The Swiss Alps. Kev Reynolds

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      Cabane de Panossière, base for climbs in the Combin massif

      Climbers and ski-mountaineers will naturally focus their attention on assorted routes on the Combin massif (see below), but walkers have several options to consider when it comes to leaving the hut. The easiest of these simply reverses the approach route from Fionnay described above. Another, adopted by the Tour du Val de Bagnes (see box) descends into Plan Goli, then crosses the glacial torrent to a continuing path that works its way round the mountainside to Cabane Brunet in 2½hrs. A third option also makes its way to Cabane Brunet, but instead of descending to Plan Goli, it crosses the lower reaches of the Corbassière glacier, then tackles Col des Avouillons for a more direct approach. And a fourth option entails crossing the 2846m Col des Otanes east of the Panossière Hut, followed by a steep descent into Val de Bagnes at Mauvoisin. Reached in just 40mins or so from the hut, the col makes a wonderful vantage point from which to study the Combin massif – a view of big mountains, sweeping glaciers and ice-bound cirques. Given sufficient time, it would be feasible to make an ascent of the 3158m Grand Tavé from Col des Otanes in about 45mins. This walker’s peak rises south of the col, where a rock scramble (F) takes you onto the easy scree-cluttered North Ridge which rises to the summit for even more extensive views, especially of the great ice cliffs that make up the northern face of the Grand Combin.

Combin Massif

      Seen at its best from either Cabane de Panossière (for a close view), or the Sentier des Chamois (for a wider perspective), the Grand Combin is a major massif; high, majestic and complex, with an extensive glacier system, huge walls of rock on the south side, and on the north giant serac barriers, ice terraces and three distinct 4000m summits, namely: Combin de Grafeneire (4314m), Combin de Valsorey (4184m), and Combin de la Tsessette (4141m). Another 4000m top, the 4243m Aiguille du Croissant, was once considered the massif’s highest point, but is in fact a secondary point on Combin de Grafeneire’s snow dome, while other neighbouring mountains such as Combin de Corbassière and the Petit Combin, though not reaching the magical 4000m spot height, also make worthwhile goals.

      It was three Val de Bagnes men, Benjamin and Maurice Felley, with Jouvence Bruchez, who in July 1857 discovered the route taken until recent years by most parties heading for the Grand Combin (Combin de Grafeneire), although they stopped short of the actual summit by assuming the Aiguille du Croissant to be the top. The real summit was gained two years later by Charles St-Clair Deville, Daniel, Emmanuel and Gaspard Balleys, and Basile Dorsaz. Approached from the north, the pioneers’ route ascended glacier terraces to a long icy ramp, since named the Corridor which led to the Combin de Tsesseret, but this ramp is threatened by collapsing seracs and over the years a number of parties came to grief while tackling the Corridor section. Nowadays the recommended route (AD-) avoids this by taking the rock crest that separates the NW Face from that of the Northeast, to reach a small bank of seracs which must be worked through in order to gain the summit dome. It’s a long route from the Panossière Hut (8hrs+), with almost 1670m of height to gain, so climbers need to be fit and keep alert to any change in the weather.

      The regal Combin massif and the long Corbassière glacier

        Combin de Valsorey is the West summit, and the massif’s second highest. A broad snow ridge links it with Combin de Grafeneire, and it is usually tackled from the nearer Cabane de Valsorey (2:2), but since the NW Face route is gained from the Corbassière glacier, approach from Cabane de Panossière is equally valid.

        Combin de la Tsessette stands northeast of the main summit of the Grand Combin. From it a ridge pushes north then northeast to contain on its west side the glacial Corbassière valley, while the east flank of this ridge holds the little Tsessette glacier, which hangs above the southern end of the Mauvoisin lake. Rising from the Tsessette glacier, the impressive SE Face is climbed by three or four routes, each of which, being hampered by poor rock, requires good cold conditions to give some stability. These routes would best be tackled from a bivouac high above Lac de Mauvoisin, but the Panossière Hut is a practical base for climbers approaching via a course that diverts from the standard Grand Combin climb on a ridge-walk from Col du Croissant.

       At 3715m Combin de Corbassière makes an obvious goal across the glacier southwest of the Panossière Hut, from which several routes are feasible. The South Ridge is the shortest and most frequented (3½–4hrs; PD-); the NW Face gives an AD climb of about 5hrs; while the NE Face, clearly seen from the hut, has three couloirs prone to stonefall danger (PD).

        Petit Combin (3672m) lies just to the northwest of Combin de Corbassière and is often combined with a traverse of the latter peak. However, when conditions are favourable, an ascent by way of the Follets glacier and SE Face offers the most direct route (4hrs) from the Cabane de Panossière, while routes on the NW Face and NW Ridge are usually tackled from a base at Cabane Brunet.

The Upper Val de Bagnes

      Leaving Fionnay on the final stretch to the Mauvoisin barrage roadhead, the valley opens a little on the approach to Bonatchiesse (1565m), a small hamlet with a café and a large campsite, Camping Forêt des Mélèzes. Beyond this lie small patches of open meadowland, then where the road swings right to cross the river before the final hairpin ascent to Mauvoisin, a 50m limestone crag known as the Madzeria Slab provides a series of one-pitch climbs up to VI-.

      Le Pleureur and Lac de Mauvoisin in the upper Val de Bagnes

      Cabane de Chanrion

      At the 1840m roadhead there’s a small chapel and a hotel. Open June to September, Hotel de Mauvoisin has 20 beds and 30 dorm places (www.mauvoisin.ch). Behind it towers the massive 250m high dam wall holding back the Mauvoisin reservoir which forms part of the elaborate Grande Dixence hydro-electricity СКАЧАТЬ