UKC

This posting probably isn't going to tell you much more than is contained in Francois Damilano's "Five routes to the summit of Mont Blanc". The purpose is really to give a very contemporary endorsement of how fabulous a way up Mont Blanc is the route via the Dômes de Miage and Aiguille de Bionassay.

I've been up Mont Blanc a couple of times in the past by different routes (up the Grands Mulets, down Le Corridor, up the Brenva spur, down the 3 Monts to the Midi) and I think this is by far the best way I've done it so far.

It is long (taking you virtually across the IGN map in 3 days, if you continue to the Midi), incredibly scenic, continually technically interesting and blessfully quiet. Another virtue is that it takes you to the top from the valley floor without mechanical uplift.

The basic itinerary from Chamonix is,

Day 1 - Get train to Le Fayet (St Gervais). Catch waiting bus from train station to Les Contamines. Walk from Le Cugnan at S end of Les Contamines through woods to Tre-le-Tête hotel and then continue up glacier and then ladders to Conscrits hut. (c. 5hrs walk)

Day 2 - Climb Aiguille de Berangere and then traverse all 5 Dômes de Miage. Descend to the Durier hut (c. 7-8 hrs). This is a brilliant remote hut - wild location, only 12 places, friendly guardien.

Day 3 - The big day! Climb the Aiguille de Bionassay by snowy shoulders and final rock step. Traverse snowy knife-edge ridge to Piton des Italians and continue on to normal Gouter Route, round the Dôme du Gouter. From there up the Bosses ridge. By the time you get here, the hordes that overnighted in the Gouter hut are already descending. This means by the time you get to the top from the junction with the Gouter route (about 2 hrs), you'll have the summit all to yourself. (About 8 hrs to the summit from the hut according to the staff in the OHM. Guidebook times vary a lot for this bit. Some say as much as 12 hours. We did it in 7 3/4 hrs, despite a significant fall of grauppel the previous evening.)

The natural descent is to continue the traverse and head for the Midi station. (Cosmiques hut, if you're slower or have energy for something the following day). This takes about 4 hours if you're tired. We spent an extra hour taking in the Mt Maudit summit. Although this takes you down past the Maudit and Tacul seracs at a hot time of day, the overall risk is probably lower that an ascent this way because you descend past them quickly. From Durier hut to Midi station took us 13 hours, starting out at 3.50am.

We did this circuit on Sunday to Tuesday this week, so despite the continuing heat I'd expect conditions to still be very good. The Damilano Snow, Ice and Mixed Vol. 2 gives the overall undertaking the Alpine grade of 'D', but no section is that hard (i.e. no more than AD). Used the rope twice - a 20m abseil down the Miage ridge to get to the Durier hut, and 80m of scrambling/easy climbing on the rock step of the Bionassay. But really the rating is for the length and exhilarating exposure.

Hope this is useful. There's a few pics of it all in my gallery that should convey the impression.

Tony

In reply to TonyM:
Got this one on my wishlist for next year - need to get a bit fitter first though

In reply to TonyM: Great post, well done fella. Hope loads more go up there now.

In reply to TonyM: agreed, nice post. thanks. Most impressive thing (aside from your photos generally - there are some great shots there) is the speed of your recovery from that ankle injury in March to do this within 4 months. Good effort.

In reply to TonyM:

Sounds like a good route, I may try it later this year when I'm in Cham. Thanks for posting.

In reply to TonyM:

Just checked your gallery - you've done well, to do that route after breaking your ankle 4 months ago!

In reply to TonyM:

How was the ice on the glacier de berangere, last time I was there it was almost all gone, a fragile surface with an unerving cracking sound as you walk across....

This is the best long, easy route across MB bar none! I have ascended via the Tre la tete route many times and the contamines area is one of the best in the region. Truely french and unspoilt.

Well done on not taking the norm. Frontier ridge next?

In reply to posters:

Yes, the ascent was just over four months from breaking my ankle, and less that two months from when I was able to walk. Although I've still got a limp, two things made it possible. 1) Ski poles to cushion the descents and help make my foot placements solid and secure, and 2) large amounts of Ibuprofen. And if I'm really confessing, also a tiny rucksack, so that one of my mates always carried the rope!

Needless to say, this was an Alps trip with minimal prior training - over the previous four months I'd managed to ride to and from work one day and a five mile walk along the top of Stanage. Not very textbook, although a couple of training routes out from the Couvercle Hut got things moving again and provided acclimatisation.

The Berangere glacier is pretty small at the moment. It had a little snow on it, so the crampons bit reassuringly. But it wasn't steep or crevassed on the LH-side so passed in a matter of minutes.

Ahh, the Frontier Ridge to Maudit! Yes, we considered doing the route this visit, but the staff in the OHM advised against it. They said that it was really a route for times when there was a proper overnight freeze, since this provided protection from stonefall in the upper sections of the climb. From the OHM cahier des courses, it's clear that lots of people have made ascents very recently, but I'm increasingly out of the game of courting bad luck...

In reply to TonyM:

I did most of it in 96. I say most of it as we set of after 5 days of snow and although in the shade the snow was quite firm, the crust was breaking as soon as the sun hit it. Result: 13h from Conscrit to Durier then 13 h from Durier to the Dome du Goute, including 2 1/2h of slabby avalanchy snow on the E ridge of Bionassay wondering whether it would be preferable to fall into France or Italy. This section in good condition takes 20-30 min.
How stupid that was, but you're right, a superb route.

A.-

In reply to TonyM: Hi Tony. Great post and pictures. Been wanting to tell the world about this route myself. Must admit now you were right about not missing out on Maudit.

In reply to TonyM:

"La Voie-Royale"

Thanks for your interesting report and excellent
photos.

"Been there,done that" ! Hard to believe it was seven years ago - 1999.