Gendarme d'Orny · Orny (Champex, Mont Blanc massif) · Switzerland
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A short, easy outing on beautifully sculpted granite half an hour from the Cabane d'Orny. Pitches 2 and 3 are the good ones, steep for the grade; the last two are more broken. Mind the first few metres, where the first bolt is high.
Re-equipped and well protected except for a high first bolt on pitch 1, where a fall would hit the ground.
The route
The Gendarme d'Orny is the rock tower east of the Aiguille de la Cabane, clearly visible from the hut. The Voie des trois surplombs is its easiest line and the right-most route on the face: five pitches, none harder than 5a. It was fully re-equipped in 2015, and the warden recommends it as a short route for an uncertain day. Parties take between an hour and a half and a little over two hours.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 4c | The first five metres wake you up: the first bolt is high (about 5 m, by a 2018 estimate) and the second and third are also spaced. After that the pitch is well protected. |
| P2 | 5a | Steep, sculpted granite; one of the two best pitches. |
| P3 | 5a | More of the same, with a move or two that needs reading. |
| P4 | 4b | Easier, more broken ground to a belay under a roof at the foot of a corner. The Entremont topo draws this belay too far right. |
| P5 | 4b | A last easy pitch to the top. On the warden's advice some parties finish up the last pitch of Papa paye instead, a 4c corner that is not bolted. |
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.
From the Cabane d'Orny traverse below the Aiguille de la Cabane, past the starts of Tichodrome and Namasté, on a faint track to the foot of the Gendarme: 30 minutes. You pass Papa paye encore (6a) and Papa paye (5b) first; this is the right-most route, with an orange dot and the route name at its foot. Coming up from the chairlift you can cut up behind the ruins of the old hut, by the first lake, instead of going to the hut.
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 summit waypoint 228739 (Gendarme 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: 46.00514, 7.06966 (crag) · Parking: 46.02158, 7.10303
Getting down
On foot. From the top move along the ridge, roped at first, then bear right; a cairn marks the way. Descend the scree gully to the foot of the route. Camptocamp advises against abseiling because the first abseil station was removed and the remaining summit anchor is badly placed, with a risk of jamming the rope. You can also continue along the easy grade 2 ridge to the Aiguille de la Cabane in about an hour and use its descent.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Camptocamp lists an abseil line (belay 4 to belay 2, then belay 2 to the ground) but advises against abseiling from the summit. A retreat from belay 4 or below should therefore work on the equipped belays; from the top, walk off.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-facing granite between about 2800 m and 3000 m, climbable roughly from July to September while the hut and the chairlift are open. Snow patches can linger on the approach scree and in the descent gully early in the season. It is cold out of the sun and in wind even in August, and the rock dries quickly after rain but lichen stays slippery.
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 (no source gives a number; 8 to 10 are quoted for the neighbouring Papa paye), a 50 m rope and a helmet. Camptocamp mentions one or two cams 'for reassurance'; one 2018 leader placed a medium cam before the first bolt.
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 Voie des trois surplombs.
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.