Climbing Mont Blanc
in 5 days ascent with acclimatisation

The ascent

Mont Blanc ascent in 5 days

This mountaineering course was created to give our clients the best possible chance of climbing Mont Blanc, by creating a programme that guarantees optimum acclimatisation, while discovering the stunning mountains of the Aosta Valley and in particular the Monte Rosa massif, renowned for its grandeur and beauty!

This mountaineering course, tested and approved by our customers, is very popular because it allows you to perfect basic mountaineering techniques, progress on glaciers and improve your mountaineering skills by climbing four 4000m summits in a single week: the Pyramide Vincent 4215 m, the Punta Gnifetti 4554 m, the Dôme du Goûter 4304 m and the Mont Blanc 4810 m.

Our programme will start with the climb to the Pyramide Vincent, 4215 metres high, to test your skills in a mixed terrain environment. We'll then continue with the ascent of Punta Gnifetti (or Signalkuppe) to extend our stay at high altitude. Here we'll have the chance to climb to the famous Capanna Margherita hut, at an altitude of 4,554 metres. Finally, thanks to these two days of training and acclimatisation at altitude, we'll be ready for the ascent of Mont Blanc, which towers at 4,810 metres above the Aosta Valley and the Chamonix Valley. 

Mont Blanc is a difficult summit, it is important to prepare and acclimatise well to achieve its ascent with this course you put the chances on your side to live a superb adventure.

To complete this information you can look at this link to the website of the Office de Haute Montagne de Chamonix which allows you to understand that the ascent of Mont Blanc is a mountaineer story.

Program

Mont Blanc Climbing Course Programm

The program of the mountaineering course is indicative, in case of bad weather or depending on the availability of the huts at the time of booking, it may be liable to variations.

IMPORTANT

Keep a 7th day free at the end of the programme, to have flexibility in case of bad weather.

DAY 1
Gressoney - Ascent of Punta Giordani 4046m - Refuge Città di Mantova 3498m

Vertical drop + 770 / - 550m

Meeting with the guide in the morning directly at Staffal, the last hamlet at the foot of Monte Rosa, opposite the start of the Punta Indren cable car, at 7:30 am.

After a quick check of your equipment, you'll catch the first lift, to climb to an altitude of 3,275 metres. Once up there, you'll begin your ascent of the Glacier de Indren, which will take you to the summit of the Pyramide Vincent via the south-west ridge. The ascent of the Pyramide Vincent, one of the many 4000m summits on Mont Rose, starts on a mixed terrain route and then continues on a snow ridge, which can be more or less sharp depending on the conditions. This route is ideal for getting a better idea of the ascent of the Aiguille du Goûter on Mont Blanc and for testing your ability to use crampons on mixed terrain.
Once you reach the summit, you'll be rewarded with a magnificent view of the 4000s of Mont Rose as they sweep around you.
Depending on the fitness and ability of the group, the guide will choose the descent route back to the Citta di Mantova hut: either along the same path as the ascent, or along a rocky ridge that leads directly to the hut.
Dinner and overnight stay at the Città di Mantova refuge.

DAY 2
Refuge Città di Mantova 3498m - Climbing Punta Gnifetti 4554m - Punta Indren 3275m - Gressoney

Vertical drop + 1050m / - 1280m

Departure early in the morning, at sunrise.
At the beginning you will walk along the Lys glacier, which will take you to the Col du Lys at 4248 metres. You will take a short break to admire the magnificent summits of the Pointe Zumstein (4561 m), the Pointe Dufour (4633 m - the highest summit of Mont Rose) and the vertiginous north face of the Lyskamm: you are at the heart of a majestic glacial atmosphere!
You will reach the summit of Pointe Gnifetti in 4/5 hours of walking.
At the summit, standing at 4554 metres above sea level, you will be welcomed inside Europe's highest hut, the Margherita hut.
After recovering your energy and admiring the panorama of the most beautiful peaks of the Monte Rosa, you will descend on the same path of the ascent to reach the refuge.
A nice spaghetti bowl will be waiting for you (not included in the price) !
After resting for a while, a little more effort is required to descend to the Punta Indren and join the cable car that will take you back to Staffal.

Night in accommodation of your choice.

DAY 3
REST DAY

You have a free day, an opportunity to rest before the climb and recover your energy.
Night in the accommodation of your choice.

