Dente Blanche bivouac

The Dent Blanche bivouac, officially Bivouac au Col de la Dent Blanche, is a small, unattended shelter run by the Jaman section of the Swiss Alpine Club. It stands at 3540 m on the pass between Dent Blanche and Grand Cornier high above the end of the Ferpècle valley in the canton of Valais and offers 15 simple campsites. The hexagonal stone building was erected in 1976 and serves as a starting point for challenging high-altitude tours on the Dent Blanche, the Grand Cornier and the surrounding ridges. There is no maintenance or catering, all guests must bring their own provisions, stove, gas and water treatment; blankets, mattresses and simple crockery are provided. Water is only available in the form of snow and ice, which has to be melted and boiled on site, and there is neither electricity nor reliable mobile phone reception. The ascent begins in Ferpècle (Les Salays) and takes around 5 to 6 hours over tracks, moraines and the Dent Blanche glacier to the pass, with around 1700 vertical meters to climb. The bivouac is mainly used in the classic high-altitude touring season in summer and early fall; in winter, the shelter remains open, but the approach is then much more challenging and dependent on road closures in the Val d'Hérens. It is less suitable as an excursion destination for beginners than as a staging post on long ridge tours and crossings between the neighboring huts. Before each tour, you should carefully check the current conditions, any road closures, avalanche and weather conditions and allow sufficient time.