Mont Blanc and Best of Chamonix in 8 days
– August 2016 (Alpine IV)
Note: This is not a guided trip by
professional mountain guides. Climbers joining
the trip need to be experienced in the
mountains. The trip starts and ends in
Chamonix. You are responsible to get to
Chamonix and meet the trip leaders and other
trip participants by the date and time set.
This trip is a 5-day expedition (plus 2 days
of travel to Chamonix and 1 spare day) that
will take place sometimes between Aug 6 and Aug
21, 2016. The starting date we are aiming for
is Aug 13. The exact 8-day period will be
determined once we are able to book the alpine
huts sometimes within the next couple of
months. At this point we would like to gage the
interest and have the participants lined up
before we can proceed with hut bookings. This
will also allow people to book their vacations
with their employer.
This tour can be considered as the
ultimate best alpine traverse on the
Mont Blanc Massif and involves 5 days of
glacier travel, exposed scrambling and climbing
of up to 5.5 grade and high altitude to 4,800m.
We would be staying at several different huts
that will be pre-booked by the trip leaders.
The expected trip plan is as follows
(we have also made alternate plans if the
weather is not co-operating):
Day 1 – Flight from Calgary to Geneva
Day 2 – Transport from Geneva to Chamonix,
group meeting to finalize the itinerary based
on weather and mountain conditions, pack for
next day, and rent gear if needed
Day 3 – 5 hour hike to Refuge des Conscrits,
elevation gain: 1,500 meters. Sleep at 2,580-
meter elevation.
Day 4 - 8 hour slightly exposed scramble
traverse to Refuge Durier. Minimally technical
high alpine traverse of the 5 summits of Dômes
de Miage (highest one: 3,650 m). Elevation
gain: 1,200 meters. Sleep at 3,370-meter
elevation.
Day 5 – 8-10 hours exposed scramble and 5.5
rock step to Aiguille de Bionassay summit with
150 m of technical climbing possibly on mixed
or dry rocks, traverse to Dôme du Goûter,
descent 400M to Refuge du Goûter (the most
popular and beautiful hut for Mont Blanc
attempts; fully rebuilt in 2013). Sleep at
3,835-meter elevation.
Day 6 – 8-9 hours glacier travel and narrow
exposed snow ridge to Mont Blanc summit (option
to descent through the 3 Monts (Mont Blanc,
Mont Maudit, and Mont Blanc du Tacul) to
Aiguille du Midi gondola). Sleep at 3,835-meter
elevation.
Day 7 – Extra day to climb Mont Blanc if day
6 has bad weather.
Day 8 – Return to the valley bottom in
Chamonix. Do not make plans to leave Chamonix
until next day as our time of arrival into
Chamonix is uncertain.
The expected cost of the trip is around
CAD$4,000 depending on food options we choose
at the huts. This includes the return flight
($1,800) Calgary-Geneva, transport from Geneva
to Chamonix, some transportation in Chamonix,
alpine huts, some meals, 3 night hostel
accommodation in Chamonix, gondolas fees.
Actual price will vary based on participants’
spendings and personal preferences. Bear in
mind that Chamonix is a beautiful, touristy,
and expensive area to visit, so nothing is
cheap there. Think of Banff prices, but in in
euros. For example your typical beer pint at
the pub will cost you 8-9 euros, i.e. CAD13.
An information session will be held at the
end of January, so if you are interested, sign
up and we will send you more details on the
trip and inform you of the date of the meeting.
If participants plan to stay longer in the
Chamonix area (because there is so much to
do!), personal plans can be made. Lida will be
in the area for a longer period than the 8 days
scheduled.
Participant skill requirements:
• Glacier travel and crevasse rescue
training and experience
• Experience travelling on steep ice/snow
slopes, up to 55 degrees
• Able to follow on WI 3 ice (to cross
bergshrunds and crevasses)
• Good stamina (able to complete 12-hour
days, up to 3-4 days in a row)
• Advanced scrambling skills and some
rock/mixed climbing experience (up to 5.5
climbing using mountaineering boots, with or
without crampons)
Other requirements
• Availability for the full 8 days of
the trip in Chamonix. You need to arrive
in Chamonix by the date and time set in order
to start the high traverse with the group. If
you are delayed for whatever reason, the trip
leaders won’t wait for you. Thus do not make
any other fancy climbing or travelling plans
somewhere else just before this trip. If you
wish to make such plans, please schedule them
after the 8-day Mont Blanc and Best of
Chamonix trip.
|