DAY 4
Walk to the Tête Rousse refuge

Vertical drop: +700 m

Meeting with the mountain guide at 11:00 am in Les Houches (Chamonix Valley), at the departure of the Bellevue cable car. You will then take  the Mont Blanc Tramway which brings you to the Nid d'Aigle at 2300m. Then a 3-4 hour hike to the Tête Rousse glacier awaits us.

Dinner and overnight stay at the Tête Rousse hut (3167m).

DAY 5 - ASCENT OF MONT BLANC
Tête Rousse hut 3167 mt - Aiguille du Gouter - Dôme du Gouter - Mont Blanc 4810 mt - Gouter hut 3800 mt

Vertical drop: + 1700 m / - 1000 m

The longest day of about 10 hours. Departure at 5am via the Tête Rousse glacier to reach the famous Gouter couloir.

The climb passes through rocky sections to reach the Aiguille du Gouter and the Cabane du Gouter, where we can take a short break.

We then climb the Dôme de Gouter and continue to the Vallot hut. Then we start the famous Arête des Bosses, which can be more or less technical depending on the conditions.

The second slope is technically easier, but the effects of the altitude and fatigue will start to show.  With motivation we will continue the ascent before climbing the final ridge that leads to the summit of Mont Blanc.

At the summit we will have time to contemplate the view of the Western Alps, take photos, catch our breath and congratulate each other!
Then it's time for the descent, after this long climb we make a short descent and sleep at the Refuge du Gouter. We enjoy the exceptional view for our last night in altitude, the highest at over 3800 metres.

Please note that the Gouter and Tete Rousse huts are interchangeable, depending on when we can get reservations.

Dinner and overnight at the Gouter hut (3800m).

DAY 6 - Descent
Refuge du Gouter - Descent of the Aiguille du Gouter - Refuge de Tête Rousse - Nid d'Aigle - Saint Gervais

Vertical drop: - 1500 m

The night allows the Gouter couloir to refreeze, we will descend with the first light of day on the north face, quickly reaching the Tête Rousse refuge before the rock falls start again. We will then go back down by the path we took 48 hours before to reach Les Houches and then Chamonix to enjoy a well deserved beer in the mountaineering capital and a spectacular view on the Mont Blanc summit!

IMPORTANT: The programme described above is given as an example.
Esprit des Guides SA or the Muntain Guide may modify the programme if they deem it necessary due to the weather, the mountain conditions or if the participants do not have the physical or technical level required to complete the ascent.
With the exception of the periods during which the ascent of the normal route of the Goûter is exceptionally suspended, no modification of the programme can be the object of a refund, in order to ensure the safety of all participants.

Materiel

Necessary equipment for the Ascent of Mont Blanc:

Mont Blanc is a small expedition, it is a difficult summit that should not be underestimated, the ascent is only possible in good weather with little wind, at almost 5000 meters of altitude the weather can change extremely quickly despite a good weather forecast. You must therefore have all the equipment on the list!

Personal technical equipment:

• mountaineering boots in Goretex and of very good quality, cramponables
• crampons and ice ax
• harness
• 40 liter backpack
• trekking poles
• mountaineering helmet

How to dress for climbing Mont Blanc:

First layer on the skin - underwear:

• thermal and breathable T-shirt (merino recommended)
• thermal and breathable tights (merino recommended)
• warm socks

Second layer:

• warm and breathable technical fleece;
• windproof and waterproof mountaineering pants

Third layer:

• fine but warm down jacket

Last layer:

• quality or similar Goretex jacket, waterproof and windproof

Do not forget:

• sleeping sheet for the hut
• warm winter hat
• neck warmer
• two pairs of warm winter gloves or mittens
• headlamp
• water bottle and thermos
• solar cream (+50)
• sunglasses and ski mask in stormy weather
• camera
• your cell phone
• your first aid kit with paracetamol and your personal medicines

If you have any doubts or simply need clarification on what gear to take for your climb, you can take a look at our Blog page "What gear for mountaineering?"

Level

Difficulty of the 5 days Mont Blanc climbing course:

Level required :

Programme designed for mountaineers of intermediate level: over the week, you will tackle increasingly difficult routes, which will train you and allow you to acclimatise in preparation for the final ascent of Mont Blanc.

This is a long, purely glacial route that requires a good level of training, technique and concentration. Some short sections are steep (55°), sometimes icy, and require a good command of ice axes and crampons.

You need to be acclimatised to the altitude to maximise your chances of reaching the summit and to avoid mountain sickness: you need to have already climbed summits at 3500 metres or to have slept at altitude one or two weeks before Mont Blanc.

