Icicle Mountaineering, Ski & Adventure www.icicle.co.uk 0845 058 98 78 Copyright 2014 © by Icicle Mountaineering Mont Blanc Summit Course 2014 courses detailed itinerary & notes Photo: Jo and Jonathan on the summit of Mont Blanc 4810m, via the Gouter route So you want to climb Mont Blanc? It is a dream, but not for dreamers… There is a lot of information around on the internet, and in books and magazines, about climbing Mont Blanc. Some articles say it is ‘nothing more than a hard walk’ while others say it is ‘extreme altitude climbing’. So what is the truth? Well the honest answer is that we have been running Mont Blanc courses for a decade, and every single client is different, and would have answered the question differently. Some have arrived with no experience, yet had great balance and been incredibly fit, and have run up the mountain. Others have arrived with loads of experience and struggled. The answer must lie somewhere in the middle; altitude affects everyone in different ways, you are not going to be 100% acclimatized in one week, the weather and conditions must play their role, and then there are the two greatest variables of fitness and ability on steep ground with crampons. Some people are fast learners, others need more time. Mont Blanc is not an ideal first 4000m peak for anyone, but if everything goes in your favor, it is often a possible summit. So yes, it is a realistic goal, but be realistic in your preparation, and accept that nothing in the mountains is guaranteed. Being prepared and in the right place at the right time is everything in the mountains. The same formula for an ascent might work for one person, yet not another. Flexibility is the key. For some, staying in the highest hut on a mountain may seem like the best plan, but the effects of altitude combined with a worse night’s sleep may mean that spending a night in a lower hut could actually increase your summit chances. We have seen some people summit as early as 4am, and others at 22:30pm. Each case is different, and all the decisions made on the mountain are made by the guide leading you. It is imperative that you and your guide gain each others’ trust, as when roped together you are joined as if by an umbilical cord, and must have complete faith in each other. Trust is earned. A guide cannot drag someone up the mountain. We strive to do everything possible to make your attempt on Mont Blanc a success, and hope that by being so candid on this page that you understand our desire to be honest and help you succeed. We all wish you the best of luck! Day 1, Sunday Travel out to Chamonix Mont Blanc. From 16:00 onwards you can check into your accommodation. Sorry, but we cannot accommodate extra nights or early check-ins / baggage storage, so please book your flights and transfers accordingly. At 17:00 you meet the Icicle resort staff at the course meeting point (if you need directions to find the meeting point, look in your course information booklet) for a full course and safety briefing, equipment checks and fitting. For those of you who have hired any equipment, you are shown how to use / adjust / fit it. After the welcome briefing the hosts usually accompany you to pre-dinner drinks (not included) to answer any queries. We aim to give you free time from 19:00 at latest. Day 2, Monday GLACIER SKILLS & ICE CLIMBING DAY – usually Mer de Glace at approx 2000m. After breakfast, you take the mountain railway to the Mer de Glace. The mountains surrounding you are some of the most famous in the Alps, including the Dru, the Grand Jorasses, and the Aiguille de la Republique. The guides will teach both the UK and French techniques of moving on ice, so that as well as front pointing and down climbing, they also teach the advanced French skills of using your ice axe, including Piolet Canne, Ramasse, Panne, and Rampe. There is also a key focus on your crampon skills, as good footwork will be essential for Mont Blanc. After lunch, you trek up the glacier to steeper ice, and the guide will set up a number of ropes for ice climbing with technical ice axes. For those with some previous ice climbing experience (or for those who develop quickly) there will be the opportunity for you to climb some more difficult ice pitches or to try leading on the ice. The guide may also demonstrate the skills of crevasse rescue, cutting steps, placing ice screws, setting up anchor systems, and making anchors on ice, including the Abalakov belay. The day is quite intensive, as you are using muscles not often used, and you will feel your acclimatisation starting as you ascend the ladders back to the mountain railway station at the end of the day. You descend by the mountain railway for the evening in Chamonix. EVENING INSTRUCTION SESSION – optional attendance from 17:15-18:00. We try and vary the exact instruction sessions each week, to cater for those on two week courses, so they can develop more, but rest assured that the instruction is tailored to the requirements of all of the groups that are out that week. We firmly believe that the evening instruction sessions are an integral part of your course, designed to make you more autonomous, and to develop your awareness. On this first evening the instruction is usually focused on Alpine rope-work, Fall Factors, Knots, Anchors and Equipment. After being taught about Fall factors and their influence in equipment failure, you are taught anchor systems and the different ropes used for Alpine climbing. Then we go through knots and rope-work including 'figure of 8', bowline, prussics, protecting abseils, Italian / Munter hitch, and the one handed clove hitch. If the group wishes, any instruction session can substituted with another topic, or even a general interest talk and mountain slideshow. After the session, you are free to go out to eat with other group members, or to cook in. We are well aware that you are on holiday, and always ensure we finish prompt to guarantee you rest time! The plan for the rest of the week On the first day there was one guide leading the whole group (up to six people maximum), but for the next four days there is a guide with every two persons. This is to give you the most amount of opportunities for altering the itinerary to suit you and your requirements. We are more than happy for each group to go off and do their own thing, so there is a lot of flexibility. Obviously at this stage you are not well acclimatised, so it is usual to do an acclimatisation route on Tuesday (and possibly on Wednesday too), then to ascend to a hut on Mont Blanc on Wednesday or Thursday evening depending on the weather, hut bookings, and your skills. Essentially the next four days are very flexible to your requirements, so do not read the next days’ itineraries as set in stone, but as more of an idea of what can be achieved, and an insight into the range of options. Day 3, Tuesday OPTION A, 1 DAY ACCLIMATISATION ROUTE – such as the Arête des Cosmiques 3842m You take the Aiguille du Midi cable car to the top station at 3842m, then put on your crampons and harness and descend the famous ridge that is the start of the Vallée Blanche. This is airy and very similar to the summit ridge on Mont Blanc. At the base of the ridge you turn right and head towards the Cosmiques hut before cutting up to the start of the Cosmiques Arete. This route is a great training climb, and will really develop both your acclimatisation and your ability on crampons on mixed ground, where you encounter both snow and rock. This is very useful for certain sections on Mont Blanc such as the section between the Gouter and Tête Rousse huts. The route finishes on one of the viewing platforms of the Aiguille du Midi cable car station, from which you started in the morning. If you finish the route early, stay at the cable car station for the afternoon to acclimatise more. Take a book and read it in the sun, or have a bite to eat in one of the heated cafés up there. Every minute of acclimatisation time really counts for you, so stay until it closes. OPTION B, 2 DAY ROUTE & HUT NIGHT – day 1 of 2, e.g. Aig’ du Tour 3544m or Gran Paradiso 4061m If you are definitely going to a hut on Mont Blanc on Thursday night, this could be a good option for you to select. This is a two day mountain ascent involving the ascent to a mountain hut today and a peak the next day. The exact choice of routes and objectives for these two days is made by the guides in reaction to your technical level, the route conditions, weather and safety. Whenever it is possible to offer you a choice of objectives, you will be fully involved in the decision making process. Common objectives include ascents of Gran Paradiso 4061m or the Aiguille du Tour 3544m. Whichever summit is selected, today is spent getting up to the hut. Some involve cable cars and walking, others are from the valley floor. You do not need to take anything extra up to a hut as all bedding and food is provided, just a head torch for the Alpine start the next morning.