The Cosmiques Hut ( French: ''Refuge des Cosmiques'') is a

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization ...

in the

Mont Blanc massif The Mont Blanc massif (french: Massif du Mont-Blanc; it, Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major indepen ...

in the French

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

at an altitude of 3,613 m (11,854 ft). It is a large structure capable of accommodating 148 mountaineers. It was constructed in 1990 on a rock promontory situated between the Col du Midi and the base of the Cosmiques Arête which descends southwards from the

Aiguille du Midi The Aiguille du Midi () is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc. Cable car The idea fo ...

. It gives access to a number of classic alpine mountaineering routes, and has proved to be extremely popular with mountaineers, so much so that in the summer months prior booking a few days beforehand is essential in order to secure a bed. The Hut is wardened between mid-February and mid-October. In winter the nearby Abri Simond Hut is left unlocked, although this has no cooking facilities, heating or water.

Access

The Cosmiques Hut is most easily reached from the Aiguille du Midi, which itself is most easily reached via the telepherique (an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

) from

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

. The initial descent for skiers and mountaineers leaving the Midi cable-car station can be very intimidating on account of its considerable exposure. It has been described as "one of the most crowded and infamous passages of snow arête in the Alps, much feared by off-piste skiers and novice alpinists alike." The descent from the Midi station and glacier path to reach the Cosmiques Hut takes approximately 45 minutes, and is graded at PD-. Use of the hut is encouraged because authorities have said anyone caught climbing Mont Blanc without a shelter booking or wild camping on the mountain will face up to two years in prison and a $335,000 fine. From the Col du Géant and Pointe Helbronner/

Torino Hut The Torino Hut ( it, Rifugio Torino; French: ''Refuge Turin'') is a high mountain refuge in the Alps in northwestern Italy. Located near the border with France, it is about southwest of Mont Dolent, the tripoint with Switzerland. The refuge ...

the Cosmiques Hut can be reach by a complicated and lengthy passage through the broad and crevassed expanse of the Géant Glacier and then across the upper reaches of the Vallee Blanche. In summer there is usually a clear track in the snow showing the route other mountaineers have taken. Passage from the Torino Hut to the Cosmiques Hut is a distance of approximately , normally taking about 2½ hours and is an easy glacier route, graded at F+.

Ascents

Numerous mountaineering routes of all grades can be undertaken, using the Cosmiques Hut as a base. These include: *The Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi (a mixed rock and ice training route), plus many others on the rock climbs on the granite of the 'Midi'. *Training ice routes and mixed climbs on the North face of

Mont Blanc du Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc. The official first ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul was by a guideless party comprising Charles Hu ...

*Many big routes on the East face of Mont Blanc du Tacul *Kuffner Route on

Mont Maudit Mont Maudit (4,465 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. The French name literally means "Cursed Mountain". Until the end of the 18th century, Mont Blanc and its satellite peaks were collectively known in French as the '' ...

(also known as the frontier ridge) *Ascent of Mont Blanc via a traverse of Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit.

References

External links

Location of Cosmiques Hut on French IGN mapping portalRefufe des Cosmiques on Summitpost.orgCosmiques Refuge (3613M), Massif du Mont-Blanc
{{Mont Blanc massif Mountain huts in the Alps Mountain huts in France