UKC

Morning UKCers

Going to Chamonix next week with a group of mates, a couple of them have said that they'd like to get onto a glacier, so my question for you this fine morning is... Where shall I take them?

So, some background:
1) They are both climbers but have never been on snow and ice before;
2) They are happy to engage in Via Ferrata if needed;
3) I have been on Mer de Glace, Glacier du Miage and Argentier Glacier;
4) I'm comfortable with their and my ability on a glacier, especially ones as relatively benign as MdG and Miage;
5) I'm happy to do a basic winter skills session with them... walking in crampons, crevasse rescue etc etc etc;
6) Most of the phriques and gondolas are closed so we're pretty much going ground-up, unless we go up Aiguille du Midi;

My thoughts:
Mer de Glace would be a good bet as it's accessible by train to Montenvers. Also great for crevasse rescue and walking up 'towards' Valley Blanche.
Miage Glacier is ok as it starts from Lac Combal, however lots of morain to cross first. The positive on here is the option of some climbing in easy gulleys on the Western flanks.
Argentier is a mare due to getting up there, unless we start at the bottom end... I'm not sure where the snout is these days.
Glacier de la Brenva would be another option, but I've not been on it before.

So, could I pick your collective brains for ideas based on the above?

Many thanks, Tony

In reply to Tony the Blade:
I'd say Montenvers is your best bet. The Midi would be OK if the ropes were still on the arete, but without them it'd be a serious proposition for you with a bunch of people who've never been on snow before. On the other hand you could go through to Italy and go up to Hebronner and walk about to your heart's content with fabulous views - have to check if the lift is working, though.

I'd say the Brenva would be death on a stick.

In reply to jon:

Thanks for that Jon, I'll check Hebronner gondola, failing that I think you're right about MdG. Never knew that about Brenva, thank you.

Cheers buddy, Tony

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Never knew that about Brenva, thank you.

The lower Brenva is all right, although not snow covered. The local Carabinieri take their dogs there for exercise. It's a bit tricky to get to though - via the Chalets de la Brenva, if you have a map of the area.

In reply to MG:

Hmmm food for thought.

Having not really thought about the Helbronner cable car, I am now thinking that if it's running (struggling to find opening dates/times/prices) I may be tempted to step onto the Glacier du Geant and have a play. Or maybe back to plan A and stick to MdG.

Thanks for posting, MG

In reply to Tony the Blade:

Looking at the timetable (bottom right), it should be open:

http://www.montebianco.com/orari-e-tariffe-inverno.html

In reply to lowersharpnose:

Note the new cable car is being built and there are still (or were in March) cranes, JCBs etc. at the top station, which might detract a bit from the beautiful wilderness...

In reply to lowersharpnose:

Brilliant, thanks LSN

And thanks again to MG

In reply to Tony the Blade:

be aware that helbronner if operating will be uber expensive... from memory a few years back a return was about 40 quid.

In reply to d508934:

Ha! That's not expensive. The Kleine Matterhorn from Zermatt... now that's expensive - 100CHF = nearly £70.

In reply to d508934:

Bloody hell! That's decided that then... the tunnel and gondola cost make it a no-brainer.

Right... have the ladders and via ferrata changed much in the past 8 years? (since I last went onto the MdG)

In reply to Tony the Blade:




The glacier has dropped a lot over the past 10 years but they keep adding ladders. Also you'll have to hike further to get descent crevasses!

In reply to Ron Walker:

Loads of interesting stuff here but unfortunately it stops in 2003

http://www.phzh.ch/dotnetscripts/MAPortrait_Data/131444/8/Nussbaumer_et_al_...

In reply to Ron Walker:

I quite like a hike

Thank you, ron