Mont Pourri, Savoie’s third highest peak

The Mont Pourri is situated between the communes of Peisey-Nancroix and Villaroger near Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

The mountain dominates the Middle Tarentaise Valley but can also be seen from the higher parts of the valley between Bourg-Saint-Maurice and Val d’Isère.

The summit of the Mont Pourri was first reached by French mountain guide Michel Croz (1828-1865) on 4th October 1861.

The mountain was conquered again the following year by British alpinist William Mathews (1828-1901).

The Mont Pourri can be seen from the road from many vintage points from the valley (Aime) to the mountain villages of the Versant du Soleil (Granier, Valezan…). To have a peek at the mountain from a higher place, reach the Roche de Mio, the Aiguille Rouge by cable-car or the Beaufortain mountains (Pointe de Combe Bénite) on foot.

And this view of the Mont Pourri was taken from the summit of the Semnoz mountain near Annecy (66kms as the crow flies):

Why the name of Mont Pourri?

The Mont Pourri is French for the Rotten Mount or Decayed Mount). The less-than-flattering name means that it is often snubbed by alpinists who wrongly think the mountain is in bad condition and can be more dangerous that any surrounding peaks.

They are many stories that attempt to explain the origins of the peak’s disgraceful name. They seem to have nothing to do with mouldy or loose rocks. It is more likely that the mount was called after a mountaineer called Pury, Pourrit or Purry. Legend has it that he would have climbed the peak a couple of centuries before Michel Croz. And would have given his own name to the summit.

Although prominent and clearly visible from the valley and when descending from the Little St. Bernard Pass, the Mont Pourri was curiously not referenced in maps until the 18th century.