Dents du Midi
Range
Dents du Midi seen from Pointe Bellevue. From left to right : La Cime de l'Est, La Forteresse, La Cathédrale, l'Éperon, Dent Jaune, Les Doigts and the highest point : La Haute Cime
Country	Switzerland
Highest point	La Haute Cime (The High Summit)
- elevation	3,257 m (10,686 ft)
- coordinates	46°09′45″N 06°55′25″E / 46.1625, 6.92361

The Dents du Midi (The Teeth of Noon) is a mountain range situated in the Chablais valaisan in Chablais, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Chablais was a former province of the Duchy of Savoy, with its historic capital in Thonon-les-Bains. The Valais ( German:) is one of the 26 Cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation It reaches a height of 3,257 metres (10,686 feet). Dominating the Val-d'Illiez and the Rhône Valley, to the south they face the Lac de Salanfe, an artificial reservoir. Val-d'Illiez is a municipality in the district of Monthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The Rhone, or the Rhône is one of the major Rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. Lac de Salanfe is a Lake in the municipality of Evionnaz, Valais, Switzerland. Geologically they make up a part of the massif Haut-Giffre.

The peaks

The "Dents", or "Teeth" are, from east to west:

• La Cime de l'Est (3178 metres, 10,426. 51 feet)
• La Forteresse (3164 m, 10,380. 58 ft)
• La Cathédrale (3160 m, 10,367. 45 ft)
• L'Éperon (3114 m, 10,216. 54 ft)
• Dent Jaune (3186 m, 10,452. 76 ft)
• Les Doigts (3205 m, 10,515. 09 ft and 3210 m, 10,531. 50 ft) or Doigts de Salanfe
• La Haute Cime (3257 m, 10,685. 70 ft)

Landslide

On the morning of October 30, 2006, a mass of 1,000,000 m³ (35,314,666. Events 637 - Antioch surrenders to the Muslim forces under Rashidun Caliphate after the Battle of Iron bridge. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 72 ft³) of rocks detached themselves from the side of the Haute Cime and fell down the side to an altitude of about 3,000 m (9,842. 52 ft. ) The event did not pose any danger for the nearby town of Val-d'Illiez but roads and footpaths were closed as a security measure. Val-d'Illiez is a municipality in the district of Monthey in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. According to the geologists of the canton, the landslide was caused by thawing, assisted by the hot summers of the preceding years. A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows which can occur [1]

Origin of the name

Lithography of the Château de Chillon, with Dents du Midi in the background, between 1890 and 1905

The name "Dents du Midi" is of relatively recent origin. Lithography is a method for Printing using a plate or stone with a completely smooth surface The Chillon Castle (Château de Chillon is located on the shore of Lake Geneva near Montreux, Switzerland. The native inhabitants originally used to call them the "Teeth of Tsallen". It was only towards the end of the 20th century that the current name came into use. [2]

Each peak, or "tooth", has had several names over the centuries:

• La Cime de l'Est (Summit of the East) was called Mont de Novierre before approximately the seventeenth century, then Mont Saint Michel after the landslides of 1635 and 1636, and finally Dent Noire (Black Tooth) till the 19th century.

• Dent Jaune (The Yellow Tooth) was called the Dent Rouge (Red Tooth) until 1879.

• Les Doigts (The Fingers) were called Le Doigt de Champéry (The Finger of Champéry, 1882) then Le Doigt de Salanfe (The Finger of Salanfe, 1886) before finally just Les Doigts.

• La Haute Cime (The High Summit) also had several names: Dent de l’Ouest (Tooth of the West, 1784), Dent du Midi (Tooth of Noon), Dent de Tsallen (Tooth of Tsallen), and Dent de Challent (Tooth of Challent).

L’Éperon

Several ruptures in the massif have changed the form of the peaks so much that the names adapted themselves according to the geological evolution. One supposes that L’Éperon (The Spur) made up two summits, but that a landslide in the Middle Ages significantly changed this peak. A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of Riding boots for the purpose of directing a Horse to move forward or laterally while riding

First ascents

External links

• The Dents du Midi on SummitPost
• Pictures of Dents du Midi (taken from the village of Champery)