Refuge de Tête Rousse

The Refuge de Tête Rousse is located at around 3167 m on the Tête Rousse glacier in the Mont Blanc massif, in the municipality of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains in Haute-Savoie. The hut belongs to the Saint-Gervais section of the Club Alpin Français (FFCAM) and is open from 29 May to 3 October 2026; outside of this period, an unguarded winter room with significantly reduced capacity is open. In summer, it offers 72 sleeping places in several camps, and around a dozen places in the winter room. Simple but plentiful meals and a daily snack are offered to alpinists passing through. The hut can be reached from Nid d'Aigle, the terminus of the Tramway du Mont Blanc, in around two to two and a half hours over an altitude difference of around 800 meters; alternatively, a long ascent of around 1800 meters takes around four hours from the hamlet of Bionnassay. The refuge is an important base on the normal French route via the Goûter hut and the Dôme du Goûter to Mont Blanc and also serves as a starting point for the Aiguille de Bionnassay. In the high-altitude touring season from June to September and on variants of the Tour du Mont Blanc, it is a much-used staging post. As access is via high alpine terrain with glacier passages and exposed sections, mountaineers should plan their tour carefully and check current weather reports, conditions, closures and regulations from the authorities in advance. The hut was first built in 1934; between 2002 and 2005, a modern new building was constructed that better meets the increased requirements for capacity, safety and environmental protection.