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Things to know
No. But you have to be aware that climbing Mont Blanc is proper alpinism. And to do proper alpinism, you have to be a proper alpinist.
You have to have a lot of previous experience with winter hiking and climbing. You have to be skilled in walking with crampons, know how to self-arrest with an ice axe, the basics of glacier travel, be familiar with different rope techniques, and more.
If you don’t, trying out the climb without a guide could put you in serious and even life-threatening danger. That’s why we strongly advise all those without the necessary skills and experience to book a guide for their Mont Blanc climb.
You will not only avoid any dangerous situations but also make your climb much less stressful and much more enjoyable. Those who climb with a guide also have a higher chance of making it to the summit on their Mont Blanc expedition.
Our guides are all IFMGA licensed, guaranteeing the highest standard of safety and professionalism in the mountain guiding world. They also have years of experience leading Mont Blanc expedition teams, so you can be sure they will safely guide you all the way to the summit and back down to the valley.
Without proper pre-acclimatization, most people do not reach the peak of Mont Blanc. We designed the program so that you have the highest chance of reaching the summit.
Although it is not as high as the peaks in the Himalayas, and some people can summit without prior acclimatization, it is highly unlikely. Therefore you would be risking a lot of time and preparation and then turn back at the end when developing high altitude sickness. That’s why we also include the acclimatization climb to Gran Paradiso in the first three days.
In the first three days of the expedition, we will teach you all the skills you need to reach the Mont Blanc summit. You will also use these days to acclimatize yourself in a high mountain hut under Gran Paradiso and then climb the peak the next day. All the skills and the experience you get from these first few days are necessary for the climb to Mont Blanc.
Mont Blanc has the highest fatality rate of any mountain in Europe. But it’s not because it is a highly difficult mountain to climb which requires a lot of previous experience and climbing skills. It is because tons of people attempt it each year. And out of those people who do, a lot of them are inexperienced or even novice mountain climbers. They are not ready for the most basic mountaineering challenges.
That’s why many of them perish. They are relying on being lucky because they do neither know the mountain nor are skilled enough in winter mountain climbing. That’s why a guide beside you is so valuable, it significantly lowers the chances of a dangerous situation arising.
Compared to some other mountaineering ascents in the vicinity, Mont Blanc is a relatively non-technical mountain. It doesn’t involve any technical climbing, which is why some of us describe it almost as a “long walk”.
The most difficult part is the scrambling above the Grand Couloir between the Tete Rousse Hut and the Gouter Hut. It isn’t climbing, but it involves using your hands and stepping quite high. The snowy ridge towards the summit is quite exposed, but you just have to walk straight on it and watch out not to trip on your crampons. And don’t worry — on every exposed part like this you will be roped up to our guides.
Weather, good conditions, and good clients — are three main aspects we are looking at when deciding if we should attempt to climb Mont Blanc.
In the case of bad weather or awful snow conditions (high risk of snow avalanche or increased rockfall in the Grand Couloir), we don’t go risking your lives on the climb to it.
Good clients are those who are well prepared physically and have passed the test climb to Gran Paradiso. For those who didn’t, the climb to the summit of Mont Blanc might not be possible. That means they would probably only join us on the hike to some of the huts below the peak and not further on.
The Grand Couloir is located between the Tete Rousse and Gouter Huts on the Normal Route to Mont Blanc. It is known for its stonefall in dry conditions when there is not enough snow to hold the loose rocks from tumbling down the couloir.
We traverse it at about the third of the way between the two huts. Only there, a relative danger of stonefall that can seriously endanger climbers. Crossing it in the early morning is usually the safest, but it depends on the season. If there is very little snow, it might not even be worth risking it. Most of the time, the danger is minimal. We still take this decision seriously and will only decide to go on with the climb if the conditions are good enough.
