Mont Favre | Monte Favre
Monte Favre is a distinctive 2,967-meter (9,734-foot) mountain rising above Val Veny near Courmayeur in Italy’s Aosta Valley. Also known as the Pointes des Charmonts, the mountain forms a compact pyramid of three summits on the high ridge separating Val Veny from the valleys descending toward La Thuile.
The setting is extraordinary. Directly across Val Veny rises the enormous Mont Blanc massif, with glaciers, granite aiguilles, and some of the highest mountains in the Alps. Monte Favre is much lower, yet its position provides an outstanding grandstand view of Mont Blanc’s Italian side, the Miage Glacier, Aiguilles de Trélatête, Aiguille des Glaciers, and numerous other high Alpine summits.
Monte Favre is also surprisingly rugged. The highest southern summit reaches 2,967 meters, while a central top rises to roughly 2,962 meters. The upper western ridge becomes narrow and rocky, and the final section requires easy but exposed climbing on unreliable rock. Modern route descriptions generally rate the climb around EE/F, with more difficult Grade II terrain encountered if traversing between the individual summits.
Topographic data give Monte Favre approximately 143 meters (469 feet) of prominence and 1.04 kilometers (0.65 mile) of isolation. Its nearest higher neighbor and practical topographic parent is Mont Berrio Blanc, the 3,252-meter mountain immediately to the south.
The naming deserves special attention. Older Alpine literature sometimes used Mont Favre for Mont Berrio Blanc itself, while modern maps also apply Mont Favre to the 2,967-meter Pointes des Charmonts. These are two separate mountains.
⚡ Fast Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Mountain | Monte Favre |
| Also called | Mont Favre, Pointes des Charmonts |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Aosta Valley |
| Nearest town | Courmayeur |
| Mountain range | Graian Alps |
| Greater range | The Alps |
| Elevation | 2,967 m / 9,734 ft |
| Prominence | Approx. 143 m / 469 ft |
| Isolation | Approx. 1.04 km / 0.65 mi |
| Key saddle | Col du Berrio Blanc area |
| Key saddle elevation | Approx. 2,824 m / 9,265 ft |
| Topographic parent | Mont Berrio Blanc |
| Nearest Higher Neighbor (NHN) | Mont Berrio Blanc |
| NHN elevation | Approx. 3,252 m / 10,669 ft |
| Coordinates | Approx. 45.7608° N, 6.9214° E |
| Highest point | South summit |
| Central summit | Approx. 2,962 m |
| Summit form | Three-pointed pyramid |
| Main valley | Val Veny |
| Opposite massif | Mont Blanc massif |
| Nearby famous summit | Monte Bianco di Courmayeur |
| Nearby landmark | Miage Glacier |
| Nearby high peak | Aiguille des Glaciers |
| Nearby Alpine tower | Dent du Géant |
| Standard approach | La Visaille – Colle Youlaz – Charmonts ridge |
| Route difficulty | Approx. EE/F |
| Harder summit traverse | Up to exposed UIAA II |
| Approx. elevation gain from La Visaille | 1,347 m |
| First recorded ascent | September 22, 1892 |
| First recorded climbers | L. Mussillon and A. Pelloux |
| Tour du Mont Blanc nearby? | Yes, but the TMB crosses the lower Arête du Mont Favre, not the summit |
| Arête du Mont Favre elevation | Approx. 2,442 m |
| Major trail-running connection | UTMB Mont-Blanc |
| Known for | Panoramic Mont Blanc views, three summits, exposed rocky ridge |
Monte Favre’s modest prominence reflects its close connection with the much higher Mont Berrio Blanc. The mountain nevertheless stands out visually because of its sharply defined pyramid and commanding position above Val Veny.
📍 Where Is Monte Favre?
Monte Favre rises southwest of Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, above the southern side of Val Veny.
This point is important geographically.
Val Veny forms the southern boundary of the Mont Blanc massif. The enormous granite mountains of Mont Blanc rise on the opposite side of the valley from Monte Favre.
Monte Favre therefore does not belong to the Mont Blanc massif proper.
