Hi Luca, I don't understand nothing of what you write, unfortunately, as you know. Nice way you choose to go down over the glacier.
Am I right to think that I see the Cabane du Grand Mountet on this picture? I went there on 3 September - I wanted to see the Couronne Impériale from close (I saw it from Sasseneire the week before), the place is breathtakingly beautiful. The next day I went back by crossing the glacier du Zinal. Climbing down the moraine was quite adventurous...
Bye, Astrid

You're right about Cabane du Grand Mountet. I've been there on 20th August - one of the most beautiful places I've been !
The access way to the cabane via the glacier du Zinal is now discouraged.. why did you do that ?
Bye, Luca

Hello Luca,

First of all congatulations for your great trip to the Pigne de la Lé! This summit has been on my to-do-list for a long time now and I hope to reach it next year. Your pictures are - as always - very inspiring, many thanks!

Your remark about the access way to the Cabane du Mountet via the Glacier de Zinal is intriguing to me. In 1999 I used this access way for the first time and it was not extremely difficult (T4 for the glacier crossing, T3 for the other sections). However, in 2009 I went back with my girlfriend (see report) and we were surprised to find fixed ropes right after the glacier crossing. They weren't there yet in 1999! These ropes were not easy to hold on to because of the high tension and I therefore rated this access way with T4+ in 2009.

Could you tell me who discouraged you to use this access way? I would like to update my report if it is really the case that this access way is no longer recommended to (alpine) hikers. That would be a shame though, because the path between Petit Mountet and the Glacier du Zinal was really beautiful!

Thanks in advance for your reply. I'm also looking forward to your next reports on Hikr.

Cheers, Willem

Hello Luca and Willem,

I found this itinerary in a guidebook (Rother Unterwallis edition 2006 or 2007): up to the cabane on the eastern path and back in the west. Upon leaving to go down I had asked the guardian of the hut if the path was ok and he said yes. He mentioned only that it was more difficult and longer than the regular way on the eastern side.

I can understand that taking this path is discouraged to the "ordinary" hiker as the way down the moraine is rather difficult. The moraine is very steep and stones and rocks are loose. Two or more people going down at the same time surely start rockfall. Without the ropes, going down would not be possible, I think, it is so steep. Despite of holding on to the rope I slipped several times. I cannot imagine going UP this way! One would virtually have to tear himself up by the rope.

Crossing the glacier, however, I did not find difficult at all. It is all stones and blocks, there are only maybe 10 meters of ice (in part covered by little stones and sand) right after the spot where coming down from the moraine. Red triangles and red dots on the stones safely show the way across the glacier. There were a few crevasses at the beginning (on the eastern side) but one sees them and easily finds his/her way around them.

The path up on the other (western) side is not as steep as the one opposite and I did not find it difficult. A bit strenuous in the heat, yes...

Behind the cabane du Petit Mountet, when passing there, I saw a sign which said that this path was only for well equipped and experienced hikers. (The marks are red and white.)

As I understood from my discussion with the guardian of Grand Mountet, there must have been another path on the western side below from the actual i.e. newer one which is high up from the moraine. Probably taking this lower, old path is being discouraged as it was abandoned.

Certainly the glacier crossing and going down and up the moraine is for surefooted alpine hikers only and not for T2 hikers!

I did the hike solo, and I did not meet any other person until Petit Mountet.

Kind regards,
Astrid

Dear Willem,
thank you for your appreciation to my trips ! I’m glad my reports are useful to anybody. Italian speaking HIKRs are usually not very interested to them, since Wallis Alps are not much known among them.
Astrid have given much more details about your question, since she tried herself the route. My remark was just coming from the (precious) 1986 edition of “Guide des Alpes Valaisannes III”, where M. Brandt says : «Cet itinéraire, dangereux sur la moraine depuis le Peti Mountet, est abandonné au profit de l’itinéraire par le versant W du Besso ». The route described there seems to be the one you can find on CNS 1 :25.000, which I don’t know if is exactly the one you and Astrid made.
Later I will publish some more reports from my summer holidays in Wallis, hope you can find them interesting. I’ve seen you like the same mountains as I do.
Good luck for Pigne de la Lé !
Bye, Luca