The Grand Capucin

Viewed from the broad, open expanse of the upper Géant Glacier, Grand Capucin is a captivating objective for any serious rock climber. Its sheer granite walls rise 1,500 feet from a sea of ice, surrounded by lesser (yet still impressive) towers such as Trident du Tacul, Petit Capucin, and Pointe Adolphe Rey. But in this realm of ice and rock, the Grand Capucin stands out for its sheer mass and visibly compact rock. It’s the closest thing in Chamonix to a Patagonian peak. In fact, the pictures I took while climbing Grand Capucin are often mistaken for climbing in Patagonia.

I first saw the Grand Capucin while skiing down the Vallée Blanche. It’s a tantalizing feature—a hulking monolith of golden granite towering above the sea of ice below. To an eye keen for granite, it’s obvious that the Grand Capucin has the best rock among all the ramparts of Mont Blanc du Tacul. Reminiscent in shape of a Wingate desert tower such as Castleton or Moses, but three times the size and composed of rock from the legendary Mont Blanc pluton.