Instead, it forms part of the northern Graian Alps ridge separating Val Veny from the valleys around La Thuile.
This ridge contains several mountains and high points including:
- Mont Berrio Blanc
- Pointes des Charmonts / Monte Favre
- Pointes des Chavannes
- Mont Fortin
- Mont Nix
- Tête d’Arp
The contrast across Val Veny is one of the most interesting features of the landscape.
The northwestern side of the valley is dominated by enormous glaciated 4,000-meter peaks.
The southeastern side is lower, greener, and formed from very different rock.
🗺️ Not Actually Part of the Mont Blanc Massif
Because Monte Favre overlooks Val Veny and provides spectacular views of Mont Blanc, it is sometimes casually described as part of the Mont Blanc massif.
Geographically, that is misleading.
The Mont Blanc massif occupies the opposite side of Val Veny.
Val Veny itself functions as one of the major boundaries of the massif on the Italian side.
Monte Favre belongs instead to the mountain chain south of the valley within the Graian Alps.
That difference is more than a technical classification.
The geology, appearance, vegetation, and shape of the two sides of Val Veny are noticeably different.
🏔️ A Mountain of Three Summits
Monte Favre is also known as Pointes des Charmonts because its crest contains three distinct summits.
The southern summit, at approximately 2,967 meters, is the highest.
The central summit reaches about 2,962 meters.
A northern point completes the small summit group.
From a distance, these closely spaced tops merge into a characteristic pyramid.
The highest summit can be reached relatively directly from the west ridge, but traversing from one summit to another increases the technical difficulty.
The ridge becomes narrow, exposed, and rocky.
Loose rock is an important concern throughout the upper mountain.
📏 Elevation
Monte Favre’s accepted elevation is:
2,967 meters / 9,734 feet
This figure appears consistently in modern route descriptions and local mountain references.
The summit is much lower than Mont Blanc, which rises more than 1,800 meters higher directly across Val Veny.
That enormous difference makes Monte Favre one of the best examples of a lower Alpine summit offering a better view of the great mountains than the great mountains necessarily provide of themselves.
📊 Topographic Prominence
Monte Favre has approximately:
143 meters / 469 feet of prominence
Its key saddle lies around the Col du Berrio Blanc area at approximately 2,824 meters.
Some route descriptions place the nearby col around 2,819 meters, reflecting small mapping and naming differences around the ridge.
The relatively modest prominence means Monte Favre is not a major independent massif.
It is instead a sharply defined summit along the broader ridge extending toward Mont Berrio Blanc.
📐 Topographic Isolation
Monte Favre’s topographic isolation is approximately:
1.04 kilometers / 0.65 mile
Higher terrain is reached quickly toward Mont Berrio Blanc.
This short isolation illustrates how closely packed the summits are along the ridge.
Monte Favre nevertheless appears much more individual from several Val Veny viewpoints because deep gullies and its pyramidal profile visually separate it from surrounding terrain.
🧭 Mont Berrio Blanc: Nearest Higher Neighbor
The Nearest Higher Neighbor is Mont Berrio Blanc, which rises immediately south to approximately:
3,252 meters / 10,669 feet
Berrio Blanc is much larger than Monte Favre.
Its prominence is approximately 736 meters, and it forms the dominant high point of this section of the Graian Alps.
Monte Favre’s ridge ultimately connects toward it through Col du Berrio Blanc.
The relationship is especially important because the names of the two mountains have historically become confused.
⚠️ Two Different Mountains Have Been Called Mont Favre
The name Mont Favre has been used for two nearby summits.
Modern route descriptions commonly identify the 2,967-meter Pointes des Charmonts as Mont Favre.
However, historical literature also applied Mont Favre to the much higher Mont Berrio Blanc, approximately 3,252 meters.
For example, nineteenth-century Club Alpino Italiano accounts refer to a Mont-Favre exceeding 3,250 meters.
Those accounts concern Berrio Blanc—not the 2,967-meter Pointes des Charmonts described here.
This explains why searching older sources can produce apparently contradictory elevations.
The mountains are separate despite sharing the historic name.
