Ancienne cabane d'Orny – south face · Orny (Champex, Mont Blanc massif) · Switzerland
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
Four pitches on a pillar of orange granite beside the path to the Cabane d'Orny, made to be climbed on the way up to the hut. The rock is cut into big blocks with positive edges. The last two pitches are steeper and more sustained than the grade suggests.
The route
Petite fleur is one of a handful of routes opened beside the hut path in the Combe d'Orny, on the cliffs near the site of the old hut. It gives four pitches up a whitish pillar that stands with its feet almost in the stream. It suits a party walking up to the Cabane d'Orny with time in hand, or a short day from the chairlift. Allow about two hours of climbing.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4c | Climb the white pillar: steep to start, then it soon lies back. |
| P2 | 4a | Easy ground; follow the bolts. |
| P3 | 5b | Above the belay climb a yellowish wall under an overhang, following a crack that forms a ramp rising to the right. Continue straight up by easy-angled corners and steps to a comfortable belay under an overhang, sheltered on the left by a big block. |
| P4 | 5a | Go round the big block to reach a ramp that rises rightwards to the top. |
Getting there
From Martigny take the train to Orsières and the bus (or drive) to Champex-Lac (1498 m). The La Breya chairlift carries you to Grands Plans at about 2190 m, from where a mountain path leads to the Cabane d'Orny (2811 m) in roughly two hours. The chairlift runs in summer only and stops for a midday break, so check the timetable and the last ride down. Without the lift the walk from Champex takes about four and a half hours; there is also a longer path from Praz-de-Fort. Most parties sleep at the hut, which should be booked ahead. For this route you do not need to go as far as the hut.
From the top of the La Breya chairlift take the marked path to the Cabane d'Orny. It contours into the Combe d'Orny, joins the path from Champex near the Darbellay stream at 2464 m and enters a small valley where the stream bed flattens. Cross this and climb the slope at its eastern end. The route starts where the path comes closest to the cliff on its right, where the moraine proper begins, at about 2620 to 2640 m, on a whitish pillar that is the only one with its foot in the stream. A 2023 party found the start obvious, 30 m from the path. About 1 h 45 from the chairlift.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Top station of the La Breya chairlift at Grands Plans (camptocamp access waypoint 1205077); the trailhead for the hut path. The lift starts in Champex-Lac.
Point from camptocamp locality waypoint 1567769 (Ancienne cabane d'Orny)
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: 46.00371, 7.07457 (crag) · Parking: 46.02158, 7.10303
Getting down
Two options. By abseil (described by a 2023 party): from the last belay a 45 m free-hanging abseil lands on a grassy ramp; walk down it to the left, facing out towards the valley, then make a last 12 m abseil, or down-climb at about grade 3, to the path close to the start. On foot (described in 2008): climb the slabs above the last belay and 50 m of scree, traverse left (west) through the scree, then descend diagonally over grass, scree and an easy cracked slab to the old hut site.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The route is only four pitches and the walk-off from the top is short, so the usual answer is to finish. Abseiling from part-way is not described; the 2008 account notes that an oblique abseil from the top back to belay 3 is awkward.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing at about 2620 to 2720 m, lower and more sheltered than the routes above the hut. The season follows the chairlift, roughly late June to mid-September.
Sun on the wall · S-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 | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −11 | −9 | −5 | −2 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 2 | −5 | −10 |
| Mean daily low °C | −18 | −17 | −14 | −10 | −6 | −2 | 1 | 1 | −3 | −7 | −13 | −17 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 2847 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
Quickdraws (number not published) and a helmet. A single rope is enough if you walk off: the 2008 party used a 45 m rope. The abseil descent needs two 50 m ropes for the 45 m free-hanging abseil.
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 Petite fleur.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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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.