Pointe du Dérochoir, Mountain summit in Passy and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, France.
Pointe du Dérochoir is a mountain summit in the French Alps reaching approximately 2400 meters in elevation. The route involves steep sections where metal cables and fixed ladders help climbers navigate the most difficult passages.
The Pointe du Dérochoir stands above the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval and the Fonds de la Combe, on the boundary between Passy and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. The cabled route, equipped with metal ladders, was fitted out by local mountain guides and the communal authorities of Sixt to open the limestone slabs to hikers. The via ferrata-style equipment has since been maintained by volunteer clubs from the Haute-Savoie.
The summit sits on the boundary between Passy and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, above the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval and the Fonds de la Combe. The name Dérochoir comes from the local Savoyard term for a rocky, crumbling slope, which describes the summit's southern face. The route is marked with red-and-white paint flashes in the French hiking style, and the cables and ladders are checked each season before summer use.
The approach starts at the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval side, from the Fond de la Combe valley floor, and climbs steadily for several hours to the 2,400-metre summit. The final section is equipped with cables and fixed ladders on exposed rock; approach shoes or stiff boots and sure footing on metal rungs are needed. Start early, since afternoon storms are common in this part of the Haute-Savoie.
The summit sits on the boundary between Passy and Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, above the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval and the Fonds de la Combe. Looking north, the Désert de Platé appears as a bare limestone pavement cut by lapiaz fissures, while the Mont Blanc massif rises beyond the Arve valley. The two rock types meet along the ridge line.
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