Hard Chamonix Alpine Route Gets a Repeat
A 580-metre alpine route that was first climbed in 2014 gets a second ascent
French climbers Arthur Poindefert, Kilian Moni and Mathis Garayt have made the second ascent of Coeurs de Geants up the northwest face of Dent du Geant, a 4,013-metre peak above Chamonix.
The first ascent of the route was back in June 2014 by Christopher Baud, Brice Bouillance and Jonathan Charlet. The 580-metre climb goes at ED M6+/7 WI4+ 5.10. The first ascent of the face was back in 1981 up an unknown route.
Coeurs de Geants was in near-winter conditions this month when Poindefert, Moni and Garayt climbed it. The glacier was covered in snow and the lower face had pitches of ice. Due to the glacier melting over the past 10 years, a new first pitch was climbed. The original route’s eighth pitch had collapsed, so the trio added a variation. After their ascent, they bivied at the Col de Rochefort, which gives a great view of the Mont Blanc area.
The Dent du Geant was one of the last summits in the area to see an ascent. It was first climbed in 1882 by Himalayan climber William Graham with local guides Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse Payot. Check out a short film below from the second ascent of Coeurs de Geants.
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