Climb Mont Blanc France

In brief: Climb Mont Blanc. Highest mountain in Western Europe. Alps. Chamonix.

Mont Blanc is the highest point in Western Europe and a great goal for any aspiring mountaineer. Anyone intending to apply for this trip needs to be fit and motivated. While previous mountaineering experience is desirable it is not essential. The week is tailored to give you excellent acclimatisation and training prior to the summit attempt. By reducing our Guide to Client ratios for the second half of the week we increase flexibility and hence your chance of success by allowing us to bring the summit attempt forward by a day if weather and conditions dictate.

The week is based in Chamonix, with accommodation in the luxurious Chalet Annabelle in Les Houches. When not out climbing, you can relax in your en suite room, or maybe you'd prefer to be on the balcony in the hot tub gazing up at your objective: Mont Blanc. We'll give you the best acclimatisation possible, the most thorough training, and highly experienced and fully qualified Mountain Guides. The rest is up to you.

Outline plan:

Everyone will meet at Chalet Annabelle on the Saturday afternoon prior to the course starting. After a lovely evening meal you will be met by the Course Director (Stuart Macdonald) who will talk through the plan for the week. This will include the detailed itinerary, equipment required each day, and any admin details. The week will then continue as follows:

Day 1 - A full equipment check will be done by the Course Director, before heading up to a high mountain hut in the afternoon. We use the Cabane D'Orny (2,831m) in Switzerland. This beautiful refuge is very comfortable and quiet and gets us away from the crowds. In the afternoon we will walk to the nearby glacier and practice using our crampons and ice axes.

Day 2 - After an early start we will leave the hut and set off roped up across the glacier and up to the top of a nearby peak (approx. 3,500m). This not only gets you used to walking on your crampons but will be excellent acclimatisation. After that, we continue across the glacier into Switzerland where we stay the night in the lovely Trient Hut (3,096m).

Day 3 - The next day we'll head back to France, taking in another peak on the way if time allows. After a descent to Le Tour we'll head back to the chalet to relax.

Day 4 - This day we drop our ratios to 1:2, and hence have the option to possibly bring our summit bid forward. If we decide not to, we will do a more technical day route from the valley. This might be a rocky ridge in the Aiguilles Rouge, or possibly a snow and ice peak in the Mont Blanc Massif depending on conditions.

Day 5 - After a good night's rest in the chalet we'll head up to a high mountain hut for the summit attempt. This will usually be from the Gouter Hut (3,817m) or from the Tete Rousse Hut (3,167m), but this may vary depending on conditions and group ability.

Day 6 - We'll make a very early start this day, sometimes leaving as early as 3am. We'll initially be climbing in the dark, but the snow is firmer in the cold and allows us to make good progress. We should hopefully reach the summit between 8 and 9 am. This should allow us plenty of time for summit photos and congratulations before heading all the way back down to Chamonix where we'll continue the celebrations.

Day 7 - After a very well earned sleep, the group will either return home or continue their travels. Note: If the summit attempt is brought forward a day clients will have the opportunity for another day of activity on the last day. This may be rock climbing, via ferrata, or another alpine route. Duration: 7 days. 6 days alpine mountaineering. This is an outline plan and is not fixed.

Guiding ratio: Having a ratio of 1:2 for days 4-6 gives excellent flexibility. It allows us to either do a quality technical climb on day 4, followed by the summit attempt, or to bring the summit attempt forward by a day if the weather and conditions dictate.


*Notes on payment: Payment can be accepted by bank transfer into 360 Expeditions Euro account, exchange costs must be met by the client. Alternatively, the cost is calculated at the time of booking according to the Barclays Euro buy rate on the day of payment and payment accepted in sterling.