Mont Blanc

Date	7th - 8th August
Length	12 km
Highest point	4808m (Mont Blanc)
Starting point	Aiguille du Midi
Finishing point	Mont Blanc Train
Height gain	1700m
Approx. time	approx 14 hrs

Andy with the Aiguille du Midi. Surprisingly it is raining in Chamonix!

We had waited for several days for what was forecast as two days good weather, so that we could tackle Mont Blanc. The forecast was good for the 6th August, however nearer the time it got worse, so we decided to wait. On the 6th August the forecast was again good for the 7th, so we planned to have an early start. Once again however we found that the weather was poor, and the 6:00 a.m. cable car would not have been running. Since it was getting near the end of our holiday we decided to go up to the Aiguille du Midi in the afternoon, and to attempt a bivvy out since the forcast for the 8th was good and we thought it would be worth while risking a cold night out. Once again we planned on a route graded PD. We would follow the route we had taken two days previously to the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul, and from here carry on to Mont Maudit. We planned to bivvy at the Col de la Brevna (just after the summit of Mont Maudit) before starting off early the next morning for Mont Blanc, descending by the Gouter ridge.

It is never the case that you get exactly what you expect, and there are cases where this will be good as well as those where it will be bad. We reached the bottom station of the Aiguille du Midi cable car and ordered our one-way tickets. The lady behind the counter asked us if we were sure, and pointed out that the weather at the top would be very bad. We decided to carry on up, and as we ascended on an unusually quiet cable car we could see the rain falling, turning in to snow as we got higher. As we reached the cable car station (very nearly in it) we broke through the cloud. When we left the cable car station we were above the cloud, and the sun was shining - a lovely surprise. Hence we set off down the now familiar snow slope to the Col du Midi wearing sun glasses and a cautionary waterproof jacket. We stopped with a view of the Aiguille du Midi to take some layers off, hence the photo to the left.

It was clear that the weather had not been good for too long, as people were only just packing up their tents on the Vallee Blanche, and there was a large amount of fresh snow. The views around were spectacular with peaks poking out of the cloud all around. It was approximately 3:30 p.m..We headed towards the snow slope which we had followed up to Mont Blanc du Tacul only a couple of days ago, and this time it was much quieter with quite a bit of fresh snow. Al started off breaking trail through the snow up the slope. We picked a route further to the right than the previous day, taking care and moving as quickly as possible because of the avalanche risk due to the fresh snow.

Mont Maudit at sun set taken from our snow hole on the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul

After a while a couple of Chamonix guides passed us. It transpired that they were going up to break trail for some clients whom they were taking up the next day. I took the lead for a while, and we followed the tracks left by the guides until they returned, enquiring how far we planned to go that evening. We suggested Mont Maudit, however by the time we reached the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul it was nearing 6:30 p.m. and we decided to bivvy there for the night. It was noticable how much harder the walk was for two reasons. Firstly we had travelled lightly the time before, and this time we had full bivvy equipment, and secondly the fresh snow meant breaking trail was necessary for a significant time.

Al took the spade and dug us a snow cave. We had views across to Mont Maudit as the sun set, and also to the Aigulle du Midi behind us. It was certainally worth the effort to get up there despite the weather in Chamonix! We planned to start off at approximately 4:00 a.m. when there would be some other groups breaking trail for us, and so went to sleep for the night. It did not go down too well when I managed to cave in a reasonable portion of the snow hole's roof on top of Al whilst trying to get in! Once again Al slept very well, however I was feeling the altitude slightly and did not sleep too well, although a couple of Anadin soon helped with the headache!

Mont Blanc at sunrise from the Col de la Brenva

Al woke up at around 3:30 a.m. and we got out of the snow hole to be greeted by a star lit sky. It looked like it was going to be another good day, and that we were in luck. The first of the groups which had left the Cosmiques hut at around midnight were just reaching the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul, and we started off towards Col Maudit following some of these. I had made the mistake of not sleeping with the platypus full of water, and so the tube had frozen up. Al on the other hand had put some energy drink powder in his a few days ago and by now it tasted absolutely rancid - what a pair! The walk to the col was straight forward, being well lit with head torches ahead.