🏷️ Pointes des Charmonts
The alternative name Pointes des Charmonts is often the most useful way to distinguish the 2,967-meter mountain.
Regional toponymic references identify the Pointes des Charmonts with the Mont Favre name used on Italian geographic maps.
The word Charmonts belongs to a family of Alpine place names found across the French-speaking western Alps.
Several associated geographic features carry the name, including:
- Col des Charmonts
- Vallon des Charmonts
- Pointes des Charmonts
Using both names together—Mont Favre or Pointes des Charmonts—removes much of the ambiguity.
🪨 Geology of Monte Favre
Monte Favre’s geology differs fundamentally from that of the Mont Blanc massif directly across Val Veny.
Mont Blanc is dominated by resistant granite and associated metamorphic rock.
The southern side of Val Veny contains a greater proportion of sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks, including calcareous schists and related units associated with the Sion–Courmayeur and Tarentaise geological zones.
This contrast helps explain the different shapes of the two sides of the valley.
Across Val Veny, granite forms dramatic aiguilles, vertical walls, and enormous glaciated peaks.
Around Monte Favre, the ridge is lower and more easily eroded, producing broader slopes, scree, grass-covered terrain, and unstable layered rock.
🌎 The Alps Take Shape
The rocks surrounding Monte Favre were caught within the immense tectonic collision that created the Alps.
Before the mountains formed, marine basins separated sections of ancient Europe and the Adriatic plate.
Sediments accumulated on those ocean floors and continental margins.
Later plate convergence compressed the region.
Rock layers were folded, faulted, metamorphosed, and pushed over one another.
The collision eventually raised the modern Alpine chain.
Erosion then exposed deeply buried geological units at the surface.
The dramatic difference between Monte Favre and Mont Blanc across the valley reflects this complicated tectonic history.
🧱 Why the Rock Can Be Loose
Climbers approaching Monte Favre should not expect the solid granite associated with many famous Mont Blanc climbs.
Upper sections contain fractured and unstable rock.
Modern route descriptions repeatedly warn about poor rock quality.
This is particularly important on the summit ridge, where narrow passages and steep slabs concentrate climbers into a small area.
Handholds should be tested carefully.
Loose stones can easily be dislodged onto anyone below.
A helmet is a sensible precaution even though the technical climbing grade is relatively low.
🧊 Val Veny: A Glacial Landscape
Val Veny separates Monte Favre from the southern face of the Mont Blanc massif.
The valley has been profoundly shaped by glaciers.
The Miage Glacier and Brenva Glacier played especially important roles in carving the landscape.
Glacial erosion widened and deepened the valley.
Moraines later covered substantial parts of the floor.
Today, debris from the Miage Glacier forms one of the most remarkable glacier landscapes in the Alps.
From Monte Favre, the contrast between these huge glacial systems and the greener southern slopes is especially dramatic.
🧊 Miage Glacier
The Miage Glacier lies directly across the valley from Monte Favre.
It is one of the largest glaciers on the Italian side of Mont Blanc.
Much of its lower surface is covered by a thick blanket of rock debris.
This debris-covered appearance can make the glacier difficult to recognize from lower viewpoints.
From high on Monte Favre, however, the enormous moraine-and-ice system becomes much easier to understand.
The glacier descends from the high western and southern slopes of Mont Blanc toward Val Veny.
🌊 Lago di Combal
Lago di Combal lies in the upper Val Veny landscape below Monte Favre.
Rather than behaving like a conventional deep Alpine lake, the Combal area contains wetlands, channels, glacial sediment, and changing water levels associated with the Miage system.
The broad flat basin forms one of the most distinctive landscapes on the Tour du Mont Blanc.
From Monte Favre’s ridge, hikers can look directly down toward this glacially shaped valley floor while the Mont Blanc massif rises beyond it.
📜 First Recorded Ascent
Modern climbing histories give the first ascent of the 2,967-meter Monte Favre as:
September 22, 1892
The climbers were:
- L. Mussillon
- A. Pelloux
They approached from the Col du Berrio Blanc.
The climb occurred comparatively late in the Golden Age of Alpinism.
