Climbing Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc, together with the Eiger and the Matterhorn is one of the most famous peaks in the Alps, it is also the highest at 4807m (15,800 ft)

Unlike the Eiger or Matterhorn, climbing Mont Blanc is possible with basic mountaineering skills which can be learned as part of a training week with the Mont Blanc climb at the end. The week comprises of 4 days training and acclimatisation followed by 3 days for the ascent itself.

The ascent is physically tough so you need to be prepared for that but the sense of achievement is immense. As a guide many clients who have also climbed Kilimanjaro reckon Mont Blanc is tougher. Mont Blanc is very definitely a climb (not a walk) and the ascent usually involves a summit day of 12 hours or more.

We offer Mont Blanc ascents during June, July, September and October(see dates below).

On the summit

There are 2 main routes that we use to climb Mont Blanc, the Gouter route and the Cosmiques route (also called The 3 Monts route).
The easiest is normally the Gouter route, depending on conditions. It requires some straightforward but tiring scrambling, helped by some fixed wires, to reach the Gouter Refuge, then some snow plodding ending in a sharp snow ridge to the top.
The Cosmiques route involves some steep snow and ice as you climb from the Cosmiques refuge over Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit and finally to mont Blanc. There is often a short section (about 60-70m) of 45-50 degree ice climbing.
Both routes require adequate acclimatisation before an ascent

The Gouter refuge, perched at 3800m on Mont Blanc

Itinerary for a Typical Mont Blanc week.
Day 1 - Travel to Chamonix
Day 2 - Ice craft skills on glacier
Days 3-5 - Go to a mountain hut for two nights and do one or two training peaks 3500m-3800m.
Days 6-8 - Climb Mont Blanc and return to the valley.
Day 9 - Travel home

Provisional price 2010 - 1795 euros (5% discount on all MB bookings made before 15th March 2010)

Available Dates 2010:
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FAQ

What do I need to bring?
Consult our comprehensive gear list

What if I come and acclimatise on my own and just want a guide for the Mont Blanc ascent?

- We find that people are often not able to acclimatise successfully on their own, also there are some important training elements in the first 4 days which are essential to attend to before going to Mont Blanc. For experienced mountaineers we are happy that 3 days training may be adequate, but this is the exception rather than the rule. It is for this reason that we only accept clients for Mont Blanc ascents as part of a 6-7 day package.

It's tiring but it's worth it!