The Grandes Jorasses forms one of the greatest and most iconic sets of peaks in the Alps. Along with the Eiger, Matterhorn, Dru, Badile and Cima Grande, this is home to one of the six great North Faces of the Alps - an ascent of which by any route is a major undertaking and a big tick for any alpinist. Unlike the Eiger and Matterhorn North Faces, the Jorasses is made up mainly of good, solid rock, meaning that the quality of the climbing on the wall matches the ambience. However, rockfall is still a danger and climbing the face quickly and with an acceptable level of risk requires high fitness levels, excellent climbing skills and extensive alpine experience in order to judge conditions.
In addition to the famous North Face, we\'ve described the Grandes Jorasses Traverse - a great \'Grande Course\' - and included detailed descriptions of the various ways to descend via the South Face. Make sure you read the descriptions of the descent so that you are in no doubt how serious this peak is, and how the old adage that \'the summit is only halfway\' is never truer than on this revered and famous mountain.