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The Grand Combin is a mountain massif in the western
Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (german: Walliser Alpen, french: Alpes valaisannes, it, Alpi Pennine, la, Alpes Poeninae), also known as the Valais Alps, are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais) and Ital ...
in the canton of
Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
. At a height of the summit of ''Combin de Grafeneire'' is one of the highest peaks in the
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, Sw ...
and the second most prominent of the Pennine Alps. The Grand Combin is also a large glaciated
massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
consisting of several summits, among which three are above 4000 metres (''Combin de Grafeneire'' , ''Combin de Valsorey'' , ''Combin de la Tsessette'' ). The highest part of the massif is wholly in
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, although the border with
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
lies a few kilometres south. The
normal route A normal route or normal way (french: voie normale; german: Normalweg) is the most frequently used route for ascending and descending a mountain peak. It is usually the simplest route. Overview In the Alps, routes are classed in the following way ...
starts from the Panossière Hut, which lies on the north side in the Corbassière valley. Despite the fact that no major difficulties exist, a particularly dangerous passage has to be traversed on the north flank: ''Le Corridor''. It is a couloir dominated by
serac A serac (from Swiss French ''sérac'') is a block or column of glacial ice, often formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Commonly house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers, since they may topple with little warning. Eve ...
s continuously falling on it.Helmut Dumler,Willi P. Burkhardt, ''Les 4000 des Alpes'',


Geography

The massif of the Grand Combin lies in Lower
Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
, south of
Verbier Verbier is a village located in south-western Switzerland in the canton of Valais. It is a holiday resort and ski area in the Swiss Alps and is recognised as one of the premier off-piste resorts in the world. Some areas are covered with snow all ...
between the Val d'Entremont (west) and
Val de Bagnes Val de Bagnes, also called the Vallée de Bagnes (German: Bangital or Baniental) is a valley located in the Entremont District in the Canton of Valais of Switzerland. Geography Val de Bagnes is traversed by the Drance de Bagnes. In the upper p ...
(west). The north-western facing side of Grand Combin is entirely covered by eternal snows and glaciers which are prone to
serac A serac (from Swiss French ''sérac'') is a block or column of glacial ice, often formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Commonly house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers, since they may topple with little warning. Eve ...
falls. The southern and eastern walls are more steep and thus exempt of snow. The topography of the Grand Combin is intricate. Between the Val d'Entremont and the
Val de Bagnes Val de Bagnes, also called the Vallée de Bagnes (German: Bangital or Baniental) is a valley located in the Entremont District in the Canton of Valais of Switzerland. Geography Val de Bagnes is traversed by the Drance de Bagnes. In the upper p ...
are two high ridges, nearly parallel to each other and to those valleys, which both diverge from a short transverse ridge of great height. The southern end of the space enclosed between these three ridges is an elevated plateau of great extent, where the snows accumulate and feed the
Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glacier de Corbassière) is a valley glacier in the Grand Combin massif in the Pennine Alps in southwestern Valais. It is long with an average width of slightly more than and covers an area of . The origin of ...
which descends thence for about ten kilometers to the north. The glacier is surrounded by the peaks of
Petit Combin The Petit Combin is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, located between the valleys of Entremont and Bagnes in the canton of Valais. It belongs to the Grand Combin The Grand Combin is a mountain massif in the western Pennine Alps in the ca ...
,
Combin de Corbassière The Combin de Corbassière is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, located south of Fionnay in the canton of Valais. It is part of the Grand Combin massif and lies on the west side of the Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glac ...
and
Combin de Boveire The Combin de Boveire is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located in the Grand Combin massif in Valais. It lies between the Boveire Glacier and the Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glacier de Corbassière) is a valley gla ...
on the west,
Grand Tavé The Grand Tavé (3,158 m) is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, located south of Fionnay in the canton of Valais. It belongs to the Grand Combin massif and lies east of the Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glacier de ...
and
Tournelon Blanc The Tournelon Blanc is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, overlooking the lake of Mauvoisin in the canton of Valais. It belongs to the Grand Combin massif and lies east of the Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glacier ...
on the east. Smaller glaciers lie on the external flanks such as Boveire and
Mont Durand Glacier The Mont Durand Glacier (french: Glacier du Mont Durand) is a 5.9 km long glacier (2005) situated in the Grand Combin massif, Pennine Alps, in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 7.5 km². See also *List of gl ...
. At the south-east extremity of the plateau, the highest part of the enclosing ridge is surmounted by two conical summits, of which the higher south-west point (''Grand Combin de Grafeneire'') is 4,314 meters in height, while the neighbouring north-east summit (
Aiguille du Croissant The Aiguille du Croissant is a minor summit in the Grand Combin massif in the Pennine Alps, Switzerland. Because of its small prominence it was included in the enlarged list of alpine four-thousanders. See also *Swisstopo Swisstopo is t ...
) is lower by less than 60 meters (4,260 metres). Two other minor summits over 4,000 metres are located on the ridge: the
Grand Combin de Valsorey The Combin de Valsorey is the second highest summit in the Grand Combin The Grand Combin is a mountain massif in the western Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais. At a height of the summit of ''Combin de Grafeneire'' is one of the highest pe ...
(4184 m) on the west and the
Combin de la Tsessette The Combin de la Tsessette is the third highest summit in the Grand Combin massif. It lies east of the Grand Combin summit ( Combin de Grafeneire) and overlooks the Lac de Mauvoisin. First known ascent by E.F.M.Benecke and H.A.Cohen on 21 July ...
(4135 m) on the east. On the west side, the plateau sinks to a considerably lower level, and over this lies the Col des Maisons Blanches (3,418 m), by which access to the Corbassiere valley is obtained from the side of the Val d'Entremont. All the waters flowing on the region end up in the Dranse river and the Rhone. After Dom,
Weisshorn The Weisshorn (German, lit. ''white peak/mountain'') is a major peak of Switzerland and the Alps, culminating at above sea level. It is part of the Pennine Alps and is located between the valleys of Anniviers and Zermatt in the canton of Val ...
, it is the highest massif of the Alps situated out of the main chain. South of the Grand Combin, the ridge separating the glaciers of Mont Durand and Sonadon reaches the Grande Tête de By a few kilometres away, which is located on the main watershed and border with the Italian region of
Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...
. The ridge diverges to the south-west and appears to be continuous with the range of the Aiguilles Vertes, or Aiguilles de Valsorey, and that of
Mont Vélan Mont Vélan is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. At 3,727, metres Mont Vélan is the highest summit lying between the Great St Bernard Pass and Grand Combin. Two large glaciers cover its northe ...
. From this branches the lower range, which divides the channel of the Glacier du Mont Durand (north) from the Val d'
Ollomont Ollomont ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Aosta Valley region of north-west Italy. Geography Bagnes, Bionaz, Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Doues Doues ( Valdôtain: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdota ...
in the
Aosta Valley , Valdostan or Valdotainian it, Valdostano (man) it, Valdostana (woman)french: Valdôtain (man)french: Valdôtaine (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = Official languages , population_blank1 = Italian French ...
(south), and extends by the Col de Fenêtre to the Mont Gelé.


