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The Mont Fort Hut is well-used by walkers in summer, for there are several rewarding routes to follow, including the ascent of Mont Gelé (3023m), for example. Having been assaulted by the ski industry, the mountain has lost any sense of isolation, but the cableway which rises to within a few metres of the summit does not operate in summer, and the uncomplicated 2hr walk and scramble from the hut via Col du Mont Gelé is made worthwhile for the extent and variety of the views. These include the Mont Blanc range, the Combin massif, and the western end of the Bernese Alps.
The 3336m snowpeak of Rosablanche rising some way southeast of the hut, but unseen from there, is another temptation for first-season alpinists, for whom the 4hr ascent via Col de Momin and the Grand Désert glacier is only graded F. Rosablanche is also climbed from the St Laurent (2:4) and Prafleuri (2:5) huts, the latter giving a much shorter climb of just 2½hrs.
For the general mountain walker the number one route to take from Cabane du Mont Fort is without question the sensational Sentier des Chamois, which follows a belvedere course southeastward along the mountainside some 1600m above the valley bed. Narrow, exposed and safeguarded in places by fixed cable or chains, this is not a path to take in adverse conditions. But in summer when snow and ice have cleared and the weather’s fine, the Sentier gives a memorable excursion. A sighting of ibex and chamois is almost guaranteed, and the direct prospect of the Grand Combin is unbeatable. Col Termin at the southern end of the Sentier gives a choice of continuing routes. One descends to Lac de Louvie, while another swings northeast towards Col de Louvie – this latter option being taken by trekkers on the Walker’s Haute Route. Before reaching Col de Louvie, however, another trail cuts up to the left on a scrambly ascent to Col de la Chaux (2940m), over which a descent (confused among rocks and boulders) could be made back to the Mont Fort Hut.