed.

  • Or you go on foot from the Aiguille du Midi over the glacier du Géant (3 h): From the foot of the S-face of the Aig. du Midi you go on the almost even glacier to the Pointe Lachenal, turn left (E) to the glacier valley below the rugged E-face of the Mont Blanc du Tacul. You go along this E-face of the Tacul and the Pointe Adolphe Rey in order to loose only little height. Now you turn to the ESE to the Col des Flambeaux. From here in a few minutes to the Ref. Torino. It is a very beautiful glacier walk with 200 hm ascent. Difficulty: F.
    •
4. You reach the Chamonix Valley by train :
  • a. From Martigny (Switzerland) via Vallorcine.

  • b. From Geneva (airport) via Anncey (TGV till here) and St. Gervais.
    •
5. You reach the Chamonix Valley by bus :
  • From/via Annecy, Geneva, Grenoble, Courmayeur, Aoste and Turin
    •
6 . You reach the Chamonix Valley 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.
    •
7. You reach the Val Ferret (Italy) by bus or car :
  • a. From Chamonix through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from the NW.

  • b. From Torino (from the SE) on the A5 via Villeneuve.
    •

When To Climb

  • You can climb the Tour Ronde all the year. During winter, the advantage for the climbs of the northface is less danger of rock and ice fall. But the problem is the coldness! Be aware that it could be -30°C! The danger of getting frostbites is very high!
    •

    Red Tape

  • There are no permits or fees required. There is no seasonal closure. Only the Helbronner Cable Car is mostly closed because of ecological reasons. There is a big parking place in Chamonix near the Cable Car ground station. But if there are winter sport sessions in Chamonix, it might be closed. Then it is really difficult to find a parking place.
    •

    Camping and/or Accomodation

  • There is a campingplace in Chamonix .

    		•
    Mountainhuts

    1. Ref. des Cosmiques (3613 m)

    The Ref. des Cosmiques is situated on a shoulder between the Col du Midi and the SW-ridge of the Aig. du Midi (Cosmiques-ridge).
      according to Eberlein (p. 52):
    • 140 beds

    • guarded from February till october

    • phone: ++33(0)450544016

    • internet: Rif. Cosmiques
    2. Abri Simond Bivouac

    The Abri Simond Bivouac is situated just a few meters northern of the Ref. des Cosmiques, just at the beginning of the Arête des Cosmiques.
    • 18 beds

    • open in winter, when Ref. des Cosmiques is closed

    • a few words: I can highly recommend this little bivouac hut of about 30 qm!!! I have stayed there for 1 week in winter (January/February). I promise you: Never in life, you will forget this experience ... when it is -30°C outside, and stormy with 120 km/h, without toilette of course, without heating, without light, without water of course, the hut never been cleaned, you almost poisoned with the vapours of the many gasoline stoves burning hours and hours .... well you must experience it by yourself .... one just cannot describe it!!!
      •
    3. Rif. Torino (3322m/3375m)

    The Rif. Torino has 2 huts, the lower and older one and the upper, new one. Both huts are connected by a tunnel.

  • the lower old one
    •
      according to Eberlein (pp. 64-65):
    • with 70 beds
    • serviced from October to June
    • Tel. 00390/165/846484
    • internet: Rif.Torino.old
  • the upper new one
    •
      according to Eberlein (pp. 65-65):
    • with 170 beds
    • serviced from June to September
    • Tel. 00390/165/844034 (expensive)
    • internet: Rif.Torino.new
    You can find further information concerning possibilities to stay on the Géant Glacier on the Ref. des Cosmiques/Abri Simond Bivouac HUT -page.


    Mountain Conditions and General Information

    1. WEATHER INFOS: 2. GENERAL INFOS: 3. TRAIN (CHAMONIX VALLEY):
      0033/450 53 1298
      0033/8 36 35 35 35
      0033/450530702 (train station Chamonix)
      internet: www.cff.ch
    4. BUS (CHAMONIX VALLEY):
      0033/450 53 0555
      0033/450 53 0115
    5. CABLE CARS
    Maps
  • Institut Géographique National

    • Books

  • Damilano/Perroux, Neige, Glace Et Mixte: Mont Blanc. Chamonix: 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 )

  • Goedeke, Richard: The Alpine 4000m peaks by the Classic Routes. Birmingham: Menacha Ridge Press, 1997.
    ISBN 0897321111
    (to order at amazon.com )

  • Laroche/Lelong: Die Gipfel des Montblanc. Munich 1999.
    ISBN 3-405-15693-9
    (to order at amazon.de )

  • Michel Piola: Mont Blanc Topo Guide Vol. 1 (Rock) . Published by Editions Equinoxe 1988. Distributed by Cordee £17.95
    ISBN 904405281

  • Michel Piola: Mont Blanc Topo Guide Vol. 2 . Published by Editions Equinoxe 1993. Distributed by Cordee £17.95
    ISBN Unknown

  • Gaston Rébuffat: The Mont Blanc Massif. The 100 Finest Routes. London 1996.
    ISBN 1-898573-03-4
    (to order at amazon.de or at amazon.com )

  • Erich Vanis , Im steilen Eis. Munich 1980.
    ISBN 3-405-12158-2
    (to order at: online-buchvertrieb.de)