You will be climbing a high mountain route, so you need to be aware of the dangers associated with this activity and this race (crevasses, falling seracs, falling rocks, avalanches, very low temperatures).

In order to guarantee the safety of the group, if your technical level and/or your physical condition do not correspond to those required for the ascent, the guide and the organization reserve the right to interrupt your ascent. This interruption will not give rise to any reimbursement or payment of compensation.

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
 

TRAINING: HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE ASCENT OF MONT BLANC?

• Do regular physical exercise and endurance training throughout the year;
• Specific training: train in the mountains, on runs with progressive gradients (500 m; 1000 m; 1500 m), a few months before your departure date; you should be able to cope with a positive and negative gradient of 1500 m, without getting too tired.
• Remember that the weight of your rucksack and the altitude have an effect on your usual fitness: don't overestimate your abilities and train to optimise your chances of success and get the most out of your ascent of Mont Blanc and your ascents of over 4,000 metres!

Useful infos

Useful information to plan your mountaineering course week

IMPORTANT : Metereological and mountain conditions

Attention! The success rate for climbing Mont Blanc with a guide is about 70%. Most failures are due to the weather. It often happens that, above 4000 m, wind or bad weather make the ascent impossible or too dangerous. We try to anticipate these factors as much as possible and make the best decisions in order to maximize the chances of achieving the summit.

In any case, the priority will always be safety. The mountain guide will evaluate the feasibility of the ascent and will make the decision to continue or not the ascent.

Based on the weather forecast, we confirm the possibility of attempting the climb three days before departure. However, it can happen that the weather is different from the one forecasted (frequent case in Chamonix). In this case, on the morning of the departure, the guide can still decide to change the program or to cancel the ascent.

If the group does not reach the summit for different reasons (bad weather, bad mountain conditions, fatigue or illness of one of the participants...), no refund or compensation is foreseen. Please check our Terms and Conditions.

If the mountain or weather conditions do not allow the climb to take place as planned, if possible an alternative programme will be proposed and the price will be adjusted accordingly.

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

Guiding

4 people per guide for the Grand Paradis and Mont Rose ascents, two persons per guide for the Mont Blanc ascent.

If the group does not reach the summit for any reason (bad weather, bad mountain conditions, fatigue or illness of one of the participants...), no refund or compensation is provided. Check our Terms and Conditions.

Organisation

The week before your departure, you will receive a reminder by email with all the information concerning the meeting and the guide in charge of your group.

Esprit Montagne Voyages takes care of the hut reservation, you do not need to think about it.

Meeting on the first day

Meeting with the mountain guide in Staffal (Gressoney) at the departure of the Gabiet cable car at 7:30 a.m. 

Meeting on day 4 for the Mont Blanc ascent

Meeting with the guide at Les Houches, Chamonix Valley, in front of the Bellevue cablecar.

Departure on the last day

The group will split in Les Houches, Chamonix Valley.

Programme and acclimatisation

This programme has been designed to ensure optimum acclimatisation, alternating between stages at altitude and evenings in the valley, so that you can rest properly in the hotel and recover your energy before heading back up into the mountains for the next race.
 

Transfers & travel

All participants in the course are expected to be independent with their own transport to reach the meeting point on the first day and to move from one valley to the other during the week.

It is also possible to arrange common transport with the guide, please mention it when booking so that we can organise this at best.

Accommodation

Nights in mountain hut included in the price: DAY 1, DAY 4 and DAY 5.

The nights of the rest day are not included in the price, to give you the freedom to choose the accommodation you prefer and the place in the region where you wish to stay. 

Tips:

On DAY 2 you descend from Monte Rosa into the Gressoney valley and the next day you go to Chamonix.

Recommended accommodation:

• Duca di Aosta ou Omama Hotel - Aosta
• B&B Grand Paradiso - Jovençan
• Hotel La Pointe Isabelle - Chamonix
• La Chaumière Mountain Lodge - Chamonix

Tips for hiring mountaineering boots and material:

When it comes to mountaineering boots, these are the types of boots you should have: Scarpa Triolet GTX
You can rent them at Le Pilier du Sport in Morgex (AO), Gal Sport in Aosta or Ravanel or Snell in Chamonix.

Budget and currency

Italy is in the Eurozone, so the currency is the Euro (€).
The shelter has a credit card terminal, however, we strongly advise you to bring cash!

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.