Atlas/Dent du Géant
N° 68
Dent du Géant
The giant's tooth.
Difficulty 7/10
Elevation
4,013m
13,166 ft
First Ascent
1882
Jean-Joseph Maquignaz, Daniel Maquignaz, Alessandro Sella, Alfonso Sella, Corradino Sella, Jean-Baptiste Bich
Fixed ropes installed during the first ascent remain in use today.
Best Season
July–September
Summit Days
1–2 days
Permits
Not required
Overview
A 4,013-metre peak in the Mont Blanc range, on the border between France and Italy. The Dent du Géant — "tooth of the giant" — is a granite tower rising directly from the summit ridge between the Aiguille du Géant and the Grandes Jorasses. The peak is technically the most demanding 4000-metre summit in the Mont Blanc range to reach for climbers who do not specialize in technical rock climbing. The summit is a sharp pinnacle of compact granite that requires several pitches of fifth-class climbing to reach.
The first ascent came in 1882 by an Italian-French party led by the Italian guides Jean-Joseph Maquignaz and Daniel Maquignaz, with the Sella brothers — Alessandro, Alfonso, and Corradino — and a French climber named Jean-Baptiste Bich. The expedition installed fixed ropes on the summit pitch, a technical innovation that allowed the otherwise unclimbable rock to be ascended. The fixed ropes have been periodically replaced and remain in place today; the standard ascent of the Dent du Géant continues to use the fixed installation that the first ascent required.
The technical difficulty of the route involves an initial scramble to the base of the summit pitch at approximately 3,950 metres, then four pitches of fifth-class rock climbing on the summit tower itself. The fixed ropes provide protection on the harder sections, but the route requires actual climbing rather than pure aid; climbers must move through the pitches under their own technique. The summit itself is a small platform with views toward Mont Blanc, the Grandes Jorasses, and the Italian side of the range.
The Dent du Géant is climbed by perhaps 500 to 1,000 ascents per year. The fatality rate has been low, primarily because the fixed installation reduces the consequences of falls on the technical pitches. For climbers progressing through the Mont Blanc range 4000ers, the Dent du Géant is the test of technical rock climbing skills at altitude — a peak that cannot be reached by walking, and that requires actual climbing competence to summit.