Rockfax Description
III, 1100m, 4 - 5 hours. An excellent introduction to the world of alpine North Faces, the Mallory-Porter is essentially a long snow climb, but a serious one. Protection is not easy to find so, despite the relatively amenable climbing, don't underestimate this one. The good news is that it is about as simple and logistically easy a North Face as you will find, with a short approach and a lift descent. The route is dependent on having snow, which it usually does until early summer. It is best done after a good freeze in spring.
1) Follow a 45 degree snow gully, which is hidden during the approach, and then continue rightwards up the 50 degree ramp into the middle of the buttress.
2) Climb the left-leaning open slabby corner for 25m to an exit onto a short snowfield (Scottish III ).
3) Head up the snowfield to its top right corner and then continue up steep snow, hugging the rock buttress on the right, which gradually pushes you diagonally left to the top of the central snowfield.
4) From here, go straight up a short, exposed step and then climb the 55 degree gully which leads to the 'Demi-lune', the col where the Mallory-Porter joins the Eugster Direct.
5) Climb the upper snowfield before making a long traverse leftwards to reach the foot of the Aiguille du Midi ridge. Pay attention to crevasses on the traverse which can be quite open, even in spring. © Rockfax

UKC Logbook Description
Takes a winding route up the north face of the Midi, finally ascending under the line of the lift for the last 300m. First skied in 1977.

George Herbert Leigh-Mallory and Harold Edward Lionel Porter 05/Aug/1919.

Ticklists

Big Routes , Alpine Progression , BMC - Easier Classics in the Mont Blanc Range , Summer easier alpine , Winter Alps 2023 , Fredventures Alps 24

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