Climbing history

The Grand Combin, which yields in height to only a few European mountains, was long one of the least known of Alpine summits. The first to commence the exploration of the great massif which separates the Val de Bagnes from the Val d'Entremont was Gottlieb Samuel Studer, of Berne, who on August 14, 1851 reached for the first time the summit of the
Combin de Corbassière The Combin de Corbassière is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, located south of Fionnay in the canton of Valais. It is part of the Grand Combin massif and lies on the west side of the Corbassière Glacier The Corbassière Glacier (french: Glac ...
with the guide Joseph-Benjamin Fellay, and has published an account of that and a subsequent excursion in ''Bergund Gletscher-Fahrten''. He was followed in that ascent five years later by W. and C. E. Mathews, and in 1857, William Mathews anticipated Studer in the ascent of the second peak of the Grand Combin. The first four expeditions on Grand Combin reached only the minor summit east of Grand Combin (''Aiguille du Croissant''). The first one was made by mountain guides from the valley (Maurice Fellay and Jouvence Bruchez) on July 20, 1857. The first complete ascent of Grand Combin was finally made on July 30, 1859 by Charles Sainte-Claire Deville with Daniel, Emmanuel and Gaspard Balleys, and Basile Dorsaz. The Grand Combin de Valsorey on the west was reached for the first time on 16 September 1872 by J. H. Isler and J. Gillioz. They climbed the south-west face above the Plateau du Couloir. The itinerary on the south-east ridge was opened on 10 September 1891 by O. Glynne Jones, A.Bovier and P. Gaspoz.


Climbing huts

*Panossière Hut (2,641 m), north side * Valsorey Hut (3,030 m), south-west side *Bivouac Biaggio Musso (3,658 m), south side


See also

*
List of 4000 metre peaks of the Alps This list tabulates all of the 82 official mountain summits of or more in height in the Alps, as defined by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA). All are located within France, Italy or Switzerland, and are often ref ...


References


External links

*
Grand Combin on Hikr
* {{Authority control Alpine four-thousanders Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Valais Pennine Alps Mountains of Switzerland Four-thousanders of Switzerland