Mont Blanc Ascent, France

The week is split between the town of Chamonix and the mountain huts of the Mont Blanc Massif, spending several days practising skills and techniques on snow and ice before ascending Mont Blanc itself. Training will take place on the Mer de Glace , perhaps the most famous glacier around Chamonix, leading towards the three-day expedition, sleeping in mountain refuges as the guide puts you through your paces in preparation for the summit attempt ahead.

During the trip, a rewarding lower peak will usually be climbed, teaching skills and helping with acclimatisation. The climb of Mont Blanc will be attempted by either the Gouter or Cosmiques route, depending on departure date. Both are physically challenging but hugely rewarding. However, as with any Alpine ascent, the weather conditions may mean a change in the intended itinerary or route. Although experience of ice-axe and crampon techniques is an advantage, it is not essential for this climb as full training will be given.

Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Start at our chalet in Les Bossons, just outside Chamonix. Those not flying with group will rendezvous with us at the chalet. The guide will brief the group on arrival. For those needing to hire equipment there will be time to arrange this. Chalet

Day 2
After a hearty breakfast the guide will meet us at the chalet at 8:30am, and check that everyone is correctly equipped. We will take a short transfer up the valley, from where we will head onto the ice of the Mer-de-Glace by Montenvers rack and pinion railway. The glacier is surrounded by a myriad of buttresses and spires, and is an ideal location to practice, and learn new skills. We'll spend time with our ice axes and crampons, talking through techniques and practising them on the ice. Chalet

Day 3
Weather permitting, this is the start of the two-day circuit that is planned to give you the opportunity to acclimatize to the alpine altitudes in preparation for an attempt on Mont Blanc. After a late breakfast we travel to the village of La Tour, and take a small two-stage cable car to the upper alpine meadows where we begin our approach to the Albert Premier refuge. Here we will spend the day relaxing, acclimatising and preparing for an early morning alpine start.
NB: You can leave any items that you don't need for the expedition in a bag/case in the chalet as we return here on day 5. Mountain refuge

Day 4
Weather permitting, we ascend from the refuge to make an attempt on the Tete Blanche (3429m), and exciting climb that will act as excellent preparation for Mont Blanc later in the week. After practising some more skills, we then descend, passing en route the Albert Premier refuge, back to the village of La Tour. From here we travel back to our chalet in Les Bossons. Chalet The itinerary for the next three days will depend on the weather and the route that your group will be attempting. The guide will carefully study the weather reports and decide if conditions look most favourable to attempt the climb on days 5/6 or 6/7. Depending on this decision, there will be a free day on either day 5, or on day 7 after the summit attempt. Regarding the route selection, this decision is made by our local partners and can depend on weather or availability in the relevant mountain refuges. It is unlikely that we will be able to confirm the route at the time of booking.

Day 5
GOUTER ROUTE
Leave the hotel by 7:45am and travel to Les Houches, where we take the Bellevue cable car to La Challette (1801m). A short three-minute walk takes us to the Bellevue train station where we catch the Victorian Rack railway train (tramway du Mont Blanc) to Nid d'Aigle (2372m). From there we walk up a winding track passing the Refuge de Tête Rousse (3167m) on our right. We have then to cross the famous Grande Couloir, where there are many loose stones, on to a steep arete which we scramble up to arrive at the Refuge de l'Aig du Gouter (3817m). Although this arete is steep it is not particularly vertiginous, and hands are only occasionally required. We should arrive by 1:00pm. Mountain refuge

COSMIQUES ROUTE
Leave the chalet in the morning and travel to Chamonix, where we take the Aguille de Midi cable car to Aguille de Midi (3842m). From here we make a short descent down to the Refuge des Cosmiques (3613m). This will only take about 1 hour and the rest of the day is spent resting at the refuge and acclimatising further. Mountain refuge

NB: Alternatively this will be a free day if the decision is made to attempt Mont Blanc on days 6/7.

