
MONT BLANC MASSIF
The new unaided route was climbed in seven days and stands where the Bonatti Pillar once stood.

During seven days of climbing on Petit Dru, Philippe Bruley, Amaury Fouillade and Baptiste Obino have managed the first ascent of a 1000-metre Big Wall route called Petit Pont, classified ED M5 6a A3.
Let’s talk a little about Petit Dru, or L’Aguille du Dru, a spire located in the Mont Blanc massif, in France, located east of the town of Les Praz, in the Charmonix valley.
The mountain has two summits: Grande Aiguille du Dru (or the Grand Dru) 3,754 m and the Petite Aiguille du Dru (or the Petit Dru) 3,733 m.
The first ascent was made by the British mountaineers Clinton Thomas Dent and James Walker Hartley, with guides Alexander Burgener and K. Maurer, via the southeast face on 12 September 1878. The Petit Dru was first climbed the following year, on 29 August 1879, by J. E. Charlet-Straton, P. Payot and F. Follignet via the south face and southwest ridge. The first traverse of both summits of the Drus was by E. Fontaine and J. Ravanel on 23 August 1901. The first winter traverse of the Drus was made by Armand Charlet with Camille Devouassoux on 25 February 1938.
The new line climbs alongside Base, a route established in 2021 by Thomas Auvaro, Leo Billon, Jordi Noguere and Sébastien Ratel, a 1,000-metre M8+ 5.11+ route, which took them five days.
They used webcams at Montenvers train station to livestream part of their first ascent. They climbed it at the same time as Korra Pesce and Will Sim were making the probable third ascent of the Southwest Pillar, which you can read about here.
The site where Petit Pont and BASE once stood was home to several routes, including the Bonatti Pillar, first climbed in 1955 by Walter Bonatti, which collapsed in sections in 2003, 2005 and 2011. The rockfall also removed John Harlin and Royal Robbins’ 1965 American Diretissima.
As for the Bonatti Pillar, opened in 1955 by the Italian climber, after two previous attempts frustrated by the weather.
Bonatti He managed to solo a new route on the southwest pillar. The climb took six days, with five hanging bivouacs. After five days of climbing on vertical rock that offered very limited protection, Bonatti found himself stuck and faced with an impassable overhanging section.
To the left and to the right the rock was absolutely smooth. He took one of the ropes, made a series of loops in one of the ends and began to throw it out with the intention of tying a knot in one of the little cracks. Finally, one of the loops got caught, but how much weight could it hold? Then he swung in the void, holding his breath, the abyss at his feet. The knot held. Bonatti waited for the swing to slow down and then climbed up the rope until he reached the edge of the overhang. Now it was time for him to get out on top or not at all. And he still had two days of climbing left. The story ended with a Bonatti who got out on top, of course.
With this history as a background, the achievement of Philippe Bruley, Amaury Fouillade and Baptiste Obino is undoubtedly worth highlighting.
