Tour Ronde, from Punta Hellbronner

Introduction

The Tour Ronde is the highest peak on the ridge between Mont Maudit and the Colle del Gigante, and the ascent along its south-east ridge, not presenting any particular technical difficulties, allows one to admire the truly beautiful and grandiose panorama that is offered to us during the progression. The access to the mountain is on an easy glacier, although it is necessary to pass a few crevasses, and the ascent is varied and pleasant: its development is about 700m while the difference in height from the attack is about 290m. The integral ascent of the ridge is a little longer and more complicated, but decidedly safer than the one that, also taken as the normal route, climbs the obvious gully that ends just before the snowy crest of the summit, the latter being very exposed to frequent rock falls. From the summit, looking west, you are right next to the Himalayan Brenva side of Mont Blanc between the Aiguille Blanche and Mont Maudit; Then, looking north to east, one finds the sequence of peaks that have made mountaineering history, starting with the nearby Mont Blanc du Tacul, continuing with the Aiguille du Midi and, beyond the glacier tongue descending from the Vallée Blanche, with the Drus, the Aiguille Verte, Les Droites and ending with the closer Dente del Gigante, [[Aiguille de Rochefort]] and Grandes Jorasses.

Description

From Punta Helbronner, or from the Torino refuge, you reach the glacier and, following the numerous traces, you shortly arrive at col Flambeaux (340 m) overlooked by the aerial pylon of the cabins of the Mont Blanc traverse. From the pass, descend keeping to the left and skirting the glaciated slopes of the Aiguille des Thoules, near which, abandoning the tracks that continue to descend towards the Glacier du Géant on the right, continue to cut the slope, heading towards the small glacier that lies between the Aiguille d'Entréves on the left and the Tour Ronde on the right. Aim for the wide crest between the two peaks, the Col d'Entréves, without reaching it to turn just before it to the right towards an evident icy slope to the right of a small col located between an isolated rocky outcrop and the start of the south-east ridge of the Tour Ronde. Go over the terminal at its best point to cross the first rocky band and then slant to the right to reach some rocks that are easily climbed and reach a second icy slope that you cross to reach a comfortable terrace. From here, with a last climb, you reach the edge of the ridge and almost immediately the most difficult point of the ascent appears: a sloping slab that you first face to the right and then pass, at a wide crack and a small point, on the Brenva side. Now, after descending a little more on the Brenva side, continue and immediately climb a little more on broken rocks and unstable loam and, having reached just below the edge, continue without descending, still on the same side; with a few ups and downs, go round (or eventually climb over) two rocky reliefs to reach the small notch of Colle Freshfield (3655m) from where, after having passed a few rocks, you reach a comfortable resting place where the steep snowy part of the ridge begins. We ascend it on the edge and reach the terminal rocks of the summit, which we climb to the right along cracks and granite blades with a few slightly exposed passages, and thus reach the summit where there is a metal statue of Our Lady. On the descent, retrace the itinerary of the outward journey until just past the difficult point where, just below, are the anchorages for the abseils that may have to be made in order to descend directly down the icy slope at the beginning of the ascent and then climb over the terminal. Cartography

• [[Mont Blanc Courmayeur]], Carta dei sentieri foglio 1 1:25000, L'Escursionista Editore, Rimini, 2008