UKC

Me and my wife are on a guided trip to the summit of Mont Blanc (Gouter route ) in August this year. We're both climbers of many years but this is our first Mountaineering experience! The thing is Nic my wife isn't yet 100% committed as she thinks she has to be super fit and after doing some research on the mountain she also thinks it will be a disaster! I know there is an eliment of danger anywhere particularly in the mountains and she is also fitter and stronger than she thinks! but can I ask how safe or unsafe is Mont Blanc..

Thanks. .

In reply to gazfellows:

I was caught in a rock avalanche in the Grand Couloir, fell a long way and got choppered off. But that was ages ago and I think the GC is supposed to be a lot safer nowadays.

Nothing is foolproof - Mont Blanc is a big old dangerous mountain at the end of the day but I wouldn't have missed summiting it for the world.

In reply to gazfellows:

I crossed the Grand Couloir in the summer of 2014 when there was a lot of snow and it was very safe and stable. never seen or heard any rockfall what so ever

I hear last year it was very dry and there was a lot of rockfall (it may have even been 'closed' by the guides)

Since your going guided I would imagine the guide will bring you over at a time and only when it is relatively safe.

other than that it's pretty safe as far alpine routes go and the real challenge is the fact its a long way in both height and distance. You don't need to be superfit to do it,and even less so if you stay in the Gouter hut but it will help a lot and make it a lot more enjoyable! any acclimatization will help to no end also.

The route gets a lot of bad press for being overly busy and a snow plod but to tell the truth I quite enjoyed it, although I did move overnight so had most of it to myself.

In reply to gazfellows:

I don't know how to answer that and not sound irresponsible by talking down the danger. There is no doubt that the Grand Couloir is dangerous and there have been many deaths there. I disagree with the previous poster. I have done the route several times in the past 50 years and I have witnessed an increase in the frequency of stone fall but I do not have real evidence to support this and it does of course depend on prevailing conditions. If it is particularly dangerous I do not think a responsible guide would take you. It is only a short section, less than 100 metres if I recall, and can and should be crossed quickly.

Al

In reply to gazfellows:

I solo'd the Gouter Route at the end of June 2015. Followed 15ft behind a pair crossing the Grand Couloir to have a book sized rock phizz between us.. a timely reminder of my mortality (and lack of tie on!). There wasn't much snow last year and the route/hut was closed due to a lot of rock fall in the couloir for a good few weeks around July/August if I remember correctly.

I hadn't done any acclimatisation, and apart from feeling a little drunk (despite never touching a drop!) on arrival at the Gouter hut I faired well after food and a sleep. I wasn't as fit as I am now, but had a moderate base level. I'm sure she will be fine if you're regularly active!

In reply to gazfellows:

As you say, all mountains / climbs have an element of risk. The ascent of Mont Blanc via the Gouter has particular risks. However, with your own experience and of course that of your guide, you will identify the risks, evaluate them and have actions to minimise those risks.
Firstly, I presume you will be doing warm up / acclimatisation routes first. Leaving acclimatisation aside, if you can do two or more full days ( 5-7 hrs of uphill plus descents ) of UK hillwalking / scrambling in a row you are likely to be able to cope with the physical demands. Get out walking uphill and scrambling ( linking climbing routes ) as much as you can before you go. Then you weill be confident you can cope with the physical demands.
Once in the Alps I presume you will be doing skills development and acclimatisation routes beforehand. These will give you a first hand experience of the mountaineering risks involved and what can de done to minimise them. You will also know whether you are ready for the route ( or if the route is ready for you ). You will know if you are acclimatised sufficiently and have the skills required.
The Gouter route has some specific risks such as, but not limited to, the following:

Risk of stonefall in the Grand Couloir area...
This risk can be reduced by crossing it very early in the morning ( nobody on the route above and ground likely to be frozen )
Only doing the route when the forecast is for low overnight temperatures at the Grand Couloir level ( rocks more secure )
Moving quickly across this short section
Pausing to monitor and evaluate conditions and risk before you cross (you can always turn back)
Helmet
Risk of bad weather...
Only go when you feel confident to move quickly
Careful monitoring of forecast and conditions
Prepared to turn back when appropriate
Appropriate clothing and emergency equipment / procedures
Alternative routes / shelter (3 huts/shelters on route)
Risk of crevasse...
Moving roped together appropriately
Crevasse avoidance
Knowledge and skills for crevasse self rescue
(Actually there are very few crevasses on this route compared to other routes to the summit)

To conclude; Your guide is being paid to make all these decisions on your behalf ( in discussion with you if you wish ) and you can always turn back and try again another time. So my suggestion would be to get as prepared as you can, aim to enjoy the steps towards getting to the summit. By the time you are ready to start the route you and your guide will know you are ready and you can enjoy the challenge, the views, the achievement and the beers!

