Moiry - Col de Torrent - Sasseneire
14th July 2007
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This was the first time I’ve been into this area in the summer, I’ve skied there in the winter making descents to the barrage and ski touring in the col de Torrent and alpage de Torrent areas but I’ve entered the Torrent from the Lona area near Grimentz climbing the ridge near the the Diablon. I intended to climb to the col de Torrent and then ascend the Sasseneire at 3250m from there. It’s one of the bigger peaks in the area and the biggest between Grimentz and Zinal.
There’s a GPS track file KML track file - Sasseneire
WARNING !! The trail from the barrage at Moiry to the Col de Torrent is fairly straightforward and a typical alpine route. However, the ascent and descent of Sasseneire from col de Torrent is extremely serious and is not a fully marked trail, it has sections of extreme exposure with potential falls of several hundreds of metres for long sections. The trail itself is difficult to find and crosses steep and very unstable scree slopes. It shouldn’t be attempted in bad weather or with the risk of bad weather and is really only recommended for experienced alpinists suitably equipped.
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The shot on the left is taken in more or less the same position as one I took back in April as I skied down to the barrage, that’s here. Fortunately it’s the summer now and you can drive up to the barrage and park, in fact while in winter it’s a pretty deserted place in the summer there’s a little cafe and a car park along with a bus stop.
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The skyline is dominated by the Dent Blanche and you’re struck by the number of 4000m peaks in the area.
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The Sasseneire is now visible on the left photo’ and looks pretty simple from here although a bit of a slog to get there. On the right the col de Torrent is also visible.
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Above left is the ridge from the Diablon where I skied down last time I was over here. On skis it’s pretty simple although slightly steep but in summer it’s very steep and there’s no paths there.
Above right is the view into the val d’Herens and up towards Arolla, it’s a simple walk down to Evolene from here and I’d thought about dropping down and finding somewhere to stay for the night then walking back.
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The ridge on the Sasseneire is a little exciting in places, it’s really loose and almost immediately there’s a section at about 30′ or more that’s hard to get any footing on, on the ascent the thought is how awful that will be on the descent but as the summit ridge gets a lot worse the lower section is actually simple on the descent.
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Incredibly, on the left there’s a path through this jumble of rock and rubble, it’s not a lot more obvious when you’re on it and I considered turning back a couple of times. Still, the views back (right) are pretty fantastic.
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On the left is view to the Diablon and near the Lona which is close to Grimentz and again where I’ve skied before.
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There’s a great view to the Lac Lona and Becs de Bosson which I’ve some photo’s of in the winter :
Grimentz - col de Torrent
Grimentz - Cabane des Becs de Bosson 1
Grimentz - Cabane des Becs de Bosson 2
From here it’s a treachorous descent of the ridge and back down the barrage, there’s no doubt that it’s much, much easier in the winter making the descent on skis though.
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