Climb Mont Blanc (4,808m) - Summit Expedition
Climb Mont Blanc (4,808m), the highest mountain in the Alps, as well as Gran Paradiso (4,061m). This is an extreme week of mountaineering that requires a high level of fitness and reliance on good conditions.
Itinerary
Travel to Chamonix and meet the rest of the group at the Vert Lodge Hotel. You will likely be in a group of 4 in two twin rooms. Enjoy dinner and get to know each other.
Note: We will ensure you are all in contact before the trip and provide you with all the detailed information you need.
You'll meet your guide after breakfast in Chamonix. We have several options for our first day depending on conditions and it is important to realise that with any high mountain itinerary, we have to be flexible. Normally, after a kit check, we may start the traverse into the Chadbod hut to get a start on an ascent of Gran Paradiso. Either way, you will spend quality time with your guide, learning what it takes to climb the highest mountain in Western Europe.
You'll be up early today, and after a hearty breakfast, you'll head out onto the glacier to climb your first 4000m peak. Today you'll be looking at rope skills, as you cross the glacier and have a final rocky summit scramble. In the afternoon you'll return to Chabod Refugio - a mountain hut famous for its stunning views and huge bowls of pasta. You sleep here at altitude to aid your acclimatisation.
Having already climbed a peak and benefited from sleeping at altitude today is more of a gentle day as you return to Chamonix for some rest and recuperation. You'll be back at the Vert Lodge that night.
You'll start the day by taking the Bellevue cable car followed by the Tramway du Mont Blanc train to Refuge du Nid d’Aigle which sits at 2372m. From here, you'll hike to the Tete Rousse hut (3,167m) where you'll spend the evening and prepare for the summit the following day.
A 2 AM start to ascend to the Mont Blanc summit! It can take between 8 - 12 hours depending on the conditions, and your fitness levels. The aim is to arrive on the top of Western Europe's highest mountain by lunchtime. You'll descend back down to Gouter Refuge (3,813m). You'll spend the night here, to allow you to cross the Grand Couloir early the following day.
This is a big day that demands fitness, acclimatisation, and a good weather window. You must trust your guides to make the correct decisions for you.
You'll continue your descent to the Refuge du Nid d'Aigle (2,372m), where you can enjoy a coffee before taking the tramway du Mont Blanc down to Les Houches. From here, you'll return to Chamonix where your trip comes to an end with some celebratory beers.
You can choose to spend longer in Chamonix looking up at the peak you've sumitted or return home on a flight that evening.
Book Now
Popular: 3/4 dates are fully bookedAll trips are guaranteed to runTue 22 Jul 8:00PM Mon 28 Jul 3:00PM | €2,759 | Fully booked |
Tue 29 Jul 8:00PM Mon 4 Aug 3:00PM | €2,759 | Fully booked |
Fri 29 Aug 8:00PM Thu 4 Sep 3:00PM | €2,759 | Fully booked |
What's Included
Included
- UIAGM guides for the expedition.
- Guest to guide ratio of 4:1 (Gran Paradiso) & 2:1 (Mont Blanc).
- Attempt to climb Gran Paradiso (4,056m).
- Accommodation: 2 x hotel nights in Chamonix, 4 x mountain hut nights.
- Attempt to climb Mont Blanc (4,808m).
- Dinner & breakfast on the mountain.
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Not Included
- Flights & travel to Chamonix.
- Travel insurance (mandatory).
- Cable cars & train tickets.
- Visa (if applicable).
- Tips & gratuities.
- Lunches, snacks & drinks.
Have a question?
If you have any questions about this trip or want to speak with an expert, get in touch.
We're ready to help.
Rated 5.0
1 verified review
Steven
(Jul 2024)
FAQs
Before you go
You'll also need a good level of fitness, as Mont Blanc has some long days of hiking and mountaineering. If you are fit and determined, though and used to walking/ scrambling, then you can be successful on this trip.
You must also be prepared for the guide to turn you around if you do not have the relevant fitness or the conditions do not allow.
- Mountaineering boots (WARM B2 rated minimum, but we recommend B3, which you can rent in Chamonix centre, Snell Sports). If you buy boots for this trip please contact your guide to discuss.
- Backpack 40L or similar - with a good waist belt
- Harness (available to rent)
- Slings or daisy-chain (available to rent)
- Screw carabiner (available to rent)
- Ice-axe (available to rent)
- Semi-automatic crampons (available to rent)
- Helmet (available to rent)
- Trekking poles (available to rent and optional)
- Sleeping bag liner (available to buy)
- Water bottle (2L minimum)
Clothing:
- Wool cap/beanie or fleece-lined hat
- Buff
- 4 x hiking socks (minimum)
- Sun hat
- 2 x mid-layers
- Gaiters
- Waterproof shell jacket
- Light backup gloves
- Heavily insulated gloves
- Windproof jacket
- Mountaineering/glacier sunglasses AND Ski Goggles
- Softshell trousers
- Down jacket (optional)
- Waterproof overtrousers
- Thermal leggings or tights
- 4 x breathable t-shirts
Other:
- Snacks
- Energy tablets
- Sunscreen (at least SPF 30) and UV protection lip balm
- Personal first aid kit
- Headlamp (with new batteries plus spares as backup)
- Toiletries (toothbrush and toothpaste, paper tissues, wet wipes)
- Camera
PLEASE PACK ALL THE ITEMS ON THIS LIST. You have the ability to leave things at the hotel that you do not need on the mountain.
