Pointes de la Blonnière (Col des Aravis) · Aravis · France
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The classic easy ridge of the Aravis: three bolted slab and chimney pitches, then a long, airy limestone crest with Mont Blanc in view all the way. Most of it is grade 3 and is often climbed moving together. The steep scree of the approach and descent is the hard part of the day.
Bolted belays and a well-bolted start, but the easy ridge has bolts 10 to 20 m apart and the scree descent is loose and exposed to stonefall.
The route
The Arête à Marion climbs to the north summit of the Pointes de la Blonnière (2369 m) above the Col des Aravis. It starts with two pitches of runnelled slab and a short chimney that is the technical crux, bolted so closely that it can be pulled through. After a walk across grass the real ridge begins: ten easy pitches along the crest, with one move of 4c at the very end that can be avoided by a ledge. It is a mountain outing rather than a crag route: a steep 600 m approach, a loose descent and snow in the combe early in the season. On the easy ridge the bolts are far apart, which is why this record carries a caution.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3b | Slab with big runnels on very good rock. |
| P2 | 4a | Start slightly right. |
| P3 | 4c | A chimney: the hard section is under 3 m long with a bolt every metre, so it goes at 4a/A0. Above, walk up grass and a few unbolted slabs to the foot of the ridge, where an escape to the right is possible. |
| P4 | 3a | The ridge proper starts here; follow the crest and the hangers. |
| P5 | 3a | Easy, exposed crest. |
| P6 | 4a | Leave on the left side of the ridge. |
| P7 | 4a | Along the crest. |
| P8 | 2c | Easy ground with bolts far apart; often climbed moving together. |
| P9 | 2c | As above. |
| P10 | 3a | Along the crest. An escape to the right is possible around the tenth or eleventh belay. |
| P11 | 3b | Along the crest. |
| P12 | 4a | A pleasant slab with good holds. |
| P13 | 4c | One move. The pitch can be avoided by a ledge on the right. |
Getting there
Start from the Col des Aravis (1486 m), on the road between La Clusaz and Flumet, where there is a large car park. By public transport, take the Annecy to Thônes and La Clusaz bus, then the seasonal shuttle from La Clusaz to the col (summer and winter).
About 1 h 30 min and 600 m of ascent. From the col walk to the farm 300 m to the south-west (La Grande Montagne, 1500 m), go round it and follow the 4×4 track behind it. It ends after 400 m; turn right 10 to 20 m before its end onto an obvious path through alder scrub, then up the bed of the stream that comes down from the Combe à Marion. Higher up a path crosses the combe: go right, more gently over a grassy shoulder, or straight up more steeply. Climb the path in the scree aiming to the right of the big vertical wall. The route starts on a slab behind that face, at a two-bolt belay below an easy-angled, runnelled slab. A photo caption on camptocamp warns not to rush onto the first slabs you meet, which are slippery: go round them.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Col des Aravis (camptocamp waypoint 129059)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 37365 (Pointes de la Blonnière, north summit)
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 45.85833, 6.45306 (crag) · Parking: 45.88468, 6.46472
Getting down
From the summit go down the slope on the right (north-west, cairns) towards a large knoll and pass it on the right, staying close to the wall. Then go left below the knoll into a narrow gully blocked by chockstones that form polished steps; climb down them carefully or make a short abseil from a station with a visible maillon. The gully ends at the col between the Dent du Chatelet and the Pointe de la Blonnière. Descend the scree combe by an obvious track, which is steep and very unstable, back to the start of the route and the approach path. Parties report 45 min to 2 h for the descent.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp names two escapes on foot to the right: at the top of the grass after pitch 3 and around the tenth or eleventh belay. No source describes abseiling the ridge, and with a 40 m single rope you could only abseil 20 m at a time. Between the escapes the practical choice is to keep going or reverse easy ground.
Safety
Sun and weather
North and north-east facing between 2080 and 2369 m. Snow lingers in the combe and on the descent side early in the season; one 2026 party thinks it is at its best in autumn. The limestone is good, a little polished, and less good in the last quarter. It is a ridge with few quick ways off, so avoid a stormy forecast.
Sun on the wall · NE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −7 | −5 | −2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 5 | −2 | −6 |
| Mean daily low °C | −16 | −15 | −12 | −8 | −4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −1 | −5 | −11 | −15 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2371 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
10 quickdraws and a few slings for the many spikes between bolts on the ridge. Rope: 40 m if you pitch it between the bolted belays, 20 m if you move together. Mountain Project suggests a dozen draws, more if simul-climbing, and long slings. The route goes in mountain boots; take shoes that cope with scree. Crampons and an ice axe can be needed for the combe early in the season. Helmet from the scree onwards.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Arête à Marion.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.