Mont Blanc
| Historically, Mont Blanc, which stands at 4,810m (15,782ft) above sea level, has been the preparation and training ground for many Himalayan climbs. In the 1920’s Mallory made an ascent of Mont Blanc in preparation to climb the highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest. Mont Blanc is one of the most beautiful and iconic climbs in the Alps and it draws crowds from all over the world, attempting to stand on the highest summit in the Alps. |
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A little bit more about the trekWhen you are on Mont Blanc, you are not only preparing yourself for the task ahead of you and acclimatising, you are gaining experience and knowledge of using crampons, ice axes and ropes. While we do not require that you have any previous alpine experience to join this trip, a high level of fitness is essential and we highly recommend first completing one of our Winter Skills courses in Scotland or elsewhere.From experience, we like to use the Cabane d'Orny Hut in Switzerland and the Italian Torino Refuge hut for our acclimatisation schedule. The Cabane d'Orny is a great hut in a fabulous area; it gives access to superb rock routes and allows the group to traverse from Switzerland back into France across the breathtaking Trient Plateau. The Refugio Torino gives a great taste of Italy, is accessible no matter what the weather conditions and very importantly it is a good altitude for acclimatisation. Its use also allows another amazing alpine traverse from the Aiguille du Midi in France across the amazing Valley Blanche to Italy. |
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Climbing Mont Blanc is a challenging and extremely rewarding experience for any avid trekker looking to take the next step to mountaineering. |
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What people said"Reaching the summit of Mont Blanc in 2009 was an amazing experience, especially as all 16 of us on the trip succeeded in getting there. This level of success among a group of novice mountaineers on Mont Blanc is almost unheard of. Ian was the primary reason we all made it, as he made sure everyone had the right training and equipment prior to departure. Nothing was left to chance. At the same time we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and there was great camaraderie among the group. Fantastic! Thanks Ian!“Oisin Ryan, Mont Blanc 2009 "I have known Ian for years and heard about one of his Mt. Blanc climbs in work. Ian was an inspiration to me, being the youngest Irishman at the time to stand on the top of the world. I wanted to join him on one of his adventures and adventure it was. Our trip was climbing two 4,000m peaks in 6 days. We set out to climb Gran Paradiso and Mt. Blanc. The adventure in climbing was amazing, but the journey with the team was incredible. We are all still friends 4 years later. It was truly one of the best trips I have ever been on. What a rewarding, challenging and immense experience to have in my life. Ian was a great leader, friend and look forward to getting out on the hills with him again soon." Simon Boland, Mont Blanc 2009 "I'm 36 years of age and the best holiday in my life to date has been the time when we went with Ian and 15 others, on a one week trip to summit Mount Blanc and Grand Paradiso in June 2009. We all succeeded in summitting, it was the most out of this world experience, filled with adrenaline, fun, fear and adventure. My most memorable moment was when at 12 midnight 1 hour before summit day we were all singing in the dorm, the famous Irish Euro Vision song "We were the rock and roll kids" and laughing with anticipation." Johnny Maher, Mont Blanc 2009 ItineraryView Mont Blanc in a larger map |
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Day 1 Today we will arrive in Chamonix, France for the start of our journey through the European Alps. Your Guide will meet you before dinner to brief you on the itinerary for the week ahead.Day 2 The guides will pick you up in the morning and drive you the one hour to Champex, Switzerland. From here we will get a short lift up to 2,188m (7,178ft) then climb our way to Cabane D’Orny at 2,811m (9,222 ft) where we will stay the night. Once we have checked into our rooms and had a short break we will go out onto the glacier d’Orny and learn essential glacier movement techniques.Day 3 From the Hut we will climb the Aiguille de Tour at 3,529m (11,578 ft). The normal route is primarily a rock climb, starting first on easy glacier then gaining the ridge which leads to a feature called the Table. From here, a sharp jagged crest of granite spires is followed to the summit of the Aiguille du Tour. When we have made our way back down, we will continue down to Le Tour, via a chair lift from Col du Balme to Le Tour and back to the Chalet.Day 4 Today we will get an early start up the spectacular Aiguille du Midi cable car. From here, we will traverse the spectacular glaciers of the Valley Blanche. This gives us a valuable opportunity to get used to walking roped up, wearing crampons, not to mention the altitude. You will spend the night across the valley in Italy at the Torino Hut at 3,375m (11,073 ft).Day 5 Today we will climb the Aiguille des Entreves traverse (3604m/11,824ft). This traverse offers a fun route on exposed rock, never extreme but always interesting. The views of the Tour Ronde, the south side of Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Brenva face on Mont Blanc are exceptional. We will descend back down to the glacier from the summit and make your back across and up to the Aiguille du Midi and back to the Chalet for the night.Day 6 We will have the morning to get the last bits and pieces you may need for your ultimate summit day on Mont Blanc. Then, before the morning is out, we will make our way by cable car and tram to the Nid d’Aigle at 2,380m (7,808 ft). From here we will make our way up to the Gouter Hut (3,800m/12,467 ft) for the night. Getting there involves a fairly strenuous hike and scramble.Day 7 Today we will start our day at about 3 am. The summit day involves a vertical gain of 991 meters (3,251 ft) on spectacular glaciated terrain, ending with some of the most beautiful views in the World. Our descent is by the same route with almost 2,500 m (8,202ft) down to the Nid d'Aigle railway station. We will not be back at the chalet before late afternoon.Day 8 We will have our last breakfast at the Chalet before departing home. Please note that this itinerary is an example of a Mt. Blanc week. Itineraries are variable and subject to change due to conditions, hut availability, the weather and each group. The itinerary for groups wanting to incorporate the climb of Gran Paradiso into the week will also have a different itinerary. |
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Ready to go?Does this information excite you to take the next step towards achieving your goals in the mountains? If so, get in touch today. We pride ourselves on making sure that our clients have every opportunity to succeed on the mountains, including professional training advice, gear lists and video links on how to pack your bag, and much more. We are always available to answer any questions you may have by email, phone or skype, so contact us today! |
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