| Grand Combin | |
|---|---|
 North side | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Combin de Grafeneire |
| Elevation | 4,309 m (14,137 ft) |
| Prominence | 1512 m ↓ Fenêtre de Durand[1] |
| Parent peak | Monte Rosa |
| Isolation | 26.4 km → Dent Blanche[2] |
| Listing | Ultra Alpine four-thousanders |
| Coordinates | 45°56′15″N 7°17′57″E / 45.93750°N 7.29917°E |
| Geography | |
  Grand Combin Location in Switzerland | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Valais |
| Parent range | Pennine Alps |
| Topo map | Swisstopo 1346 Chanrion |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | July 30, 1859 |
The Grand Combin is a mountain massif in the western Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais. At a height of 4,309 metres (14,137 ft) the summit of Combin de Grafeneire is one of the highest peaks in the Alps[3] and the second most prominent of the Pennine Alps. The Grand Combin is also a large glaciated massif consisting of several summits, among which three are above 4000 metres (Combin de Grafeneire 4,309 m (14,137 ft), Combin de Valsorey 4,184 m (13,727 ft), Combin de la Tsessette 4,132 m (13,556 ft)). The highest part of the massif is wholly in Switzerland, although the border with Italy lies a few kilometres south.
The normal route starts from the Panossière Hut, which lies on the north side in the Corbassière valley. Despite the fact that no major difficulties exist, a particularly dangerous passage has to be traversed on the north flank: Le Corridor. It is a couloir dominated by seracs continuously falling on it.[4]
- ^ Retrieved from the Swisstopo topographic maps. The key col is the Fenêtre de Durand (2,797 m).
- ^ Retrieved from Google Earth. The nearest point of higher elevation is west of the Dent Blanche.
- ^ In terms of peaks with a prominence of at least 300 meters, it is the eighth highest.
- ^ Helmut Dumler,Willi P. Burkhardt, Les 4000 des Alpes, ISBN 2-7003-1305-4