UKC

Hi All,

I have searched the UKC forums and have obtained a lot of great information. I am looking to ascend Mont Blanc this summer (2018) solo. I have had experience at altitude and winter conditions in the UK and South America (but not extensive).

There is a lot of varied information on lot of posts and some are quite historic, so I thought it best to get the most up to date information. My queries/questions are;

1 - Has anyone climbed Mont Blanc via the 'Normal' Goutier route? Any specific advice on this route would be appreciated. I have read/reviewed a substantial amount of information, but personal accounts are always best.

2 - It looks as though the huts open for bookings in April, the system seems pretty 'clunky'. What are peoples experiences with being able to book their dates mainly at the Goutier hut, but if not, the Tete Rousse? 

3 - Can you still camp/bivvy on the Tete Rousse glacier if all else fails with booking a hut?

4 - How busy is the route? As much as I would look to ascend solo, having other mountaineers within sight has always been of benefit!

Many thanks in advance

No, but I have come down it twice.  The Grand Couloir is dangerous, very dangerous in hot weather.   You are only exposed for a few seconds but...   The rib above it is also somewhat exposed to rockfall, particularly from parties above.  Above and below that, things are relatively objectively safe for such a big peak.  For soloing it is probably the safest option.

Yes

You will have several hundred in sight in anything like decent weather!

1. A few years ago. The route is pretty easy to follow but as above don't hang about on the grand couloir I think it's two a year die on that short stretch of the route. No specific danger to a soloist.

2. It is a little slow but it's a big old hut so you can normally get space. That said I was coming down and found half a dozen people setting up to sleep in the boot room!

3. Lots of that going on .

4. Very busy in anything vaguely like decent conditions. On my first time going up there were about 50 or so people heading up with me.

Safe travels, 

S

For which they are charged about 90Euro, I believe!!

1. Yes I did it a few years back. Stayed in the Tete Rousse set of early (3am). This made the Coloiur crossing as safe as possible. 

2. We booked online I think, but a phone call to the hut will also secure a booking. You should be fine to get a space at either hut if you book early.

3. I'm not sure it is officially allowed. That said every time i've been there I have seen tents. You should be fine, I wouldn't try it outside the Gouter though.

4. The route will have plenty of other people on it, and is straightforward so route finding is not an issue.

I am back there this summer with plans to do the Trois Monts.

Feel free to DM if you need any more info

Ben 

Many thanks everyone! This has been extremely useful. Really looking forward to getting booked into the Goutier (if possible) and heading for the summit. I'd prefer to camp as it would be a great experience, but might save that for next time...

Will have a look further and pop you a DM if needed Ben. Good luck with the Trois Monts, it looks like a great route.

Thanks again,

Ryan

I soloed it in 1981, so hut arrangements will be different.

Grand Couloir very dangerous, but waited until no one was in it and ran across. Didn’t want to waste time negotiating ditherers, or messing trying to attach to the fixed rope.

Slept under a dining table. Waited for expected exodus at 2am, but nothing happened. I planned to leave just after first starters, but by 6am, still nothing stirring, so I set off alone. Wore all my clothes including big duvet, only torch, water and a Mars bar in my sack, so travelling light.

All staightforward, a couple of crevasses approaching the Dome, had snow bridges made scary by being alone. After Solvay was very cold due to wind on exposed ridge, was overtaken on final slopes by one party, summited at 9am, back in the valley by 3pm.

Like all alpine routes the conditions vary hugely from year to year and, of course, depending on the time you go. 

    The route to the Tete Rousse is a walk. The Grand Couloir may be very snowy ( especially in June / July ) or in a dry year a mixture of snow and loose rocks ( especially in August / early September ). The scramble up to the Gouter hut may be a dry rocky scramble, more snowy and mixed requiring crampons much of the way or even very icy. So, always check for the most up to date information at the Office De Haute Montagnes which is in Chamonix town centre by the church in the square. You can also check conditions on line with the OHM website in the weeks before you go.

    The scramble has some fixed wires in places - in my opinion unnecessary and tends to create choke points if very busy. In addition to what others have said I would add the following. Wear helmets from the Tete Rousse to the Gouter. I suggest crossing the couloir solo / unroped for speed and simplicity. When descending the route stop somewhere before / above the Grand Couloir that is safe. Get your breath, have a quick snack, watch the couloir for a few minutes so you can time your crossing when the least number of people are above or below you. When the couloir has been more prone to rock fall or the route extra busy I tend to go to the summit from the Tete Rousse Hut, and so crossing the couloir in the early hours when stonefall is reduced assuming an overnight freeze. On the descent sometimes it pays to wait a while until the crowds have gone and the temperature has dropped some. Other alternative if conditions are poor - do a different route. It will be there next time.

When was that moved then?

Sorry getting my emergency refuges mixed up.

Of course, I meant the Vallot.

I have just recalled that when I soloed it, I was descending with an Italian guy who was also solo, and he showed me a way of missing the ridge and couloir. At some point below the Gouter, we traversed left (looking out) and found a couloir, and glissaded right down, then traversed back onto the Tete Rousse glacier. I mention it not as advice or recommendation, (it was 37 years ago) but wondered if anyone else has done this?