By 1892, nearly all of the giant peaks across Val Veny had already attracted extensive mountaineering attention.
Monte Favre’s lower elevation and unstable rock naturally made it a less important objective than Mont Blanc, the Aiguilles, or the great glaciers.
🥾 The Standard Ascent From La Visaille
One of the most practical modern approaches begins at La Visaille in Val Veny.
The route is long despite the mountain’s modest technical difficulty.
Current route information gives approximately:
- Starting elevation: 1,720 m
- Summit: 2,967 m
- Elevation gain: about 1,347 m
- Difficulty: EE/F
From La Visaille, hikers continue toward the Miage bridge area before climbing south toward Colle Youlaz and the high ridge.
The route becomes progressively more exposed as it approaches the summit.
🥾 Toward Colle Youlaz
The ascent initially follows established paths used by other hikers and sections associated with the Tour du Mont Blanc network.
At roughly 2,350 meters, the route turns toward Colle Youlaz, approximately 2,661 meters.
The final approach to the col is steep.
From there, the route enters the scenic high ridge separating Val Veny from the La Thuile side.
This ridge walk is one of the highlights of the ascent.
Mont Blanc remains visible across the valley almost continuously in clear weather.
🏔️ The High Ridge
From Colle Youlaz, the route passes several saddles and high points.
These include:
- Fourche de la Youlaz
- Col des Charmonts
- Col du Berrio Blanc
The ridge repeatedly rises and falls.
Although individual elevation gains may be modest, the continuous uneven terrain adds fatigue.
Views become increasingly expansive.
Mont Blanc, the Aiguilles de Trélatête, Aiguille des Glaciers, Miage Glacier, and upper Val Veny spread across the northern horizon.
🧗 The West Ridge
Near Col du Berrio Blanc, climbers leave the easier path and turn toward Monte Favre’s western ridge.
The lower ridge is relatively straightforward.
Higher up, the mountain becomes much sharper.
The final section contains a narrow rocky crest and an inclined slab.
Hands are needed for balance and climbing.
The technical difficulty remains relatively low, approximately F, but the exposure makes the ascent feel more serious.
The quality of the rock is the greater concern.
🧗 The Highest South Summit
The highest point is the southern summit at 2,967 meters.
The final few meters follow a narrow rocky line with good handholds in places but substantial exposure.
The summit itself is very small.
This is not a broad platform suitable for a large group.
The compact top adds to the mountain’s sharp pyramidal character.
For many climbers, reaching this point is enough.
Continuing toward the other summits increases the difficulty.
🧗 Traversing the Three Summits
The central summit reaches approximately 2,962 meters.
Travel between the highest southern summit and the central point involves more exposed climbing.
Route descriptions mention sections around UIAA Grade II on the northeast ridge.
The rock remains unreliable.
A traverse of all three Pointes des Charmonts is therefore a different undertaking from simply climbing the highest south summit.
Mountaineers should be comfortable with exposed scrambling, careful route finding, and loose Alpine rock before continuing.
⚠️ Loose Rock Is the Main Hazard
Monte Favre is a good example of a mountain where the numerical climbing grade can be deceptive.
The summit route is not technically difficult by Alpine standards.
However, loose rock changes the equation.
Important hazards include:
- Unstable blocks
- Loose scree
- Exposed ridge sections
- Narrow slabs
- Long approach
- Rapid weather changes
- Thunderstorms
- Snow early or late in the season
- Navigation difficulties in cloud
Climbers should avoid pulling aggressively on untested holds.
🔁 A Loop Through Mont Fortin
One attractive variation continues from the Monte Favre area toward Mont Fortin, approximately 2,758 meters.
From there, trails descend toward Lago Combal and Val Veny.
This creates a large loop rather than simply reversing the ascent route.
The Mont Fortin area is especially famous for its views of the southern Mont Blanc massif.
The lower terrain is technically much easier than the rocky summit of Monte Favre, but the full circuit is long and requires substantial endurance.
🥾 The Tour du Mont Blanc Connection
Monte Favre is closely associated with the famous Tour du Mont Blanc, but an important distinction is necessary.
