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Grande Casse @ Col Noir 01

Mountain·FranceFrance

Grande Casse

3,855m

Vanoise massif

Summit weather

Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
3,855m
Prominence
1,305m
Relief
1,958mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
61°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
Summit
45.4050°N, 6.8272°E

Mountain

Grande Casse is a mountain in the Vanoise massif (France). Its summit stands 3,855 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,305 m.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,897 m), it rises 1,958 m. The steepest side is the north face: 47° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 61° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Val-d'Isère, 13 km away at 1,849 m: 2,006 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Grande Casse for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

9.8/10

Difficulty to the top

Mountain walk

Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.546 waymarked routes and 70 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.514 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/22,006 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.3/1.51,305 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.56 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 1.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

9.9/10

  • 4.0/4562 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.5122 ski lifts
  • 1.4/1.51,406 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/39 months of snow at about 2,753 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Beginner 50 km
  • Easy 252 km
  • Intermediate 140 km
  • Difficult 66 km
  • Expert 16 km
  • Freeride 33 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 2,753 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from October to June.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

122 lifts · lift stations from 2,050 to 3,456 m · 45 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Grande Casse

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,855 msnow all year round
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,852 msnow from October to June
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Val-d'Isère1,849 msnow from November to May
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Grande Casse, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 6 °C; on January nights it falls to about -25 °C. In 8 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,730 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (57 mm) and May the wettest (103 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 m5,000 mSUMMIT · 3,855 mVAL-D'ISÈRE · 1,849 mJanuary: 1,390 mFebruary: 1,490 mMarch: 1,990 mApril: 2,850 mMay: 3,670 mJune: 4,420 mJuly: 4,730 mAugust: 4,670 mSeptember: 4,050 mOctober: 3,350 mNovember: 2,290 mDecember: 1,610 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CVal-d'Isère high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-16-25-31,39073124.0
February-15-25-21,49057114.6
March-12-2011,99070125.4
April-6-1562,85069145.9
May-1-11123,670103186.6
June4-7174,42088168.7
July6-5194,73079149.6
August5-6184,67078138.5
September1-9144,05065137.1
October-3-13103,35071135.2
November-10-1832,29088133.5
December-15-23-21,61079123.4

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 2,008 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east
3,855 m2,047 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,855 m1,985 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 47°NNE: 44°NEE: 29°ESE: 42°SES: 34°SSW: 14°SWW: 23°WNW: 37°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Grande Casse

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Grande Casse seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches Grande Motte at 3,456 m — just 399 m below the summit.

  • 14mountain huts and shelters

    Refuge des Barmettes (2,010 m), Refuge de la Leisse (2,487 m), Refuge du Laisonnay, Refuge du Plan du Lac and 10 more

  • 29cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Aiguille Percée, Tommeuses, Tovière, TSD6 Bollin and 25 more

  • 6ski areas

    Tignes - Val d'Isère, Pralognan-la-Vanoise, La Plagne, Paradiski and 2 more

  • 46waymarked hiking routes

    GR 55 La Vanoise, Via Alpina Red R122, Via Alpina Red R123 and 43 more

  • 9via ferratas

    Via Ferrata Cascade de la Fraîche, Via Ferrata Cascade de la Fraîche: Le Pas de la Chèvre, Via Ferrata Cascade de la Fraîche: La Traversée des Dieux, Via Ferrata Cascade de la Fraîche: La Fraîche and 5 more

  • 2climbing crags and routes

    Tour de glace

  • 34named glaciers

    Glacier des Grands Couloirs, Glacier des Volnets, Glacier du Vallonnet, Glacier de la Réchasse and 30 more

  • 17viewpoints

    Pointe de Lanserlia, Terrasse Tovière, Résurgence Gouille de Salin, Point de vue sur le torrent and 13 more

  • 3campsites

    Le Chamois, Camping le Canada / Huttopia

  • 58hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hôtel les Hauts de Tovière, Le Grand Pré, Tour du Lac, Les Seracs and 54 more

  • 75restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

70 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Val-d'Isère13 km · 1,849 m
  • Tignes13 km · 1,802 m
  • Bozel14 km · 864 m
  • Belle-Plagne15 km · 2,079 m
  • Courchevel15 km · 1,756 m
  • Saint-Bon-Tarentaise15 km · 1,117 m
  • Mâcot-la-Plagne20 km · 769 m
  • Méribel20 km · 1,424 m
Car hire at TRN airport (Caselle Torinese)Discover Cars · Affiliate link

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Panorama Grande Casse et Vallon de la Leisse en été (août 2022)
Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Grande Casse south
Rémih · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-16-15-12-6-14651-3-10-15
2020+1.9+2.6+0.1+2.2+2.2−2.0+1.0+0.8+0.6−2.5+3.4−0.7
2021−1.5+2.1+0.5−0.6−2.7+0.9−0.5−0.5+1.3−0.1−0.1+1.1
2022+1.4+1.9+1.8+1.4+2.9+2.9+4.1+2.6−0.2+3.8+1.1+1.2
2023+0.7+3.8+3.7−0.4−0.1+0.6+1.5+1.2+3.9+2.9−0.8+1.5
2024+2.0+4.1+1.9−0.1−0.8−0.4+2.1+2.8−2.1+1.0+2.5+1.4
2025+2.4+2.6+2.5+2.8+0.7+4.1−0.5+1.9+0.4−0.1+0.5+2.5

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Nearby

More mountains nearby

4,806 mMont BlancItalyItaly48 km away3,779 mMont PourriFranceFrance14 km away3,697 mDent ParrachéeFranceFrance14 km away3,751 mAiguille de la Grande SassièreFranceFrance17 km away4,061 mGran ParadisoItalyItaly37 km away3,760 mPointe de CharbonnelFranceFrance23 km away

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q1542960) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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