1. Yes, solo too.. on my first ever trip to the Alps. I had only a few grade I's under my belt and a few high peaks, such as Toubkal in late winter/early spring. The grand couloir was a little nervous, with a book sized rock phizzing past me.. but keep your head and keep moving! Hearing the news in the hut of three roped climbers dying the same day was sobering.

2. I just booked the date when I saw it, and made all my other plans around that.. but it was just two weeks prior. 

3. I believe so! 

4. It's a (very slow) motorway, the trail of head torches up the hill was interesting to see. You can't get lost.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you right there!

It's Gouter (2 syllables) not Goutier (3 syllables).

Don't beat yourself up too much though, many Brits (including some mountain guides) who have been living in Chamonix for decades stick in the extra syllable!!

I think it's because of a world famous fashion designer.

For the record, Goûter means "tea and cakes". Seen from Chamonix, the sun passes over the Dôme du Goûter (nearby summit) at 4pm ie. time for tea and cakes.

Enjoy the climb and don't forget that being unroped on a glacier is not without danger, especially if there's not a bomb-proof track in place.

Can't believe nobody's pointed out that it's a diphthong rather than an extra syllable. Where have all the pedants gone!

How is Vallot pronounced?

obviously rhymes with shallot

Usually pronounced shithole, Martin

I'd have gone with 'vall-oh', but my forays into France usually confirm that my grasp of French pronunciation is tenuous at best for someone who claims to be able to speak the language.

Combined with the Geordie accent the potential for misunderstanding is hilarious.

was going to say its pronounced 'toilet'. certainly smells like one

think there is a designated bivy spot near the hut, high altitude camping is banned in most places in the alps, that said there were a number of tents there when I passed a few years ago... I bivied on the balcony of the old gouter hut when I did it, stunning spot and one of the best sunsets I have ever experienced.

its a motorway, think the tourist track up ben nevis/Snowdon on an august bank holliday.

general comment, it is definitely a mountain and a route best enjoyed solo. there are some monster crevasses above the gouter hut but the path is usually so well trodden that they are easily avoided. just don't be the first person after snowfall!

As teh_mark says, Vall oh.

If a French word ends in a consonant it isn't pronounced (with a few exceptions as ever)

e.g. vert (green) is pronounced a bit like vair, the 't' isn't pronounced

but in the feminine form verte, the 't' is pronounced because the consonant doesn't end the word, hence the Aiguille Verte is pronounced a bit like Aygwee Vairt.

Hope that helps

... and similarly it's Gootay, not Gooteeyah or - even worse - Gooteeyair!

Next you'll be telling us it's not Paradisio...

It was the ll bit I wasn't sure of.  What's the rule there?  In Guillaume, for example, it is more yuh than le.

This might help

https://www.thoughtco.com/french-pronunciation-of-the-double-l-1369571

And another one that annoys me.  Font ends in blow not blur

To the OP.
As others have said, although not technically difficult it is a high mountain and there are big crevasses.   Also, if soloing be particularly careful in bad weather or poor visibility.  Navigating across the Dome de Gouter last summer in near white out was not straightforward.  We were on our way down, tired and couldn't easily see tracks.  
btw not completely sure but I think the tents near Tete Rousse hut are booked through the hut rather than being standard bivi tents. 

I wouldn't dare! My Italian is a mix of English and French liberally scattered with diphthongs and hand gestures to liven it all up a bit. Seems to work most of the time!

I climbed the Gouter last summer with my daughter.  Expect both huts to be fully booked during July and August from months out.  Unless you know long in advance the exact date that you will be climbing and are happy to gamble on the weather or you take up the services of a guide, it is very difficult to get a bed during the height of the summer.  I understand that there are lots of late cancellations and so I added my details online to be notified of any late vacancies up to the day before but never heard anything from either hut.  We therefore camped on the moraine behind the Tete Rousse hut.  This is permitted (no booking or payment involved, just walk up from Belvedere and set up) and there are many rock "enclosures" in which to pitch (80-100 tents max but when we were there in August I would say c40).  Camping is not permitted around the Gouter hut but we did see a couple of tents nearby on our ascent.

Hi All,

Thanks very much for the invaluable advice. It’s very helpful and will hopefully help a successful summit attempt.

On acclimatisation - I’m considering two options;

1 - Trek a 3,000er locally for a day and return to Chamonix for a day then the 2 day ascent, staying at either Tete Rousse or Gouter.

2 - Make the Mont Blanc trek more gradual and have night 1 Tete Rousse, night 2 Gouter and summit the day after. Gives a gradual altitude gain each day with lighter work. This will also give me flexibility of summit day depending on weather.

Altitude has never affected me, but have had some acclimatisation prior.

If option 1 seems the best, any recommendations on any treks/peaks locally? 

Cheers

Aiguille du Belvédère at 2965m or Mont Buet at 3096m. However, the crux for you is going to be getting hut bookings. 

3000er Domes des Miage followed by Tete Rousse followed by Gouter would be my ideal, would need to be lucky booking the huts though