Day 6
GOUTER ROUTE
An early start (approx 1.00am). We have a quick breakfast (it's important to eat something) and then with head-torches make our ascent of Mont Blanc, traversing the Dome du Gouter (4304m), passing the Vallot emergency shelter (4362m) and continuing up Les Bosses ridge to the summit (4810m). Descent is usually back by the Goûter Refuge, where if time allows we will have a short rest. We then continue our descent scrambling down the ridge and re-crossing the Grande Couloir with its stone fall risk, before returning to the Tramway du Mont Blanc, and cable car system back to Les Houches and on to the valley. Chalet

COSMIQUES ROUTE
An early start (approx 1.00am). We have a quick breakfast (it's important to eat something) and then with head-torches start our ascent of Mont Blanc by the 'Three Summits of Mont Blanc' (Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit and Mont Blanc itself). Within 2 hours we should reach the shoulder of Tacul, before descending a short distance and climbing the slope towards Mont Maudit. The last 50 metres of this is quite a steep pitch. From here we descend again to the Col de la Brenva before making the final push to the summit of Mont Blanc (4810m) via the rocks of les Petits Mulets. The whole climb should take approximately 6 hours. Descent is usually via the Gouter route, where if time allows we will have a short rest at the Goûter Refuge. We then continue our descent scrambling down the ridge and crossing the Grande Couloir with its stone fall risk, before returning to the Tramway du Mont Blanc, and cable car system back to Les Houches and on to the valley. Chalet

Day 7
Free day to relax or to visit the busy Alpine resort of Chamonix, which is only 10 minutes away by bus and has numerous bars, restaurants and cafés. For those seeking some more adrenaline, there is tandem paragliding, canyoning and rafting, plus many more supervised adventure sports. Chalet

NB: Alternatively this free day may be on day 5, if the decision is made to attempt Mont Blanc on days 6/7.

Day 8
End at the chalet in the morning.

Is this trip for you?
Exodus have planned this one-week itinerary to include an initial day's training in snow and ice climbing (ice-axe and crampon skills, ropework etc.) followed by a three-day climbing / trekking section travelling from hut to hut and staying high in the mountains. Much of this time is spent on glaciers and there is time for further training, and lots of opportunities to practice the skills learned. You spend much of the time at 3000m, essential for acclimatisation. The climax of the week is the summit attempt, which takes two days.

The training is undertaken by a professional High Mountain Guide, with a ratio of one guide between six clients for days 2-5, Additional guides will join you on days 6 & 7 for the attempt on Mont Blanc; here the ratio will be 1:2. On the first evening there will be an introductory, informal meeting/briefing.

In good weather the ascent is not particularly technical but it is extremely arduous. To have a reasonable chance of success a high degree of fitness and stamina, and some previous experience of altitude is highly recommended. Please note that you cannot achieve the required level of fitness in the week - you must arrive fit.

Please note that although the itinerary presented here is the one Exodus intend to follow there is a high chance that variations may be necessary. Many factors can affect climbing in high mountains. Individual member's abilities vary, as does their ability to assimilate the skills needed. Adverse weather during the week may curtail training or even make the climb impossible, while previous weather conditions may have left the mountain in a difficult or dangerous condition. Any such factor may mean the guides will have to re-arrange or curtail the programme.

Grade E (very tough)
1 day training, 3 days trekking and training at altitude, 2-day summit attempt; maximum altitude 4,808 m, average 3,050 m. During the early part of the week the guides will assess clients' progress and skill levels. Even in good weather conditions you will not be allowed to start on the ascent unless the guides feel you have a reasonable chance of success and this will depend on local conditions, fitness and having grasped the necessary skills.

There can be no guarantee that guides will be available to organise and run an alternative climb for anyone not able to undertake the ascent of Mont Blanc. This will depend entirely on the size and make up of the group. The guide's main aim will be to ensure your safety and the maximum chances of success on the summit attempt for those fit and able enough to do it. Additional private guides may be available but the cost of this is not included in the price.

Obviously you need to be confident of your fitness level in order to attempt this trip, but the main reason for failure is usually weather conditions. Thankfully the Alps enjoy long periods of stable weather in the summer, with regular thunderstorms in the afternoons that our guides are careful to avoid. However, due to its high altitude, any poor weather or strong winds on Mont Blanc can make a summit attempt too dangerous. In most cases this can be forecasted and we will attempt to offer an alternative climb in the region. Guides expect about 30% of the trips each summer to be affected by bad weather, making reaching the summit Mont Blanc impossible.