Mont Dolent () is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

in the

Mont Blanc massif The Mont Blanc massif (french: Massif du Mont-Blanc; it, Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major indep ...

and lies on the border between

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. As a mountain, Mont Dolent is regarded as the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

between Italy, Switzerland and France, although the tripoint itself lies at 3,749 metres, less than 100 metres north-west of its summit. In 1954, a statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

was erected on Mont Dolent's summit by the young people of

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...

Routes

The first ascent of the mountain was made on 9 July 1864 by A. Reilly and

Edward Whymper Edward Whymper FRSE (27 April 184016 September 1911) was an English mountaineer, explorer, illustrator, and author best known for the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. W ...

with guides Michel Croz, H. Charlet and M. Payot. Whymper described the ascent in ''Scrambles amongst the Alps'': ::We occupied the 9th with a scramble up Mont Dolent. This was a miniature ascent. It contained a little of everything. First we went up to the Petit Col Ferret, and had a little grind over shaly banks; then there was a little walk over grass; then a little tramp over a moraine (which, strange to say, gave a pleasant path); then a little zigzagging over the snow-covered glacier of Mont Dolent. Then there was a little bergschrund, then a little wall of snow . .The summit itself was little, very small indeed; it was the loveliest little cone of snow that was ever piled up on a mountain-top; so soft, so pure; it seemed a crime to defile it; it was a miniature Jungfrau; a toy summit, you could cover it with a hand.Edward Whymper, ''Scrambles amongst the Alps'', 6th edition, London: John Murray, 1936, p. 195. Mont Dolent has four faces, offering good quality snow and ice climbs of various levels of difficulty. However the only straightforward route to the summit (graded PD) is on its southern flank via the Glacier de Pre de Bar, finishing along a short and exposed stretch of the south-east ridge. The Fiorio Bivouac Hut (also known as Refuge Bivouac du Dolent) provides the closest start point for this four-hour ascent from the Italian side. The next easiest route of ascent (graded AD) is via the mountain's east ridge, starting from the similarly named Bivouac du Dolent (la Maye) hut on its Swiss side.

Huts

* ''Fiorio'' hut or ''Refuge Bivouac du Dolent'' – 2,724 m * Bivouac du Dolent - la Maye – 2,667 m *

Cabane de l'A Neuve The Cabane de l'A Neuve (or A Neuve Hut) is a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps at 2,735 metres above sea level open for visitors. It can be reached from the Val Ferret. The hut lies below the Grand Darray (3,514 m) on the south side in the Mont Bla ...

– 2,735 m *

Argentière Hut The Argentière Hut ( French: ''Refuge d'Argentière'') is a refuge in the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. Built in 1974 by the Club Alpin Français, it is located above the north bank of the Argentière Glacier in France at an altitude of 2, ...

– 2,771 m

Gallery

File:Dolent et Triolet - dsdm02347.jpg, North side of Mont Dolent and Glacier d'Argentiere File:Mont Dolent from Dolent Bivouac Hut.JPG, Southern side of Mont Dolent from Refuge Bivouac du Dolent File:Dolent Bivouac Hut (Fiorio Refuge).JPG, Refuge Bivouac du Dolent (Fiorio Refuge) on southern (Italian) side of the mountain File:Mont Dolent summit.JPG, Mont Dolent summit statue, bearing inscription. File:Alpinist on Mont Dolent.JPG, Alpinist on summit of Mont Dolent File:Mont Dolent from Ferret, 2010 August 3.JPG, Mont Dolent from Val Ferret

References

External links

Mont Dolent on French IGN mapping portal

Mont Dolent on Hikr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolent Mountains of the Alps Alpine three-thousanders Mountains of Italy Italy–Switzerland border International mountains of Europe Mountains of Valais Mountains partially in France Mountains of Switzerland Three-thousanders of Switzerland Mont Blanc massif

Routes

Huts

Gallery

See also

References

External links