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Mont Dolent, on whose summit the borders of Switzerland, France and Italy unite

Built on the north side of l’A Neuve cirque, in a spectacular position under the crest of the Pointes des Essettes at 2735m, and with a direct view of Mont Dolent’s steep North Face, Cabane de l’A Neuve is another SAC hut owned by the Diablerets section. With just 28 places it has a guardian from mid-March to mid-May, and from the middle of June to the end of September (www.aneuve.ch). The approach route, which takes about 3½hrs from La Fouly and is signed from near the campsite, is a challenging one, aided in places by fixed chains or cables and with a glacial torrent for company part of the way.

MONT DOLENT

Acting as the southeast cornerstone of the Mont Blanc range, the 3820m summit of Mont Dolent is significant for being the point where the borders of Switzerland, France and Italy meet. An attractive mountain with four irregular faces, it was first approached from the Italian side on 9 July 1864 by Edward Whymper and Adams-Reilly with their guides Michel Croz and Michel Payot, and Henri Charlet as porter. It was a straightforward climb from the Petit Col Ferret using the SE Ridge as the most obvious route; ‘a miniature ascent’ according to Whymper. As for the summit, ‘it was the loveliest little cone of snow that was ever piled up on a mountain-top … But there was nothing little about the view from the Mont Dolent’ – as many have commented since. ‘A superb view,’ said Rébuffet, ‘very extensive, over a whole series of different landscapes, from the wild to the pastoral.’ Adams-Reilly was emphatic: ‘Situated at a junction of three mountain ridges, it rises in a positive steeple far above anything in its immediate neighbourhood; and certain gaps in the surrounding ridges … extend the view in almost every direction… The view is as extensive, and far more lovely than that from Mont Blanc itself.’