To many practised rock aficionados the Southwest Face of the Dent is a bit of a cheat because the spectacular Burgener slabs have a line of fixed ropes. But do not be fooled. If you are an amateur climber like me you will be grateful for the chance to grab onto one of them in your moment of need. Just seeing the fixies there is a comfort. Mind you, they are really annoying to use because they are so fat and dangly, so you are best off treating them as a back-up and climbing as normal. Having Julien, the guide, going up ahead is a tad helpful as well.
Don't be taken in by this snap of the Tooth, which makes it look a bit titsy. It is a truly massive blade of rock which takes you up to 4,013m in a straight climb of well over 200m.
The day kicks off well before 4am in the rush to breakfast at the Torino hut. I am already the bad boy as we set off in the dark, torches ablaze, because I wasted another 20 mins getting my gear together. It takes longer than you think to check through everything when your brain is still a blur in the morning. On one climb when we were acclimatising for Mont Blanc I left my crampons behind.
After about an hour and a half, we arrive at the base of the route (below), after a long final section of upwards scrambling. There are several groups already ahead of us, so there is a wait to get going. I suppose this is my fault . We are still in the shade and my fingers are suffering even inside the gloves.
Soon we are on our way up the gully to the ledge below the slabs, James still with a smile on his face. You can see there is a generous snowy standing area where the slabs begin. And there are the fixed ropes on the obvious line.
Next, the view up to the top section as we get going, then the arrival at the belay for the second slab pitch.
You turn right across the face, pawing your way across a couple of big flaky sections.
You are wondering: where is our triumphant photo at the top? Well, we did get to the first summit, but the congestion was really annoying and was beginning to feel unsafe. There is a dip and then the second, slightly higher peak. It was crawling with folk moving in all directions, their ropes tangling together in a snakes' wedding. Here you can see the build-up as we approach the summit...
Anyway, we moved directly to the abseil point in the dip to make our escape. There is James abbing down and both of us in front of the Tooth. Strain your eyes to pick out some people at one of the bolts on the way down. You see what a big rock it is, and you are looking at the short side.
Above, contented climbers depart from the Salle à Manger for the trudge back.
Below, exhausted climbers de-boot back at the hut, the Dent du Géant at the rear.
It turns out we are lucky. The conditions are excellent: some firm snow going in, sun on the slabs, an easy walk back. Within the next fortnight the warmth takes hold, lakes appear in the ice alongside our route up to the Dent.
Thanks to Julien, in blue, for taking the lead.
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