Dents du Midi

Dents du Midi
Haute Cime

Dents du Midi seen from Pointe Bellevue. From left to right : La Cime de l'Est, La Forteresse, La Cathédrale, l'Éperon, Dent Jaune, Les Doigts and the highest point : La Haute Cime
Highest point
Elevation 3,257 m (10,686 ft)
Prominence 1,796 m (5,892 ft) [1]
Isolation 19.0 km (11.8 mi) [2]
Parent peak Mont Blanc
Listing Ultra
Coordinates 46°09′39.6″N 6°55′24.3″E / 46.161000°N 6.923417°E / 46.161000; 6.923417Coordinates: 46°09′39.6″N 6°55′24.3″E / 46.161000°N 6.923417°E / 46.161000; 6.923417
Geography
Dents du Midi

Location in Switzerland

Location Valais, Switzerland
Parent range Chablais Alps
Geology
Mountain type limestone
Climbing
First ascent 1784

The Dents du Midi (French: "teeth of noon")[3] are a multi-summited mountain situated in the Chablais Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. They are composed of seven distinct summits and reach a height of 3257 metres (10,686 feet). Dominating the Val-d'Illiez and the Rhône Valley, to the south it faces the Lac de Salanfe, an artificial reservoir. Geologically it makes up a part of the massif Haut-Giffre.

The seven peaks

Six peaks of the Dents du Midi as seen from the seventh and highest one (the Haute Cime, 3257 m)

The "Dents", or "Teeth" are, from east to west:

Rockfalls

Rockfalls

On the morning of October 30, 2006, a mass of 1,000,000 m³ (35,300,000 ft³) of rocks detached themselves from the side of the Haute Cime and fell down the side to an altitude of about 3,000 m (9,800 ft) The event did not pose any danger for the nearby town of Val-d'Illiez but roads and footpaths were closed as a security measure. According to the geologists of the canton, the landslide was caused by thawing, assisted by the hot summers of the preceding years.[4]
Shortly after midday on Friday 17 August 2012, another significant rockfall occurred below the Cathédrale, amounting to at least 100,000m³ of rock. Twelve hikers were rescued by helicopter, All were unscathed, as was a flock of sheep grazing nearby. Again, the fall was put down to exceptional heat locally.[5]
Less serious falls continued over the next few days and hiking trails remained closed.[6]

Origin of the name

The name "Dents du Midi" is of relatively recent origin. The native inhabitants originally called them the "Teeth of Tsallen". The present Haute Cime was then called Dent du Midi, and it eventually gave its name to the entire mountain.[7]

Each peak, or "tooth", has had several names over the centuries:

L’Éperon

Several ruptures in the massif have changed the form of the peaks so much that the names adapted themselves according to the geological evolution. L’Éperon (The Spur), for example, no longer has two summits, since a landslide in the Middle Ages significantly changed this peak.

First ascents

Lithography of the Château de Chillon, with Dents du Midi in the background, between 1890 and 1905.
Name of peak Date of first ascent[8] Climber(s)
Cime de l'Est 16 August 1842 Nicolaz Delez
Forteresse 7 June 1870 E. Javelle and J. Oberhauser
La Cathédrale 1890 Nicolas Delez
L'Éperon ? ?
La Dent Jaune 24 August 1879 ?
Les Doigts ? ?
La Haute Cime 1784[9] Jean-Maurice Clément

See also

Dent du Midi, (3 x 4.5 inches), c. 1880, by Helga von Cramm.

References

  1. ↑ Retrieved from the Swisstopo topographic maps. The key col is the Col des Montets (1,461 m).
  2. ↑ Retrieved from Google Earth. The nearest point of higher elevation is north of the Aiguille du Génépi (Mont Blanc massif).
  3. ↑ "Names - Swiss Mountains". Swissinfo. Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  4. ↑ Tsr.ch
  5. ↑ Nouvelliste.ch
  6. ↑ Nouvelliste.ch
  7. ↑ Monvillage.ch
  8. ↑ Monvillage.ch
  9. ↑ Valdilliez.ecolevs.ch

External links

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