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Hi,

Can you comment on the crevasse risk when soloing this route? After seeing it done solo when I was up there I've been interested in the level of risk, but I've never found a definative answer. Cheers.

In reply to Mike Hewitt:

There isn't a definitive answer! It's a glacier and there will be crevasses under the snow. No one can say where or how solid the covering is so if you want to solo it you have judge for yourself. In the scheme of things it is a fairly smooth glacier, there will be track used by hundreds with no problems. But occasionally...

In reply to MG:

Yeah I get what you're saying.

I saw a guy up there walking alone, it was a whiteout, there was no track and we passed several cravesses that were big enough to swallow a man, but this Frenchman didn't seem the slightest bit concerned, not even following our tracks, it did make me think about trying it solo.

/derail

In reply to Mike Hewitt:


You don't think just maybe you're attributing him with something he clearly hasn't got?

In reply to GridNorth:

There is this little puzzle of how you know in advance if your guide is "responsible".

A puzzle which is complicated by the fact that in recent years a significant percentage of the deaths in the overall Mont Blanc massif have been of certified mountain guides.

How much does it help after your partner dies from a fist-size rock, to get home and be able to explain, "It was our guide's fault."

Ken

In reply to gazfellows:

Hey there Gaz, all the very best for your attempt!! Welcome to the world of big busy mountains and objective dangers. Mont blanc is a great trip, and you and your wife will enjoy it after the event. While doing it, it will be hard and memorable, because no matter how fit you are, it is unlikely you will be fully acclimatised. However, if you are fitter you will enjoy it more so you and your wife get as fit as you can without injuring yourself. It will be a struggle going up and one foot in front of the other counting steps is how I remember it. If the weather is bad you won't make it. Going down is a dawdle, although the spot where I took photos of my partner under the giant seracs fell over a couple of years later and killed about 10 people. Your Guide will calculate the risks for you and you will be fine. Being on the summit is a real achievement no matter how many people will be up there with you.

Tom, summit in 1997 after failure in 1996....too windy and cold (-20C at the grand couloir and fellow member in party too stupid to wear his crampons properly meant too many delays and getting too cold, my mate got frostbite in this foot).

In reply to the abmmc:

Thanks for your reply! It really has helped. And has all of them.

In reply to gazfellows:
I went with a guide in 06. Maybe I was just young and naive but it really didn't feel very dangerous. GC was a bit dicey but that was it. Rest was a tiring doddle.

In reply to gazfellows:
In my opinion the ascent of the Gouter doesn't demand great athletic fitness but it would make it a bit less traumatic for her if she has the ability to plod along very slowly all day; to avoid wasting time faffing about with kit; and to be able to put up with some discomfort (interrupted sleep, cold, heat, exposure, people pushing past) .

There is a post on here entitled "Foolish or not?" where someone is considering soloing the Gouter route on his first trip to the Alps and asks for the UKC opinion! You might glean some insight about the safety of Mont Blanc: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=635542&v=1#x8251782

In reply to gazfellows:

5 months is plenty of time to build up some cardio. If you're both committed to training I can't see why fitness would be a concern.

In reply to gazfellows: I soloed it in 2002, a bit naive but reasonably fit. The biggest mistake I made was to arrive at the Gouter hut at midday and spend the rest of the day hanging around the hut and feeling worse and worse. I was aiming to get a bed but ended up on the floor with a lot of other climbers. They let anyone who turned up stay in those days, think it might be different now. There is little point in arriving too early at the hut.

In reply to gazfellows:

I think a lot of people here are giving you the worst possible scenario. If the weather is good it's certainly hard work, plod, plod, plod on the way up. The Grand Couloir is about 75 yards wide if your unlucky when you get there you could have the stone fall problem mentioned elsewhere. It's a fantastic experience on the summit then its an easy walk back to the Gouter. The worst part is the descent from there to Tete Rouse. One interesting thing though, as you loose altitude you start to feel stronger even though you've been on the go since about 0300 and had a pretty poor sleep the night before. Your guide will certainly look after you and I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Good luck.