The Tour du Mont Blanc does not normally climb the 2,967-meter summit.
Instead, it crosses the lower panoramic shoulder known as the:
Arête du Mont Favre — approximately 2,442 meters
The TMB route climbs from the Lago Combal side toward this ridge before descending toward Lac Chécrouit, Maison Vieille, and Courmayeur.
The viewpoint is one of the finest along the entire long-distance route.
🌄 Arête du Mont Favre
The Arête du Mont Favre should not be confused with Monte Favre’s actual summit.
It is a broad panoramic shoulder more than 500 vertical meters lower.
The difference matters because the two destinations require very different levels of experience.
The Arête du Mont Favre is reached on normal hiking terrain.
The 2,967-meter summit requires leaving the standard hiking route and completing exposed alpine scrambling.
Hikers on the Tour du Mont Blanc therefore experience Monte Favre’s lower ridge without climbing the mountain itself.
🏃 UTMB Mont-Blanc
The Arête du Mont Favre also plays an important role in UTMB Mont-Blanc.
The famous trail-running event uses the ridge as part of its route through Val Veny.
In 2024, UTMB even selected Arête du Mont-Favre as the central landscape featured on its official event poster.
Runners reach the ridge after crossing Col de la Seigne and passing Lago Combal, then continue toward Chécrouit and Courmayeur.
The location is famous because it provides an extraordinary open view across the entire southern side of the Mont Blanc massif.
🌄 One of the Best Mont Blanc Viewpoints
Monte Favre’s greatest attraction is undoubtedly the panorama.
Across Val Veny rises an extraordinary sequence of peaks and glaciers.
Depending on visibility, the view includes:
- Mont Blanc
- Monte Bianco di Courmayeur
- Aiguille des Glaciers
- Aiguilles de Trélatête
- Miage Glacier
- Brouillard and Peuterey sectors
- Numerous subsidiary aiguilles
Farther east, parts of the Dent du Géant and Grandes Jorasses landscape may also appear.
The summit is essentially a natural observation platform facing one of the greatest mountain walls in Europe.
🌿 Flora and Fauna
Monte Favre spans a wide range of Alpine habitats.
Lower slopes contain meadow, shrub, and forest communities.
As elevation increases, trees disappear and grasslands become thinner.
Above roughly 2,600 meters, scree and rock dominate.
Typical plants in suitable areas include:
- Alpine grasses
- Gentians
- Saxifrages
- Alpine clover
- Cushion plants
- Rhododendron at lower elevations
The summit ridge itself supports very limited vegetation because of wind, frost, thin soil, and unstable rock.
🐐 Alpine Ibex
The wider Aosta Valley is one of Europe’s classic landscapes for Alpine ibex.
These animals are superbly adapted to steep rocky terrain.
Their hooves allow them to move across ledges and slabs that would challenge human climbers.
Ibex may use high terrain in summer before descending as conditions become harsher.
Animals should be given plenty of space.
Feeding wildlife changes natural behavior and should be avoided.
🐿️ Alpine Marmots
Marmots are much more likely to be encountered in grassy lower terrain than near Monte Favre’s rocky summit.
The alpine meadows around Val Veny and neighboring ridges provide suitable habitat.
Their warning whistles can often be heard before the animals themselves are visible.
Marmots spend the short Alpine summer feeding intensively before entering long winter hibernation.
They are one of the most characteristic mammals of the western Alps.
🦅 Golden Eagles and Alpine Choughs
Golden eagles range across the high valleys of the Aosta region.
Open slopes and strong thermal currents provide excellent soaring conditions.
The much smaller Alpine chough is a more frequent companion around high ridges and summits.
These black birds with yellow bills are highly adapted to mountain environments and may appear surprisingly high above treeline.
Visitors should never feed them despite their willingness to approach hikers at popular viewpoints.
🌲 A Sharp Ecological Contrast Across Val Veny
Val Veny creates one of the most visually obvious ecological contrasts in the region.
The Mont Blanc side contains enormous areas of glacier, moraine, exposed granite, and high cliffs.
Monte Favre’s side contains considerably more grassland and vegetation.
