Mont Dolent: a very direct Arête Gallet
- Andrea Colombi
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Arête Gallet, Mont Dolent — April 2026
Life changes. A few months ago my daughter was born, and most nights now end somewhere between feeding bottles and broken sleep. Still, some mountains keep calling.
When Luca suggested a one-day ascent of Mont Dolent via the Arête Gallet, the idea sounded almost unreasonable. We would leave in the evening, sleep just a few hours in the van at La Fouly, climb over 2,300 metres to the summit, ski down the Italian normal route and drive home the same day.
A few years earlier I probably wouldn't have thought twice. Today, with two young children at home, every mountain day begins long before the approach starts. It begins by asking whether it's still possible to make room for these adventures without taking anything away from family life.
We met somewhere between Basel and Bern, spent far too long looking for a place to leave Luca's car, had a terrible late-night dinner, and eventually rolled into the parking lot at La Fouly close to midnight. Neither of us bothered opening the roof of the California. Three hours later the alarm rang.
At four in the morning we were already moving.
The snow reached surprisingly low into the Combe des Fonds, allowing us to clip into our skis after only a short walk. The valley was silent except for the sound of skins sliding over frozen snow. In my usual enthusiasm I started a little too fast, catching up with a pair of Italian climbers making the same journey entirely on foot. Watching them disappear towards the Aiguille de l'Amône without skis left us both slightly puzzled. It would prove to be a very long day for them.
The frozen snow carried us quickly upward. With ski crampons the climb felt efficient, almost effortless, and before long we had caught two rope teams leaving the Bivouac Fiorio. Rather than following the classic ridge from the beginning, we chose a more direct line beneath the summit, joining the Arête Gallet only near its upper section.
Those steep snow slopes were probably the psychological crux of the day. Good snow, two technical ice axes, careful movement and a comfortable rhythm made them enjoyable rather than intimidating. Luca and I alternated the lead naturally, each taking turns breaking trail.
The real challenge arrived much later.
Around 3,700 metres, only a couple of hundred metres below the summit, I suddenly felt empty. Looking back, I suspect I had simply spent too much energy lower down. The combination of little sleep, weeks of interrupted nights and an enthusiastic pace had finally caught up with me.
As we stepped onto the ridge, coated in hard snow and patches of ice, I remember telling myself to slow down. For the first time that day I asked Luca to take the lead.
The summit came quietly.
There was no struggle anymore. Just a beautiful spring morning above the Mont Blanc massif, a light breeze, endless views and the quiet satisfaction that only arrives after a long approach.
Years earlier I used to look at Mont Dolent and think, I'll climb that mountain when I'm strong enough.
Standing there at forty-two, I realised strength had turned out to mean something completely different. An over-hyped word better describe strength now: resilience.
The descent began cautiously along the Italian normal route before we could finally put our skis back on. The upper snow remained hard and demanded attention—my new skis and I still had a few disagreements—but lower down the surface transformed into perfect spring firn.
From there everything became effortless.
Wide turns above the Fiorio Bivouac. The traverse back towards the Col Ferret. Then the long descent into the Combe des Fonds, perhaps one of the finest spring ski runs in the Alps, stretching almost uninterrupted back towards La Fouly.
At the river, with boots finally off and feet in freezing meltwater, the fatigue disappeared almost instantly.
Looking back up the valley, Mont Dolent stood exactly where it always had.
This was my third ascent.
Each time with different friends.
Each time during a different chapter of my life.
Perhaps that's why this mountain means so much to me. Not because it is difficult. Not because of the summit itself. But because, every time I return, it quietly reminds me how much life has changed—and how some dreams patiently wait for us until the moment we're finally ready to understand them.
Tour details
Mont Dolent, 3,823 m · Direct variation to the Arête Gallet · Descent by the Italian normal route · Start and finish at La Fouly · Approximately 2,296 m ascent and 2,310 m descent · 7 h 51 min moving time.
Interested in a similar climb in Switzerland?
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