Mont Froid

File:Fort of Mont Froid 03.png

The mountain is located in the French departement of Savoie (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), near the Italian border. It lies close to the main chain of the Alps, to which is connected by a brief ridge starting fom a 2,719 metres high minor summit.{{harvnb| Aruga, Losana, Re|1985|p= 370-371 | ref = agm}}. From there the main ridge follows eastwards with the Col de Sollières (2,639 m) and Signal du Petit Mont-Cenis, while southwards it continues with Col de Bellecombe (2,475 m) and Pointe de Bellecombe.{{Cite web | language = fr | title = Géoportail | publisher = IGN | access-date = 2022-01-15 | url = https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/carte}}

The Mont Froid, according to the French Alps classification, is part of the Massif des Cerces, while for the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) it belongs to the Northern Cottian Alps.{{cite book | last = Marazzi | first = Sergio | title = Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA | publisher = Priuli & Verlucca | year = 2005 | language = Italian | page = 90 | isbn = 978-88-8068-273-8 }}

{{clear left}}

The Mont Froid is mainly made of blackish schists with an underlying basement of gypsum.{{cite book |title= Eclaireurs-skieurs au combat|chapter=La tragédie du Mont-Froid|last= Boell |first= Jacques| publisher=Arthaud| page=219 |language=fr| year=1962}}

On the mountain, which thanks to its locations can control a large part of the Moncenisio plateau and Maurienne valley floor, was built at the end of the 19th century{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=juEwAQAAIAAJ&q=ouvrage+du+mont-froid | page = 233 | language = fr | title = Travaux | author = AA.VV. | publisher = Société d'histoire et d'archéologie de Maurienne | year = 1976 | accessdate = 2022-01-22 }} a large fortress (Ouvrage du Mont-Froid). The area was later included in the ligne Maginot fortifications, and during the II World War saw some fights facing the chasseurs alpins (French Army) and the German mountain troops.{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_k8qAQAAIAAJ&q=bellecombe | language = fr | title = Revue Historique Des Armées – ed. 198–201 | publisher = Ministère des armées | year = 1995 | pages = 138 | access-date = 2020-02-10}}

Nowadays Mont Froid is still used by the French Army for military exercise, mainly in winter, to train mountain troops to high-mountain survival techniques.

File:Mont Froid summit cross.png]]

The summit can be reached on foot starting from the refuge du Petit Mont Cenis. The itinerary doesn't require alpinistic skills but some hiking experience and is quite popular among hikers also because its historical interest.{{Cite web | url = https://www.gulliver.it/itinerari/froid-mont-dal-refuge-du-petit-mont-cenis/ | title = Froid (Mont) dal Refuge du Petit Mont Cenis | publisher = gulliver.it | author = igi02_to | language = it | date = 2020-09-04 | accessdate = 2021-01-10 }} The ascent to Mont Froid can be easily combined with the neioghbouring Pointe de Bellecombe.{{Cite book | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJg_XwUz7zAC&dq=%22mont+froid%22&pg=PA59 | chapter = Route 7. Mont Froid | pages = 59–62 | title = Mountain Adventures in the Maurienne | first = Andy | last = Hodges | year = 2012 | isbn = 9781849657556 | publisher = Cicerone Press | accessdate = 2021-01-10 }}

• Refuge du Petit Mont Cenis (2.110 m{{Cite web | url =https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/summer/offers/refuge-le-petit-mont-cenis-val-cenis-en-summer-2303588/ | title = Refuge le Petit Mont Cenis | accessdate = 2022-01-22 | publisher = Haute Maurienne Vanoise }}).

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | language = it |first1 = Roberto | last1 = Aruga | first2 = Pietro | last2 = Losana | first3 = Alberto | last3 =Re |title= Alpi Cozie settentrionali |year = 1985 |publisher = CAI / TCI |location = Milano | series = Guida dei Monti d'Italia | ref= agm}}
• {{cite book | last = Marazzi | first = Sergio | title = Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA | publisher = Priuli & Verlucca | year = 2005 | language = it |location = Scarmagno | isbn = 978-88-8068-273-8 | ref = priuli }}

{{Portal|France|Alps}}

{{Commonscat}}

• French official cartography (Institut Géographique National - IGN); on-line version: [http://www.geoportail.fr/5069711/visu2D/afficher-en-2d.htm www.geoportail.fr]
• Istituto Geografico Centrale – Carta dei sentieri e dei rifugi 1:50.000 nr 2 Valli di Lanzo e Moncenisio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froid}}

Category:Mountains of the Alps

Category:Two-thousanders of France

Category:Mountains of Savoie