UKC

Hi, I'm planning a three peaks challenge in the Alps currently and starting with Mont Blanc. I've summited twice already in the past and don't want to repeat a route. I don't enjoy queuing for routes so I'm looking at the Grand Mulets or the Pope Route from Italy.

Obviously very few people (if anyone) climb the Grand Mulets route outside of the Spring Skiing, but my question is; The difference on foot Vs Ski and Early June Vs Early July - is there really that much inherent danger to be setting off on foot at midnight as opposed to being on skis? I really want to hike this route as it's caught my imagination for a while, is there any advice for de-risking it for an early July ascent? Obviously conditions will play a big part but if the snow / conditions is consolidated enough to move efficiently and quickly through the risky areas is it really that bad?

Also if anyone has recently climbed either route, it would be great to have a chat.

Thanks
Matt

In reply to aki048:

The danger is from seracs so the time of day is not very relevant. Most people take the N ridge of the Dome these days which avoids that particular danger. Of course you still have to get through the Jonction.

jon wrote:

There's other crevassed glaciers to cross, not just the Jonction.
Don't you have to cross the lower Grands Mulets glacier to get from the Jonction to the hut and from the hut to the North ridge of the Dome du Gouter?
And again on glacier from near the top shoulder of the Dome du Gouter to the Col du Dome?

I did it in April in 2010 (starting from the Chamonix town center in the middle of the night, then hiked up to the Tunnel entrance, and bypassed the hut to reach the N ridge of the Dome.
But I was on _skis_ from just above the Tunnel entrance to like halfway up the N ridge, then booted to the top shoulder, then on skis again to the Col du Dome, finished by booting to the summit.

Problem with going solo in boots is that everybody else is on skis, so the skiers might have gotten across some snow bridge safely which someone on boots could punch down though.
I sort of though I came close to "finding" a semi-hidden crevasse near the Col du Dome -- aligned more with the axis of my ski than I would have wished.

Ken

P.S. Long-term weather forecast pseudo-probability distribution for North France Alps in June is skewed way toward hot-hot-hot (and it's hot already in March). Lots of stuff is going to open up this summer that traditionally was well-bridged or covered.

In reply to kenr:

Is the op going solo? I must have missed that bit - i thought he was asking about the differenc between spring and summer, and between being on skis or on foot

In reply to aki048:

Thanks guys useful advice and info there. No, I'll not be solo. Definitely roped up on the Glaciers for crossings. One of the reasons I want to head up with was is for the glacial photos I've seen. I tried to get up to the Junction in early January (as the boarding and snow cover was that bad!) and didn't quite get there.

On that note, I don't hear much about heading to the Grand Mulets from the Junction, everyone seems to do it from the Midi Mid station - is this just for ease on skis generally?

Also, the Grand Mulets would have closed its doors by early July I guess? Does it have an okay bivi room to use?

In reply to aki048:

Doesn't matter where you approach from, you go through the Jonction. As kenr says the section of glacier between there and the hut can be very crevassed - on one occasion I recall descending that way and walking several hundred metres just to advance fifty or so. There were also a couple of ladders spanning big holes that couldn't be bypassed.