Pointe Rond, Switzerland

Last year we had picked up a copy of the 3S catalog. In it were a number of route descriptions, and one caught our eye ...  called "the Ladies route" as it was photographed with a number of female tourers. We later found out it was called Pointe Rond.

The peak is in the bowl in the centre

We were on our way to the Grand St Bernard valley, and this was a route we could do on the way as it left from the col de Forclaz.

We left the van in a parking place just down from the col, and followed a track the rose gently up the side of the slope through the trees.

The route in the trees was quite bare, and from time to time we had to remove the skis and walk .

We started to wonder how much further we needed to go, as the path started to flatten out. We turned the corner and started up the side of a valley.

This ended in a summer pasture area and there were some farm buildings covered in snow.

From here it was much more open and we could envision the route as it wound up the combe to the sky line.

After zigzaging up the bowl we arrived at the col.

As the time was passing fast we realised that we would not make it to the top and make it down before the snow really softened.

We cut our losses and walked up to the small peak to the left (opposite side to Pointe Rond).

From here we took the skins off and prepared to ski back down our tracks.

The snow was good and we had some fun in the bowl.

We worked our way back to the farm buildings

It only seems like we had just left the col before we were working our way down the bottom to the valley back to the farm buildings.


We then dropped down the forest tracks much like following a rail track trying to maintain some element of control.

Dropping out of the forest we crossed the pastures trying to plot a way through the snow patches and make it as low as possible before having to walk back to the car.

Back at the car we reflected on a day that had been a real effort for a first (warm up) route... We would have to come back one day and complete the route properly.

We drove down to Martigny and then up the valley to Grand St Bernard. We were heading for Bourg St. Pierre where there were a number of dortoirs serving the original haute route (this being the stepping off point for the climb to the Valsory hut).

We settled into the first place we found in the town that was open ... a gite called - Auberge les Charmettes. We stayed in the big dortoir, and were well looked after in the restaurant.