Mont Blanc

[Daisy]

Hi there!

I know it's not one of the 7 Summits but I'd love to climb Mont Blanc. Have any of you ever climbed it and what are the different routes? is it necessary to have a guide and how busy is it up there in July?

Thanks
D

p.s. attached are a couple of pictures taken in Scotland at the end of February. So beautiful! we climbed a lovely route on the north face called 'number 2 gully'. Such an enjoyable day, who needs high altitude 

[7summits]

Hi Daisy!

I have climbed Mt Blanc 3 times and by 3 different routes. It's quite nice and doable especially the 2 normal routes (Gouter route and 3 MtBlanc route, these can be combined for a nice traverse). A guide might be useful for the 3 Mt Blanc route and all more technical routes.
It is busy from june to september, normally it can rain a week and then be good for the next, so everybody will head up simultaneously and if you do not have hut reservations you might be in trouble!

When are you going? I have guided people up there...

It might be busy up there:

(From my 2nd climb, Gouter route up)


This was the view from the summit the last time:


and this towards the Monte Rosa:


Thanks for the Scotland pics, I love Scotland in winter, is that Stob Coire nan Lochan?

[7summits]

by the way, the discussion fo Mt Blanc not being one of the 7 summits is not yet ended! Though all summiteers in teh list have climbed Elbrus, there are many people who consider Mt Blanc the highest point of Europe instead as the border between Erope and Asia is quite arbitrary...
 

[MonteBianco]

I will be gooing for Mont Blanc this summer. I was there last summer to but didnt reach the summit. I thought Mont Blanc and chamonix was a great place to be and im looking forward to go back. Although I have nothing to compare with but the swedish mountains I thought it was a great experience. I believe I will go for the gouter route this summer to.  The biggest risk on the gouter route is all the loose rock which falls because of snowmelting and other climbers....The gouter hut is crowded and must be booked in advance if you want a bed.

[Buddha]

How much steeper is Mt. Blanc compared to Mt. Elbrus? The inclination on the first picture seems to be some 40-45%...

[Daisy]

Hi Daisy!


When are you going? I have guided people up there...


Thanks for the Scotland pics, I love Scotland in winter, is that Stob Coire nan Lochan?

Hi Harry,
I'm not sure what other peaks are in the picture but we were on Ben Nevis. Thanks a million for the photos of Mont Blanc, they're fantastic especially the one with the climbers on the Gouter route. So you have guided people up there? I don't suppose you could accompany us in July? I know you're climbing Everest so no doubt you'll be taking things easy in July but I thought I'd ask just in case! otherwise do you know anyone we could speak to? I don't think we will take a technical route because a couple of my friends have no experience at all. I don't want to take any risks with them anyway so maybe a guide would be a good idea....
Anyway, I can't wait. Should be a lovely trip!
Thanks
D

[7summits]

Hey Daisy!

I never take things easy  Might be a nice chill out after Everest, so I will send you some details by PM. MonteBianco was also interested, so if I can do 2 trips it might be worth it for me.

Buddha, Mt Blanc is comparable with Elbrus (you might traverse a few of these slopes close to teh summit plateau on Elbrus as well). But in genral Mt Blanc is more epxosed as you walk along a ridge most of the time. This is the steepest section (though not the narrowest) of the Gouter route.
The 3 mt Blancs route, which I have taken down all 3 times, is getting steeper every year due to melting snow and a guide might be very advisable as last year it was almost 70 degrees on the key section on Mt Maudit.
 

[MikeW]

Might be interested in climbing Mt Blanc in the near future, would love to do it in the month of May so I can ski down the mountain from the summit. But certainly not this year though with Aconcagua and another summit planned for next January. I will try for 2006 by taking my family on a trip to France and Switzerland (and me taking 3 or 4 days off for this adventure!).

Hope you have a great time in France this summer!

MikeW

[MonteBianco]

Hello !! Ive just returned from a Chamonixtrip and another "failure" of reaching Mont Blanc summit. This year me and my friend walked the Three Mont Blanc Route and we turned around at Col de la Brenva due to incoming clouds....We didnt make any more attempts on the summit either because the weather was bad ...Anyway we had a couple of nice acklimatizingdays on the glacier and atleast we got away with the biggest crux of the route the Maudit wall and it was a nice experience... Here are some pics from the trip  // Sry for the very long url adresses..I just made a temporary page to view the pics from..

link 1

link 2

link 3

link 4 :lol)

[7summits]

Hey monte bianco,

I changed the links as they were messing up the page layout. The links did not work for me, I just got numerous windows pop-ups and almost impossible to get out some installing loops.
Why don't you just upload the pictures to the site? When you post as a registered member, there are advanced options at the bottom of the posting area, you can attach pictures easily.

Cheers,
Harry

[MonteBianco]

Hmm...Strange the pictures doesn´t work..I can´t attach directly to the page unless i find some way to make my pictures smaller and I have tried doing that for a while now with no sucess....  ..

[trunl]

LOL!! harry does know how to make pictures smaller.... i had the same problem a while ago.... i couldnt get down the size, without making the pictures almost unreadable....



trunl

[smrtnupp]

I am prepared to sound really dumb, but I have to know, are those clounds or snow in the pics?

Hi Daisy!

I have climbed Mt Blanc 3 times and by 3 different routes. It's quite nice and doable especially the 2 normal routes (Gouter route and 3 MtBlanc route, these can be combined for a nice traverse). A guide might be useful for the 3 Mt Blanc route and all more technical routes.
It is busy from june to september, normally it can rain a week and then be good for the next, so everybody will head up simultaneously and if you do not have hut reservations you might be in trouble!

When are you going? I have guided people up there...

It might be busy up there:

(From my 2nd climb, Gouter route up)


This was the view from the summit the last time:


and this towards the Monte Rosa:


Thanks for the Scotland pics, I love Scotland in winter, is that Stob Coire nan Lochan?

[7summits]

I am prepared to sound really dumb, but I have to know, are those clounds or snow in the pics?

Well, in the first pic people are climbing on the snow 

But the background and all the white stuff in pictures 2 & 3 are clouds, all the way to the horizon, wonderful sight!
 

[smrtnupp]

Ughhhhhh..... that is high!!!!!  :eek)

[Nudge]

Hi, myself and our team ,guided by Victor Saunders, summited by the Traverse Route on Saturday 2nd July in atrocious weather. Good fun and a hell of a challenge. We really enjoyed it. As a matter of interest only 13 people (including 5 guides) reached the top that day, quite something as I believe it can be quite busy on the first Saturday in July.

I have a few photos of the summit but they are poor, mostly myself and victor drinking champers. How do I make them smaller, they are at present 1.5mb each?

[7summits]

Well congrats 

Yes, it can be quite hard on Mt Blanc! You can resize pictures with any basic editing tool, in Windows you have MS Photo Editor somewhere in your menu. I assume you are not a regular Photoshopper   

Else you can email them to me (harr@7...) and I will resize them for you.

Cheers
-H

[Nudge]

Thanks, I'll have a go later. By the way saw your "7 summits" sticker at the Cosmique Hut

[MoT]

Just to let you guys know - Daisy summitted Mont Blanc yesterday 

[7summits]

Just to let you guys know - Daisy summitted Mont Blanc yesterday 

Cool! Go Sheila, err Daisy 

Well done and send us the pictures soon! Shame I could not join you!
-H