This reflects differences in:
- Elevation
- Geology
- Aspect
- Glacier coverage
- Slope shape
- Moisture
- Erosion
From the summit, visitors can effectively compare two completely different Alpine landscapes across a single valley.
🌩️ Mountain Weather
Monte Favre lies below 3,000 meters, but it should still be treated as a high Alpine summit.
Weather can change quickly.
Summer thunderstorms are especially important because the summit ridge offers little protection.
Fog can make navigation confusing along the long ridge approach.
Strong wind may make exposed summit slabs uncomfortable.
Fresh snow can appear surprisingly early in autumn, while old snow may linger on shaded slopes earlier in the season.
A stable forecast is important even though the technical climbing is modest.
☀️ Best Season
The normal hiking and scrambling season generally runs through the snow-free summer and early autumn.
July through September often provide the most reliable conditions.
Autumn can be especially attractive because:
- Air may be clearer
- Crowds are smaller
- Mont Blanc views can be exceptional
However, shorter daylight and early snowfall become increasingly important.
Spring ascents may involve significant snow and are more appropriately treated as ski-mountaineering or winter-alpine outings.
🎿 Ski Mountaineering
Monte Favre can also be approached as a ski-mountaineering objective.
Routes exist through the Youlaz and Chavannes sides when snow conditions are appropriate.
A southeast-facing itinerary from the Youlaz side includes slopes around 35 degrees.
Winter and spring conditions create completely different hazards from summer hiking.
Avalanches can be significant throughout the surrounding valleys.
Ski tours require avalanche assessment, rescue equipment, and appropriate snow-safety experience.
⚠️ Hiking and Climbing Safety
Important hazards on Monte Favre include:
- Loose and unstable rock
- Exposed summit ridge
- Grade I–II scrambling
- Large elevation gain
- Long ridge travel
- Summer thunderstorms
- Strong wind
- Snow and ice
- Fog
- Route-finding errors
- Avalanche terrain outside summer
- Limited water on the high ridge
The difficulty classification of EE/F should not be interpreted as an easy hike.
The final summit demands comfort with exposed Alpine terrain.
🏔️ Monte Favre and Mont Berrio Blanc
Mont Berrio Blanc rises immediately south of Monte Favre to approximately 3,252 meters.
It is substantially higher and more prominent.
The mountains are connected through Col du Berrio Blanc.
They also share a confusing naming history.
Historical sources occasionally called Berrio Blanc Mont Favre, while the name later became strongly associated with the Pointes des Charmonts at 2,967 meters.
Anyone researching historic ascents should therefore check the listed elevation carefully before assuming that an old “Mont Favre” reference concerns the mountain described here.
🏔️ Monte Favre and Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc dominates the opposite side of Val Veny.
The difference in elevation is enormous.
Monte Favre reaches 2,967 meters.
Mont Blanc exceeds 4,800 meters.
Yet the lower mountain provides one of the better perspectives for appreciating Mont Blanc’s true scale.
From Monte Favre, the viewer is far enough away to see the relationships between glaciers, aiguilles, ridges, and the main summit.
It is a classic example of why the best viewpoint for a famous mountain is often a lower neighboring ridge.
🏔️ Monte Favre and Monte Bianco di Courmayeur
Monte Bianco di Courmayeur rises on the Italian side of the main Mont Blanc summit complex.
At approximately 4,748 meters, it stands nearly 1,800 meters above Monte Favre.
Its enormous southern and southeastern walls are clearly part of the dramatic skyline visible across Val Veny.
The comparison illustrates the unusual vertical scale of this part of the Alps.
A mountain approaching 3,000 meters can appear comparatively modest when positioned directly opposite some of Europe’s highest summits.
🏔️ Monte Favre and Dent du Géant
The Dent du Géant rises farther northeast in the Mont Blanc massif.
Its unmistakable rock tower reaches approximately 4,013 meters.
Although the two mountains belong to the broader Graian Alps, they occupy very different geological environments.
Dent du Géant is a dramatic granite tower within the high Mont Blanc massif.
Monte Favre is a lower sedimentary and metasedimentary ridge summit south of Val Veny.
