Mont Blanc 6 day Itinerary
The climb Mont blanc itinerary presented here is purely an example of what might happen in a perfect week and could be changed due to circumstances beyond the control of the guides, including adverse weather conditions.
Arrival Day.
The group will rendez-vous at our hotel/chalet in Argentière (altitude 1240m), just a few kilometres from Chamonix and at the foot of Mont Blanc. Here, you will be welcomed and made to feel at home.
In the evening, we will have an informal chat about the week ahead with your Chamonix Experience guide. There will also be a chance for the guide to check out your clothing and gear and to decide if you will need to pick up any further items of equipment before setting out in the morning. After this, it will be time to sit down to an excellent 3-course dinner.
Day 1. Ice skills practice - Mer de Glace
After a full breakfast, we will take the old rack and pinion railway up through the woods from Chamonix to the edge of the Mer de Glace (1909m). This is the glacier where Frankenstein hid in Mary Shelley’s novel. All around are granite spires, with the glacier flowing through the middle.
This is the start of our acclimatisation program. If you haven’t used crampons or an ice axe before, this is where your introduction will take place. We’ll spend some time getting used to walking in crampons and swinging an ice axe. Afterwards we’ll weave our way through the crevasses to find a picnic spot with a view. If you are feeling brave, there will be the opportunity to climb some steep ice (supervised, of course). Then, we return to Chamonix on the railway.
(Depending on the prevailing conditions, we may choose to complete this ice skills day on the glacier which is accessible from the Grands Montets lift).
Day 2. Up to the Albert 1er refuge
To assist with our acclimatisation, we plan to spend tonight in the Albert 1ere refuge (2702m) in preparation for an ascent of the Aiguille du Tour (3544m) the following day.
This is a wonderful mountain excursion and will provide us with excellent acclimatisation and mountain skills training for your ascent of Mont Blanc. We will have a leisurely start in this morning, so there will be ample time to sort out ill-fitting boots and re-pack our rucksacks before leaving. Then, we will take the cable car from Le Tour to the Col de Balme (2130m). From here, we walk along a footpath for about two hours to the Albert 1er refuge.
Alpine refuges are unique places. There is invariably a sunny terrace, on which we can enjoy a beer or an espresso coffee, together with freshly baked pie. After a rest, there is the opportunity to go out on to the glacier to further practise snow and ice skills. Or, if you prefer, you can simply stay on the terrace, soaking up the sun and enjoying the fantastic views of the Aiguille du Chardonnet .
Accommodation is in dormitories. Slippers, blankets and pillows provided as well as dinner and breakfast.
Day 3. Climb the Aiguille du Tour and return to the chalet
We are up bright and early at 5 a.m. As the sun comes up, we will be crunching across the glacier in our crampons. Our goal for the day is to make an ascent of the Aiguille du Tour (3544m). This is a relatively easy alpine peak with a bit of technical scrambling towards the end. From the summit we can expect a view which stretches all the way from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, of course.
Day 4. Aiguille du Midi and Vallée Blanche
We take the early morning lift from Chamonix up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m), one of the highest cable cars in the Alps. Today, we aim to traverse the Vallée Blanche in order to gain further acclimatisation and continue our practice with ice-axe and crampons. We rope up at the top of the Aiguille du Midi to descend its classic snow arête to the Col Du Midi (3532m).
This is a stunning day out, with superb views of the big mountains of the Alps – the Drus, the Jorasses, the Courtes and the Droites. You also get a very good view of the Traverse route to the summit of Mont Blanc. We are making our way between huge crevasses and seracs as we are traverse this spectacular glacier that finally take us to Point Helbronner right on the Italian border (the highest border station in Europe) We take the spectacularly scenic Gondola back across to the Aiguille du Midi where we ride the cable car back down to Chamonix and return to Argentière for a relaxing afternoon and dinner at the chalet
** Flexibility is the key to this programme and if weather conditions dictate, we could bring forward the ascent of Mont Blanc by a day to take advantage of any weather window (i.e. if bad weather is forecast on the scheduled day of the ascent). In this scenario, the group will make stay in a mountain refuge (Cosmiques or Goûter) to be ready for the climb the next day.
Day 5. First day of the Mont Blanc ascent
Now that our training is over, we are ready for the ascent of Mont Blanc. The group will be joined by more Chamonix Experience guides (ratio 2 clients to 1 guide), in order to give us the best chance of success.
The route we choose will depend on the prevailing conditions, the group’s ability and ultimately on the guides’ decision. There are two alternatives for the ascent: either the “Normal Route,” via the Tête Rousse refuge or the Goûter refuge and the Dome de Goûter, or the longer “Traverse Route” which is a more technical ascent of the mountain via Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit (descending via the Normal Route).
Because of the high guide-to-client ratio, we do have the option at this stage to split the group according to fitness and experience. For the Normal Route, we will set off from Les Houches, a short drive down the valley from Argentière. A cable car and then a train takes us up to the Nid d’Aigle at (2372m). From here, we follow a rocky trail for approximately two hours to the Tête Rousse refuge at (3167m). We may stay here overnight or continue for another couple of hours to the Goûter refuge at (3817m). Our choice of refuge depends on availability.
The longer Traverse Route (sometimes referred to as the Trois Mont Blancs route) starts out by way of the cable-car to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m). Then, dropping down into a snow bowl, we have a short ascent via a snow arête and hanging glacier to reach our overnight accommodation at the Cosmiques refuge (3613m). We will be at the refuge by early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the dramatic location.
Day 6. Summit day & descent to Argentière
The Big Day! Whichever route has been chosen, we can expect an early start. Approximately 1 a.m. from the Tête Rousse refuge, or 2 a.m. from the Goûter refuge on the Normal Route. On the Traverse Route, a similarly early start is required.
On the Normal Route, the whole of the ascent to the summit is on snow covered glacier. The climbing is never technical, although the final ridge is exposed. We are high up and the air is thin, so slow and steady is the way. Four to six hours of ascent, depending on our overnight stopping place.
On the Traverse Route, starting out from the Cosmiques refuge, the first obstacle is Mont Blanc du Tacul. This glaciated mountain averages 30 to 35 degrees inclination. After crossing the shoulder of Tacul we descend a little. The second mountain we have to get over is Mont Maudit which has even steeper sections, up to 40 or even 50 degrees, notably on the very last section. After this we have a fairly steady climb to the summit. Six to seven hours of ascent.
For either route option, we should be on Mont Blanc’s summit (4807m) just after sunrise, in position to enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the whole of Europe. We will then descend the same route as we came up and we should be back down in the valley by mid-afternoon. In the evening, we have the opportunity to reflect on the adventures of the week, during the course of a celebratory dinner at the chalet.
Departure Day.
The trip package ends after breakfast.
