Dent du Villard, Mountain summit in Bozel, France
Dent du Villard is a gypsum mountain above Courchevel in the Vanoise massif, reaching 2,285 m. Its summit, marked by an orientation table and a cross, has a crater-like, chaotic shape, while the flanks are covered in scree and cut by erosion. Dense conifer forest covers the lower slopes, and the pale grey rock face rises above the tree line.
The mountain is made of gypsum and Cretaceous rock, shaped by erosion and by the collision of the African and European plates that raised the Alps. Its name comes from the village of Le Villard at its northern foot. The summit, at 2,285 m, carries an orientation table and a cross.
The name comes from Le Villard, the village at the mountain's northern foot. At the 2,285-metre summit stand an orientation table and a cross, and walkers on the ridge route pass between large gypsum blocks separated by wide gaps.
The hike to the summit is challenging and demands good fitness and mountain experience. Sturdy hiking boots and proper weather protection are essential, as the gypsum slopes become slippery when wet.
The summit's chaotic, cratered relief comes from its gypsum bedrock, the same as the Mont Charvet ridge and the Petit Mont Blanc to the south. The western slope lies within a directed biological reserve, a protected zone visitors cross without notice on the path up.
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