Their contrasting shapes demonstrate the extraordinary geological diversity of the western Alps.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How high is Monte Favre?
Monte Favre reaches approximately 2,967 meters (9,734 feet).
Is Monte Favre also called Pointes des Charmonts?
Yes.
The 2,967-meter mountain is widely known as Mont Favre or Pointes des Charmonts.
Is Monte Favre part of the Mont Blanc massif?
No.
It rises on the opposite side of Val Veny from the Mont Blanc massif and belongs to the Graian Alps ridge toward La Thuile.
Why do some sources say Mont Favre is over 3,250 meters high?
Because Mont Berrio Blanc, at approximately 3,252 meters, has also historically been called Mont Favre.
It is a different mountain.
What is Monte Favre’s prominence?
Approximately 143 meters (469 feet).
What is its isolation?
Approximately 1.04 kilometers (0.65 mile).
What is the Nearest Higher Neighbor?
Mont Berrio Blanc is the nearest higher mountain.
Who first climbed Monte Favre?
Modern route histories give the first recorded ascent as September 22, 1892, by L. Mussillon and A. Pelloux.
How difficult is the standard ascent?
The ascent to the highest summit is usually rated around EE/F, involving exposed scrambling near the top.
Traversing the central summit can involve UIAA Grade II terrain.
Does the Tour du Mont Blanc climb Monte Favre?
No.
The TMB crosses the Arête du Mont Favre, a panoramic shoulder at approximately 2,442 meters, rather than the 2,967-meter summit.
🌄 Why Monte Favre Stands Out
Monte Favre is a perfect example of a mountain whose importance comes from position rather than extreme elevation.
At 2,967 meters, it is overshadowed numerically by the giants directly across Val Veny.
Mont Blanc rises more than 1,800 meters higher.
Aiguilles and glaciers cover the opposite horizon.
Yet Monte Favre occupies exactly the right position to reveal their scale.
Its three-pointed summit rises from the quieter southern side of Val Veny, where sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks create a landscape very different from the granite architecture of Mont Blanc.
The contrast is visible everywhere.
To the south are grass-covered slopes, layered ridges, and the valleys toward La Thuile.
To the north are Miage Glacier, huge moraines, granite needles, and some of the highest summits in the Alps.
The mountain’s own climbing history is modest but interesting. L. Mussillon and A. Pelloux completed the first recorded ascent in 1892. Modern climbers can follow a long ridge approach from La Visaille and Colle Youlaz before tackling the exposed western crest.
The final difficulty is not extreme.
The real challenge is the combination of distance, exposure, loose rock, and high-Alpine weather.
Even the name tells a complicated story. The 2,967-meter Pointes des Charmonts is now widely called Monte Favre, while neighboring 3,252-meter Mont Berrio Blanc also carried the Mont Favre name in nineteenth-century literature.
For anyone exploring the mountains of Italy, Monte Favre deserves attention as more than a minor summit near Mont Blanc. It is a rugged three-pointed mountain, an outstanding viewpoint over Val Veny, a geological counterpoint to the granite Mont Blanc massif, and one of the finest high ridges overlooking the Italian side of Europe’s greatest Alpine landscape.
🔗 Related Articles
- Mont Blanc
- Monte Bianco di Courmayeur
- Dent du Géant
- The Alps
- Exploring the Highest Mountains in the Alps
- Mountains in Italy
📚 Sources
- Gulliver — Mont Favre / Pointes des Charmonts from La Visaille
- SummitPost — Mont Favre or Pointes des Charmonts
- Outdooractive — High-Altitude Hike to Mont Favre
- Courmayeur Mont Blanc — Val Veny
- Courmayeur Trail — Tour du Mont Blanc
- Courmayeur Trail — Mont Favre Ridge and Val Veny Balcony
- UTMB Mont-Blanc — Arête du Mont-Favre
- VivaVDA — Glacial Environments of Mont Blanc
- ISPRA — Geological Notes for the Courmayeur Sheet
- Persée — Geomorphology of Val Veny
- Société de la Flore Valdôtaine — Vallon de Chavannes
