Mont Blanc (The Most Incredible Experience of my Life)
- IndurTeam
- Sep 18, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
The idea
Mont Blanc - the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe - gives its name to the Mont Blanc massif, which crosses over three different countries (France, Italy and Switzerland). Its summit lies on the line between France and Italy, and its ownership has long been disputed between the two.
We planned the trip, trekked the trail and climbed the giant, and now I am here to tell the tale. If this can serve as inspiration to even one of you out there, I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something of real value with this blog (but please, please make sure you have the right mental and physical training under your belt – this is no jog in the park).
The questions
How do I best tackle this task? How much food do I need? Will my training carry me all the way up? What do I do if I have an emergency? How do I find the best guide?
So. Many. Questions.
We had the same doubts and many, many more, so here is my lowdown on this INCREDIBLE experience! Fresh from memory: glorious happiness, sharp fear and all emotions in between.
The beginnings
We packed our bags (a few words of advice: don’t put your sunglasses under your bag whilst waiting for the train or leave your favourite snack in the car at the bottom), but definitely pack some layers – however the Goûter Refuge is warm), boarded our flight in Manchester and landed at Geneva Airport, ready to go!
To be honest, it wasn’t all plain sailing, and our pre-booked hotel in Chamonix turned out not to be that booked after all – no confirmation document we provided could convince the over-zealous hotel attendant that we had in fact reserved our rooms…But hey, one door closes…
We swiftly secured rooms at a different hotel, Lykke Hotel & Spa Chamonix, which actually, turned out to be pretty perfect, offering incredible views of Mont Blanc alongside a great spa to get our bodies ready for the brutal 3 days ahead.
Teething issues all solved, we settled in for the night and woke up the next morning – Day 1 – rearing to go. We made our way to meet our Italian guide, Paolo. A real professional - knowledgeable, experienced and sensitive to our needs – Paolo knew pretty much everything there is to know about this monumental challenge, including his ability to recognise when we were ready for a bit of conversation and when we instead really needed to concentrate. His presence and experience no doubt supported us while he led us to complete both a safe ascent and, just as important, a smooth descent.
If you are planning to go, I recommend checking out Peaks Hunter: they were our chosen go-to when we climbed the Gran Paradiso too and we really swear by them – your guide is key to the success of your adventure, both in terms of safety and mental support.
Up we went
With Paolo’s firm but encouraging guidance, we marched on – amidst the most beautiful locals…whole families of majestic Ibex (my recent tattoo is here to prove how much I loved meeting them) - and made our way towards the Tête Rousse Hut, a well-known location in the area and often the chosen first step on the way to the summit. Standing tall at over 3,000m at the foot of the Grand Couloir and next to the Tête Rousse Glacier, this hut is considered a safer starting point to avoid the frequent rockfall in the Grand Couloir, which tends to happen more as the day progresses. The hut is too high for running water but, fortunately, they do cater for their guests – although dinner consisted of lasagne with an as yet undisclosed meat content…Not that we were not grateful for the meal!
Our careful planning included a 5am start the next morning, but plans sometimes need quick adjustments, especially when thunder and lightning rattle the whole mountain and cause a rather large rockfall to land right in the middle of your chosen route.
A later start is riskier, but we had no choice, and we pushed on at 8am on Day 2, just before the sun hit the Grand Couloir, a gully which has to be traversed on foot to reach the scramble that, from the hut, leads to the next checkpoint, the Goûter Refuge.
We began our approach only for Paolo to disclose ours were by far the worst conditions he had ever experienced during the climb (what doesn’t kill you…). The moment I turned my head, I found myself staring at a waterfall which had appeared in the middle of the most dangerous part of the crossing. Still, on we went.
And we made it – I must confess I had moments where I had to trust our guide completely. We lost most of the current visibility and conditions worsened further. The cold hit us hard. At this point, all we could manage was slow progress, one hand placement at a time. To add a little ‘excitement’, five minutes after we had made it across the Grand Couloir a huge rock fell on the path – I’m not exaggerating, this rock was the size of a fairly big child. What we needed now was caution and full respect for the mountains – no bravado my friends, that is a lesson I intend to carry with me to my next adventure and beyond.
Just to put this into context, this area is a well-known accident black spot in dry conditions, with little or no snow to be reckoned with rockfall can pose a really serious danger to climbers here, and, for this reason, the passage is sometimes referred to as the "couloir de la mort", the "gully of death". Some of the most sensationalistic reports even compare the crossing to playing ‘Russian Roulette’. New regulations have been introduced over time, and the number of daily climbers is now limited. And with good reason!
After between 3 and 4 hours of seriously challenging climbing, we finally caught sight of the Goûter Hut; we had originally chosen to break for just 30 minutes and then push to the summit, but it wasn’t to be. The winds had picked up considerably by now and our guide told us in no half-terms this could end really badly, so we listened and prepared to spend the night. Alarms were set…for 2am…The really early start would allow us to hit the summit and come back down in one go, on Day 3.
I was given a ‘window’ bed and I didn’t sleep much…but just look at the view!
After 2 hours of – erm – solid sleep and fuelled by a single slice of bread, we were off and we did push on, amidst some of the hardest, most constant inclines I have ever experienced – but the most incredible sunrise above a cloud inversion made up for the extra effort…and some!
I can say that this is categorically, single-handedly the BEST, most exhilarating experience of my life. Nothing comes even close. When we reached the top and stood tall, over 4,800 metres above sea level, I felt proud, maybe a bit emotional, and certainly happy I had invested so much time and pure grit in my training. I could not have done this without solid preparation, and the thought of not having been able to enjoy this almost otherworldly experience makes the effort more than worth it.
The summit
We had around 10 minutes to take it all in; on a clear day, you can see all the principal summits of the Alps – including Gran Paradiso - and, in the distance, the Jura, the Vosges, the Black Forest, and the Massif Central mountain ranges.
I have never felt so many feelings all at the same time – relief, pure joy, slight concern for the upcoming descent, hope for the future, an incredible sense of freedom, and so much more – and I can’t recommend this enough, with the right preparation.
And then, just like that, it was time to go.
The descent
The descent started cautiously but it was very very hard, truly brutal – we had to keep to a tight timescale to cross back the Grand Coulier before the sun hit it.
We marched on and tried our best to take in the sights and concentrate at the same time. We were lucky enough not to suffer altitude sickness, but this is an aspect I’d encourage you to research before you begin your adventure. You really can’t be too prepared. You will need to be fit to climb and descend Mont Blanc, and you’ll need not only a good level of fitness, an expert guide, and a good attitude, but also a good level of awareness of what fatigue feels like and adequate technical preparation. Do your research beforehand! You won’t regret it.
To conclude
Before the climb, I felt confident – I spent a lot of time preparing and training for this – but also ‘aware’. Aware of my environment, and respectful of nature and the mountain itself. The climb was hard, I won’t lie, but it was truly exhilarating. I said it here and I’ll repeat it: by far the most incredible experience of my life.
You’ll study, you’ll train, you’ll read, but nothing can prepare you for the immense sense of achievement you’ll experience at the summit. The beauty of this environment only accentuates the focus and determination you’ll feel taking hold as you climb and the sheer joy (and, at times, pretty realistic fear) which takes hold throughout, all the way to the last step when you are making your way down.
All in all, it was worth it on every level and incredible beyond my wildest expectations. A truly unique experience!
Do you have any questions for us? Ask away. And do let us know if you have, instead, already experienced the climb. We’d love to compare notes.
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