UKC

Posted a while ago regarding our trip in June/july and got some good advise.
I few more details have now been finalised and looking for more advise. Staying in Saint-Gervais.

Current plan:
day1: Mont Joly 2525m
day2: make way to Conscrits hut
day3: Domes de miage traverse back to hut
day 4: back to Saint-Gervais
day5 : rest/ valley climbing/ other one day outing
day 6/7/8: Mount blanc
day 9: homeward bound.

Doe anyone have any guides to recommend, we spoke to one and hes is booked up but advised that guides would prefer the week with us. We could only afford MB with one day prior i.e. days 5-8.

Any advise on the plan? we are looking at alternatives and i know weather may change everything. Mont tondu looks good also if we can fit in.
Any good guide descriptions/ route maps for Domes de Miage and Mt Joly? my guide book is limited but do have the 1:25k maps

Thanks Colin

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:

I would just contact the Compagnie des Guides in Chamonix. They are quite happy to just take you up the route, unlike a lot of the UK guides. If you let them know your acclimatisation plan, they will advise on that too. I have used them 3 times for pals who I had done the acclimatisation peaks with, and it worked great. And I have not experienced the mardiness a lot of folks talk about.

As for your plan, I have seen worse. On your spare day 5, maybe go up the Aiguille de Midi with your camera , a good book, and some butties, and just while as long as you can up there at 3800m. It all helps, and you can go up and down the stairs to the various platforms to get a bit breathless. You can watch folks coming off the Cosmiques arete, the climb that I credit with inspiring me to get into this game after seeing it as a tourist 20 odd years ago.

Good luck

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:

'easy ascents in the Mont Blanc range' has Miages and other routes.
Ideally add another higher peak, preferably of 4,000m. Top of Midi cable car would help, even better ( assuming safe conditions ) Mont Blanc de Tacul at about 4,200m. It is about a 4/5 hr round trip so quite short. This could be a day 5 alternative.
Another option, which pushes things a little, would be to ignore Joly and go straight to Conscrits at 2703m with an early start to spend as much time at hut resting and exploring next day's route as possible. Then do Miages day 2. Day 4 do Tacul and spend as much time at 4,000m as is comfortable / safe. You could do Tacul on day 4 from valley or, for more acclimatisation, go to Cosmiques hut on day 3 late afternoon and do Tacul on day 4 from there. A night spent high really helps. This still gives you a rest day before Mont Blanc.
Good luck with the weather, conditions, getting fit! Some people get it all right and do Mont Blanc easily after only a few days, others have several attempts before it all comes together. I'm assuming you have the skills and knowledge for moving together on snowy ridges, glaciers, crevasse rescue etc.
Finally, make sure you have alternative plans for if the weather / conditions don't suit. Gran Paradiso often has better weather if MB is out and there are plenty of lower less committing routes / peaks of fantastic quality.

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:


1: Do something on Aiguille du Midi. Eperon Cosmiques maybe.

2. Up to Albert premiere hut

3. Aig de Tour, voie normal or couloir de la table then down

4: Petit Aiguille Verte then walk to the Argentiere hut.

5: Aig d'Argentiere or Tour Noire and down to valley

6. MB hut
7. MB & down

8. Contingency

9. Home

In reply to lowersharpnose:




The Dômes de Miage from the Conscrits is just SO much better than the overcrowded Aiguille du Tour and the Albert Premier.

In reply to jon:

Ok, I was just thinking about cramming more acclimatisation in.

In reply to lowersharpnose:

Going straight to the Aiguille du Midi on day 1 is a big risk unless the OP has good reason to believe from experience that they will not keel over from the altitude and possibly blow the whole plan or worse.

Adapted to 9 days, based on my my standard boring, expensive but efficient plan as a really, really bad acclimatiser (disclaimers apply):

Day 1: Up to grands Montets station early so can bail if headache bad. Doss on paracetamol.
Day 2: Up Petite Aiguille Verte. Down to valley.
Day 3: Up to Aiguille du Midi early so can bail if headache bad. Doss on paracetamol.
Day 4: Something bimbly (Cosmiques?). Doss without paracetamol.
Day 5: Flog up Tacul. Doss, hopefully comfortably.
Day 6: Flog up Tacul again. Down to valley.
Days 7/8: Mont Blanc on paracetamol and possibly diamox.

Could build in a rest day before Mont Blanc either by going up to Midi same day as coming down from Grands Montets or by foregoing the Tacul second time. Other variations possible.

......Domers de Mage sounds much more fun.

In reply to jon:

I agree, it's a classic Valais type airy snow ridge

In reply to lowersharpnose:


Yes, fair comment. There's other stuff available from the Conscrits on the other side of the glacier.

In reply to Robert Durran:

I suggested the Midi on day one as it works for me. I quite enjoy the feeling of being unacclimatised up there - and I really like that first step in crampons being down the narrow ridge. Quite binary.

In reply to lowersharpnose:


It certainly wouldn't work for me and others. The OP should exercise caution.


Yes, I find the nausea, splitting headache, incapacitation and exhaustion afterwards a real pleasure

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:

I am not an experienced alpine climber, but was based in Chamonix last summer for a week. I did Mont Joly and to be honest it is very straightforward and very touristy. Consider doing Mont Buet. It is recommended that it is done over two days but I did it in one, 6 hours up and about 4 back down. It is around 3300m and a cracking day out.

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:
You'll get lots of different opinions on this one, all right to some extent.

mt Joly is a nice easy walk. I'd bin that and get that fitness in the UK. Perhaps do it only if the weather is bad when you arrive.

Go straight up to the conscrits, spend two nights there doing something like Mt Tondu, or the Aig Tre la tete, before doing thr Domes traverse.

You could even traverse the Domes, go across to the Durier hut and do the Bionnasay and back to the valley.

Rest day in the valley, then give Mt Blanc a go.

Avoid anything that involves cable cars going up.

Enjoy- have you booked a place in the Gouter yet.....?

In reply to bedsforsleepypeople:

Thanks folks very helpful.
Think Mt joly might get binned for more fun stuff then
Dome De miage does look good though. And we had a chat today so staying up there to combine with mont Tondu. This should not take any more than the days allowed (days 2-4) just need to add something a bit higher before MB. Bionassay from durier hut may fit. Possibly got use of a car too so can move about. I will investigate mont beut tonight.
Not booked gouter, not sure what route yet, really need to speak to a guide too.
Cheers colin

In reply to jon:

Agreed, it's a great route, good for acclimatising, and I have fantastic memories of going on my own to the top whilst my partner descended.

That said, it's one of the most exposed ridges there is and if requires a great deal of trust, footwork and confidence.

In reply to jon:


But surely going up the Bionassay and then continuing up Mont Blant defeats the whole point of acclimatising on the Bionassay first. A bit like acclimatising for Mont Blanc by going to the Gouter hut and then just continuing up!

In reply to lowersharpnose:

Going straight up the Midi on Day 1 doesn't sound like fun to me. Unless you enjoy feeling like you've been on an all day lash-up the day before.