Climbing the Grand Combin
Verbier has a couple 4000m peaks to offer, the most prized being the Grand Combin which culminates at 4314m. The Grand Combin is actually a mountain range made up of four 4000m summits.
- Combin de Grafeneire (4314m)
- Combin de Valsorey (4184m)
- Aiguille du Croissant (4320m)
- Combin de la Tsessette (4141m)
Climbing the Grand Combin requires some mountaineering experience. It is a challenging mountain, with no very easy route up. The easiest route used to be the Corridor, but due to sérac fall danger, the "normal route" has now become the NW face, which is graded PD I.
From Fionnay in the Valley de Bagnes it takes about 4 hours to hike up to the Pannossière hut (otherwise known as the François-Xavier Bagnoud Hut) the starting point for the NW face.
Traversing from the Valsorey summit to the Grafeneire summit takes about 40 minutes.
Normally the climbing season is July - September. The ski touring season is March - June.There are 4 main routes up the Grand Combin
Click on the tabs below to see a brief summary of the 4 main routes. For more information, consider getting a Climbing Topo for this and other nearby mountains.
(There are additional possibilities, like traversing the Grand Combin summits from West to East.)- Grafeneire: NW faceValsorey: NW faceValsorey: Meitlin ridgeValsorey: SW faceHeader 5
Grade: PD I
Timing: 7 hours
Hut: Pannossière
From Pannossière go over the Plateau des Maisons Blanches and then continue on snow to the summit (4314m). - Mountain Guidesdouble-click to add content
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- Mountain Hutsdouble-click to add content
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- Maps and Climbing ToposGonna Climb? Get the Book...
- Le Petit Combin
double-click to add content - Tour des CombinsThe hiking tour around the Grand Combin
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