Rockfax Description
III, 220m. Once an undocumented line that only the locals knew about, Vent du Dragon has become something of a classic and is probably the most climbed route on this face since it appeared in Philippe Batoux's beautiful Mont Blanc - The Finest Routes book. Start in the snow bay below an open, low-angled snow/mixed ramp.
1) 3, 60m. Climb the ramp easily on snowy mixed ground and cross onto the right before coming back left where it widens. Stay on the left and climb a short mixed step to reach a bolt and some slings around a block.
2) 3+, 40m. Continue with slightly more difficulty (but still on steady ground) up a right-leaning gully which leads to a large slab. Carry on rightwards past the foot of the slab and 5m further up to reach a peg and bolt belay.
3) 5, 55m. Climb the stunning icy runnel to the right of the slab to where it is capped by a blocky overhang. Step left and turn the overhang on the left (crux) before continuing up the right-leaning icy runnel above. Climb this for 15m to a snowy col and a bolt/peg belay.
4) 5, 50m. Step right from the belay and make a couple of mixed moves to gain the icy runnel above. Climb this and then make a mantelshelf move left into another runnel. Follow this to its top and then step left into and through a cave and some tenuous feeling mixed moves to a bolt belay. Don't be tempted out rightwards by the snowy gully near the top of this pitch, it is much harder than it looks...
5) 2, 15m. Move left around the corner and climb the snow slope to reach the ArĂȘte des Cosmiques. © Rockfax
UKC Logbook Description
Gully line just left of Perroux profit gully on the NW face, starting as for that route. Great climbing with some short tricky mixed sections to M5+
Batoux's 100 finest routes in the Mont Blanc massif , 10 Routes to Climb in Chamonix in Winter , Alpine Dreamz , European Ice Climbing , My alpine list.
User | Date | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Webster | 25 Oct, 2021 |
Show βeta
βeta: the second bolted absail station on the right bank (end of 3rd absail) has one bolt hanging completely out of the rock! there is another tat/peg anchor 5m or so below it, or perhaps a better one on the rock island in the middle. | βeta? | |
Show beta
βeta: the second bolted absail station on the right bank (end of 3rd absail) has one bolt hanging completely out of the rock! there is another tat/peg anchor 5m or so below it, or perhaps a better one on the rock island in the middle. |
||||
murilolessa | 7 Sep, 2021 |
Show βeta
βeta: Done in lean conditions, amazing route. Stiff Scottish VI. | βeta? | |
Show beta
βeta: Done in lean conditions, amazing route. Stiff Scottish VI. |
Please Login to view more details on the logged ascents
Grade: TD 6b ***
(Aiguille du Midi)