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/ Is permit required for Mont Blanc?

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L AstroClimb - on 04 Sep 2018

Few minutes ago on a Polish TV news channel there was a segment about Mont Blanc and how many unprepared people try to climb it each year. At the end of the segment the presenter stated that from now on only French guides will be able to guide people up the mountain and that a permit is now required to climb.

I did some research on the Internet, but I couldn't find any info on the permits that are now required, I could only find old forum posts with this question and answers stating that no permit is required, I didn't find any recent posts so I would like to know what the situation with permits is like at the moment. 

Duncan Bourne - on 04 Sep 2018
In reply to AstroClimb:

News to me. Sounds unlikely

May be they are refering to this?

https://www.chamonet.com/events/news/obligatory-permit-to-climb-mont-blanc

Post edited at 16:55
EwanR on 04 Sep 2018
In reply to AstroClimb:

The mayor of St-Gervais wants a permit system for the Gouter route (as he has for a long time) and seems to be getting closer to having it implemented:

https://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2018/09/03/mont-blanc-vers-un-encadrement-du-nombre-d-ascensions-pour-l-annee-prochaine

The idea seems to be to issue 200 permits per day but the technical and legal issues remain less than clear.

The mayor of Chamonix doesn't agree:

https://www.ledauphine.com/haute-savoie/2018/09/04/le-maire-de-chamonix-denonce-le-futur-permis-au-mont-blanc

No one seems to be talking about a more general permit system - it's only the normal route(s) that would be affected.

L AstroClimb - on 06 Sep 2018

This is the most recent article that I have found. 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/04/mont-blanc-impose-climber-quotas-cut-crowds-chaos-atop-western/amp/

"Starting next year, climbers without guides must pick up a “free” permit from the tourism office to prove they have a bona fide place in a refuge on a given day."

It is stated that people without the permit proving a booked place at the hut will be turned away by the authorities... One thing I don't understand is what about people that will not be staying at a hut and will be resting and heading for the summit at a time when the rest will be going to bed

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