| Dent du Géant | |
|---|---|
The sharp pinnacle of the Dent du Géant (left) at the western end of the Rochefort ridge (centre) |
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| Elevation | 4,013 m (13,166 ft) |
| Prominence | 139 m (456 ft) [1] |
| Location | |
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Dent du Géant
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| Range | Graian Alps |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 20 August 1882 by William Woodman Graham with guides Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse Payot |
| Easiest route | South-west face (AD) |
The Dent du Géant (It.: Dente del Gigante, "giant's tooth") (4,013 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy.
The Dent du Géant remained unclimbed during the golden age of alpinism, and was a much-coveted peak in the 1870s, repelling many parties who attempted it mostly from the Rochefort ridge. In 1880 the strong team of Albert F. Mummery and Alexander Burgener tried to force a passage via the south-west face but were repelled by a band of slabs, causing Mummery to exclaim 'Absolutely inaccessible by fair means!'[2]
The mountain has two summits, 88 feet (27 m) apart and separated by a small col (an 'extremely awkward notch' according to W. W. Graham):[3]
This ascent marked the end of the so-called silver age of alpinism.
On 28 July 1935 the Austrian climbers Herbert Burggasser and Rudi Leitz first ascended the vertical-to-overhanging 160 m-high south face. It was the first climb in the Western Alps systematically aided by the pitons and artificial techniques that were already in use by climbers in the Eastern Alps.[5]
The following huts serve the mountain: