Difficulty: Difficult
Length: 4.2 miles /
6.8 km
Duration: Full day
Overview:
Reason to go there:
The Mont Dolent makes the frontier between France, Italy and Switzerland, it's a symbol of the massif du Mont Blanc and offers one of the greatest hike of Switzerland and Italy.
The first part is family friendly and really beautiful.
To enjoy the best scenic view you'll need to climb on the ridge: difficult and dangerous, be careful.
Tips:
Start early (8am).
No water points so have 2-3 L beverages / people. And some local pasture cheese and chocolate to eat at the top!
From the Grand col Ferret 2537m to the glacier the lane is tagged with big yellow circles.
1h-1h30 from the Grand Col Ferret to Refuge Fiorio (2800 m).
The lane between the Grand et Petit Col Ferret is quite dangerous. There's more 1 hour from Fiorio to the glacier at the bottom of the final wall.
I climbed straight up in the rocks on the right of the lane to avoid the glacier where big crevasses could have been hidden by fresh snowfalls.
To reach the Grepillons ridge 3570m, there's no official way. It's a mix of rock, snow and ice climbing. People used to climb may do this last part of the hike alone.
I had to climb with piolets but not crampons which stayed in my backpack.
On the way back I met a family of wild ibexes resting and warming in the sunshine.
The first part, up to the glacier, is beautiful and not dangerous.