Drinks, lunches and snacks are NOT covered by your fee.
You also need approximately 100 EUR to cover any uplifts that are used. You will pay for these as and when you buy the tickets.
- Ice Axe - 20 EUR
- Crampons - 25 EUR
- Harness - 10 EUR
- Helmet - 10 EUR
- Screw Gate Karabiner and Sling - 10 EUR
- Walking poles - 10 EUR
- Sheet Sleeping bag - 25 Euros to keep.
We don't rent boots. Before a trip like this, you must purchase and wear in your boots, WARM B2 minimum, B3 preferable. You can rent from Chamonix, Snell Sports, if you have to, but take time to choose them.
You will need to pay cash for your rental items on the first morning to the guide.
- Ropework for Glacial travel
- Hut etiquette
- Avalanche awareness
- Emergency techniques
- Flora and Fauna of the Alps
- Geology
- Alpine Customs and Culture
- How to make the most of a trip in the high mountains.
For this trip, you need insurance that covers you all the way to the summit.
We suggest specialist adventure travel insurers, Rise & Shield. They cover 100s of activities and are easy to deal with if you need to make a claim.
They also cover unique scenarios, like trekking at altitude or emergency evacuation in hard-to-reach places, that ordinary travel insurance doesn’t cover.
Please record the details on the dashboard.
Dinner on days 1 and 3 are not included so you have freedom of choice to fuel up.
Please do not book flights for this trip until we have confirmed the exact dates, normally around mid-December.
On your trip
You can leave items in our hotel base in Chamonix.
Day 1: Vert Lodge, Chamonix - twin room
Day 2: Chabod Rifugio
Day 3: Chabod Rifugio
Day 4: Vert Lodge, Chamonix - twin room
Day 5: Tete Rousse Refuge
Day 6: Gouter Refuge
Day 7: Go home or book your own extension
The huts are not basic though by any means. They have restaurants and bars, world-class food and the best locations for any mountaineer. Iconic is the only word best to describe them. The rooms are shared and in real estate agent speak "compact". You are on the side of a mountain though!
www.mountaindropoffs.com offer a discount to Skyhook customers with discount code AlpAdCH
The weather at 4800m is very different to Chamonix too.
Your guides may, at their discretion, change the itinerary for safety reasons (e.g. with adverse weather). This can include changing the order of the days, summitting by a different route, or hiking on a different mountain entirely.
End: Your trip will end on day 7 in Chamonix. Expect to arrive around 2:00 to 3:00 PM.
Other FAQs
Take the pressure off yourself by arriving in Chamonix early on day 1. You can then have the first night to relax and enjoy the town.
You have time to get an evening flight after the course if you are in a rush or return to your hotel if you are not. You will need to book that hotel night yourself.
Get fit - climbing Mont Blanc is the equivalent of a marathon. With less Oxygen available, too. The fitter you are, the more you will enjoy it and the more chance of success.
You can then leave anything you don't need in that Chamonix hotel.
Boots are rated and the rating you need is B2 or B3. But they must be warm. B3 is by far the best idea.
If you are buying boots expect to pay at least £350plus for suitable boots.
Alternatively, you can rent boots for the week in Chamonix from Snell Sports. This costs about 75 Euros for the week.
We would recommend buying boots and wearing them in.
All other equipment you can rent from AlpsAdventures, your guide.
If you are buying boots then feel free to contact us for advice but it is an investment so probably mainly if you plan to do more of this sort of thing and telling the shop that they are for climbing Mont Blanc. Remember you have discount codes available from your dashboard.
If, after this call, you decide that this trip is not for you and you need to cancel, your deposit will be returned as Skyhook deposit credits.
However, if you decide to move forward with the trip and need to cancel at a later stage before the 2-month deadline for full payment, your deposit will serve as a cancellation fee. This applies to any cancellations by you (the guest) for any reason including but not limited to; medical issues, lack of fitness, work scheduling or other personal reasons. To avoid disappointment, please be sure to take out personal travel insurance to cover these types of unfortunate circumstances.
Note that full payment is due no later than two months before the trip. At this point, Skyhook's standard booking terms apply. Failure to pay before this deadline results in an automatic cancellation. If you cancel after this deadline, no refund (deposit or balance) will be possible.
We do apologise for this inconvenience however, late cancellations leave very little time to fill the remaining spaces and cover the high base costs of this small-group expedition.
Please read all the trip information very carefully and send us a message if you have concerns. We want to be sure that this expedition is the right fit for you!
European/EU/EEA should not.
Non-EU countries need an ETIA.
This needs to be sorted out online well before you travel and has a small fee. (7 Euros)
Please make sure you get this from the official website as there are scam websites charging more.
Your head guides are Ben and Tom
All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip you'll be led by Ben, Tom and the guiding team based in Switzerland.
By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!
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