Dent du Géant north face explored by Emanuele Andreozzi, Santiago Padròs

When I first saw the topo of Coeur du Géant on Dent du Géant — established in 2014 by Chamonix guides Christopher Baud, Brice Bouillance and Jonathan Charlet — my attention was instantly captured by the majestic crack splitting the north face vertically from bottom to top. Wow!

I began researching, consulting the major rock and mixed guides for the area, but to my surprise, no route seemed to follow what appeared to me as the most logical and striking line on the entire face. The dream of opening that route started taking shape in my mind. Unfortunately, a series of injuries and surgeries kept me away from the mountains for a long time.

Then, this spring, the three young French climbers Mathis Garayt, Kilian Moni, and Arthur Poindefert opened Géants dans l'Âme just to the right of the line I’d imagined. Hmm…

At the end of an intense period training aspiring guides in the Mont Blanc massif, a good weather window finally appeared. At the last minute, I called Emanuele Andreozzi to attempt the Dent project. Conditions seemed perfect: good night freeze and recent snowfall had likely left the face in prime condition.

Nooooo! The 10th of June marked the 10th anniversary of SkyWay, and we couldn’t get underway before 10 AM! Arghhh… Despite the delay, we moved quickly toward the Col Supérieur du Tour Noir, reaching the base of the Dent in under two hours.

The face was still in shadow, the line sharp and clear before us. Bursting with excitement, we entered the system of gullies and slabs that characterise the route’s first section. What a joy to be back on crampons and ice tool tips again! After two easy 60-meter pitches, the real show began: Yes!

What followed were five pitches of mixed climbing on solid rock and alpine ice — one more stunning than the other. Protection, though at times runout, was excellent. The setting was breathtaking, with Mont Blanc watching over us from every angle—pure bliss!

We topped out on the Dent at 7:30 PM, where, to our surprise, we witnessed an unusual spectacle: a crowd setting up a super highline between the Dent and Mont Mallet. These French are crazy ;-)

At the start of the fifth pitch, we’d come across  two slings tied to the same spike — one clearly very old, the other newer. We asked around among local climbers (from both sides of Mont Blanc), practically every big name in the area who might be able to provide some insight, but no one had any info. No recorded route exists where w’d climbed. Some suggested the slings were likely left behind by a well-known crystal hunter, abseiling down from above.

While we wait to confirm whether this truly is a new route or not, we want to share it with the climbing community as what we believe it’s a beautiful line. If anyone has info about a previous ascent—full or partial—along our line of ascent, please do contact us. Thanks in advance! Below, you’ll find the full topo. We highly recommend the climb - this fantastic route can be done in a day even late in the season, provided there’s a good freeze.

The last time Emanuele and I climbed together was on 30 May 2021, when we opened Alchimia on Cima de Gasperi on Civettain the Dolomites. With Emanuele, these projects flow effortlessly: decisions are swift and unanimous, everything moves with natural rhythm and safety, and we always strive to leave the mountain as clean as possibile. This time, we abandoned a single peg a few meters below the fourth belay and a gorgeous Camalot #2 on pitch seven - trust me, we didn’t leave that one behind willingly!

- Santi Padrós, Val di Zoldo