Mont Blanc, with its 4809 meters, is the ultimate goal for almost any mountaineer worldwide. The Gran Paradiso is the highest mountain which is completely Italian and a perfect acclimatization summit.
The activity includes:
- Snow and ice gear intro
- How to deal with ropes, harnesses, crampons and ice axes
- The right technique to walk in snow and ice
- Self-arrest techniques
- Basic experience in climbing short sections of moderately - steep ice
- Glacier travel
- A long acclimatization
Timetable:
Day 1: Meeting at 17:00 in Chamonix/Argentiere- the exact hotel’s address will be sent to you before the activity – for a briefing and a gear check.
Day 2: Today we will travel to Valsavarenche in the Italian Aosta valley, after the obligatory Italian coffee, we will walk together to the Chabod hut (2,750 m.). After checking in and resting, we will learn how to put on our harnesses and crampons and will do a short round on the rocks around the hut with our mountaineering boots, gaining confidence. (1000 meters elevation gain to the hut, about 3-4 hours walking)
Day 3: After Breakfast we will practice walking on snow and ice and the correct usage of ice exe and crampons. Before descending back to the hut we will learn how to arrest a fall on a snowy slope- It is an essential day that serves our acclimatization efforts (450 meters elevation gain, about 3-4 hours walk)
Day 4: An early start and off we go to climb our first alpine summit- The Gran Paradisso. After the climb we will spend our third night in the hut- to maximize our acclimatization! (1100 m elevation ascent and descent, about 10 hours walking round trip)
Day 5: Descent down to the valley and drive back to Chamonix
Day 6: After resting well in the valley, we will head up to our Montblanc mountain hut- the Cosmique or the Tete Rousse huts are both good candidates for our Montblanc ascent. The destination will be decided about a week before our activity depending on the conditions on the mountain. (1100 meters elevation gain, about 4 hours walking to Tete Rousse hut)
Day 7: Montblanc ascent and an overnight in the Gouter (depending on the hut between 1400 meters climbing to 1100 meters, the summit day is usually calculated as a 10-12 hours day)
Day 8: Today’s plan is to get back down to the valley where our activity will be concluded! Estimated time to reach the valley- 12:00-14:00
The mentioned timetable is exemplary and may vary due to conditions, the ability of the participants, safety & weather limitations.
Video: Mountains Alpine School- Mont Blanc+ program