Andy on Mont Blanc Summit

From the col we followed the other groups up a slope which led to the Col du Mont Maudit. There was a long queue before a cornice and we waited patiently in line. After a while we got to the front and climbed up just as the sun was beginning to rise. It took some time for our toes to warm up again after standing around. There was some easy ground to cover now, and as we looked back we could see a long line of head-torch lights stretching back to Mont Blanc du Tacul. The last bit of ground up to the shoulder of Mont Maudit was steep and I was starting to find it quite hard work after very little sleep. There were good views behind us, where the outline of the Matterhorn was distinct.

From the Col we made our way South down an easy slope to reach the Col de la Brenva. From here we could see the final slopes, and the summit of Mont Blanc 500m above us, with the sun just hitting it. By this stage of the holiday we knew this would mean hard work as the snow would be getting softer from now on in. I stopped to attempt to get water out of my frozen platypus by hitting the top with my ice axe. Not the best idea, as I missed and gave it a small puncture. Following a little re-arrangement it was possible to drink out of this new slit without loosing all the water!

We made our way up the final snow slopes slowly. I was now finding it incredibly hard goind with the increased altitude. We passed one group who also seemed to be noticing the extra effort required. As we climbed we could see across to our planned descent route (thr Gouter Ridge). This the `tourist route` of Mont Blanc, and we could see lines of people on it. We pressed on up steadily, stopping occasionally for water and sweets, and eventually were on the final slope to the summit.

We reached the summit at around 10:00 a.m. On the top we paused for the customary photographs, and to look around us. We were able to see back across to Mont Maudit where we had come from, with the Matterhorn behind it in the distance. We then headed off down the Gouter ridge fairly promptly since the guide book had warned about rock falls on our descent route later in the day. As we descended we saw large numbers of groups on the way up the snowy ridge, and decided we had chosen a more enjoyable route, particulary with the pools of vomit at the side of the main track. We descended the ridge to the bivouac hut, and from here we passed to the right of the Dome du Gouter. We stopped to look back across to the Aiguille du Midi and the route we had started the day before.

Al on Mont Blanc Summit

From the Dome de Gouter we headed North-West down some steepish snow slopes to the Col just below the Aiguille du Gouter. Although there is only a small section of up-hill to the Aiguille du Gouter it can seem like quite hard work! From here it is only a few minutes walk to the Gouter hut where most of the people we had seen ascending the ridge earlier in the day had started out from. We reached here at just after midday.

A panorama to the Aiguille du Midi from the Gouter Ridge. Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit can be seen

The guide book had warned of rock falls on the descent from the hut in the afternoon, and so we were enthusiastic to make our way down as soon as possible. The weather was still good, however we could see cloud starting to make its way in for the rain which the weather forecast had pronmised us for later in the day. The route from the hut heads down steeply and consists of fixed ropes and so we descided to un-rope ourselves since we believed this would speed us up, and we thought it was safer on that ground since we would not be using belays. The rope could have meant that if Al fell I would surely have followed. We thought back to a book by Tom Patey which I had just finished where he described the perception of a solo climber as a man falling on his own, and a roped party as two climbers falling together. It seemed quite apt!

The large number of roped parties ahead of us made the going slow, and by the time we reached the bottom it was nearing 3:00 p.m. The weather was starting to close in for the day, and we found ourselves in cloud as we stepped on to the Glacier de Tete Rousse. We confirmed our direction with the compass and another group before heading off across the glacier. At the other side we stopped to remove our crampons.

An Ibex near the Mont Blanc tramway

The rest of the day was overcast, although we did drop out of the cloud and had some good views of the Glacier de Bionnassay. We also saw some Ibex as we descended. Anyone who thinks it is just a short walk from the Gouter Hut to the tramway is mistaken and it took us until 5:30 p.m to reach the tramway. There were large queues when we reached the train station so we stopped for Coke whilst we waited. The French travel system again worked well. You are given a ticket with a time on it, similar to the cable car and wait for that. We got our train followed by a cable car to Les Houches. The organisation is so good that the cable cars are timed to connect with the trains. Finally there was a bus back to Chamonix.

We arrived back in Chamonix at around 8:30 p.m. both tired, however having had an excellent couple of days out. We celebrated with a fondu at a local restaurant, however the eating of that would be another story only to be told by Al to certain friends! The weather for the next two days was poor, however that didn't matter much. I was quite happy to rest having achieved what I had wanted, and Al was also pleased with his first ascent of Mont Blanc.

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