The routes

Compared to the world famous Digital Crack, Arête Cosmiques offers a completely different style of climbing and was established in 2013 by Nicolas Portard and Victor Estrangin. As the name suggests, this climbing the righthand arête past some interesting and...

On 4/09/2013 Giovani Bassanini and Lamberto Camurri made the first ascent of Astro Zap (7a), a line that climbs the crack avoided by the Via Diretta Bonatti, first climbed by Walter Bonatti and Cosimo Zappelli in 1963 up Le Trident...

Splendid route up fantastic red granite. Perhaps the best route of its kind on the satellite.

A beautiful route with amazing crack climbing and plenty of hand jams and laybacks on Rognon Vaudano, below Dent du Géant. The second-to-last, but especially the last pitch are really quite incredible.

Established ground-up over a period of two days, Calcul du Roi is a beautiful 300m route that for almost its entirety follows a system of cracks on granite that is nothing short of spectacular. BEWAREOn 15 July 2024, during a repeat...

'The rock face of all rock faces', 'the route of all routes': the Cassin route up the Walker Spur on the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses represents a dream for all alpinists. The route is highly demanding and due...

The route climbs the peak (marked 3022mon the Frébouge glacier in Val Ferret. Superb rock, fully equipped with 10mm stainless steel bolts, plus twin bolts connected with slings and maillon rapide for the abseils.

Great cassic trad route, long, always interesting and well-protected. The face receives the sun and is fairly sheltered from the wind. Climbing is therefore possible from mid-spring onwards, and is best combined with a magnificent ski to Chamonix down the...

A great 6-pitch outing that offers interesting cracks and some technical slabs on the beautiful red and grey granite wall about 150 meters high just below Dent du Géant.

The normal route up the Dent du Géant is partially equipped with large ropes to aid the ascent and over the years it has become one of the great classics in the Mont Blanc range. Often crowded, never technically difficult...

Digital Crack is a unique climb in a unique setting, located on the huge granite gendarme above the famous Arête des Cosmiques. The monolith, with its typical Mont Blanc orange granite, currently hosts two bolted alpine sport climbs. The first...

A spectacular, demanding and, as the name suggests, extremely airy route. Not to be underestimated at any costs: retreat is a difficult proposition, and almost impossible above the great roof. Psychologically more demanding than Voyage or Elixir, but highly rewarding....

Electric Avenue is an interesting addition to the Gendarme des Cosmiques, only the third route on the granite monolith after Digital Crack (1990) and Arête Cosmiques (2013) and at 7b the easiest way to the summit. Note that if you climb...

This is the most direct line up the vertical wall, the exposure is total and the climbing, apart from a small section half-way up the aid pitch, is always pumpy and sustained. Not all belays have in-situ gear, but the...

An outstanding and spectacular route, more technical than at first appearance. The final pitches up the spur are truly genial! The crack pitch is not easy for those not used to crack climbing will find the crack pitch extremely difficult,...

Short but interesting outing up the South Face, forged ground-up with 10mm bolts over three days in June 2013.