Mont Blanc Expedition

Distance: 70 km (bus ride)

Duration: 1.5-2 hours

There are few things better than starting a climbing trip in the beautiful surroundings of Switzerland. One of the many towns settled along the banks of Lake Geneva, Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland. A global city and a financial hub, it is home to the headquarters of the United Nations. Geneva is not short on things to see and do. Plus, to look at climbing gear in these lands, the place from where most of what we use for our climbs comes from, invokes nothing less than a childlike sense of awe.

After landing in Geneva, we take an early evening bus to Saint Gervais Les Bains – a small village with the traditional charm much sought after in the Alps. The theme of this entire expedition is absolutely-gorgeous-jaw-somewhere-on-the-floor- kind of beauty and that starts today – on Day 1. The 70 km bus ride between Geneva to Saint Gervais takes us through the most scenic route with the full feel of passing through the kind of beauty that defines Switzerland crossing the border over to France – the hour and a half on this bus ride goes by in a wink!

Saint Gervais les Bains to Nid d’Aigle:        
Distance: 12kms                                           
Duration: 1-1.5 hour (Tram Ride)   

Nid d’Aigle to Tête Rousse Refuge:
Distance: 2.5 kms (trek)
Duration: 3-4 hours             

The summit of Mont Blanc, from the Goûter Route, takes us through three huts on the mountain. Camping on Mont Blanc is forbidden – one has to pre-book accommodation in the huts months in advance due to their limited capacity. The first of the three huts is Nid d’Aigle at an altitude of 2,362M. To get here is only a matter of one tramway ride through high mountains, deep valleys, and a 50-degree slope on which the tram puffs tirelessly up from Saint Gervais all the way to 100M below the hut. Once off the tram, a muddy trail takes us straight from the tiny tram station to the spaceship-like hut that is Nid d’Aigle. A famous spot in the winter for skiers of all levels, this hut is a popular destination all year round for all kinds of people – families out for a one-day adventure, trail runners who want to run up to the next hut, people there only for a meal with a view - the hut is a constant bustle between the first tram to when it is time for the last tram to take people down to their respective towns.

The tram ride as well as the hut itself give us the most magnanimous view of Mont Blanc which stands high dressed in an all-white robe in a valley still bursting with warm colors. Nid d’Aigle has a capacity of 16 beds, a functioning kitchen that serves you 3-course meals if you opt for food during your stay there, running water, an assortment of desserts, and beer! The luxury of the huts on this route is unmatched!

Although we have gained a fair bit of altitude already, we do not stay a night here. We continue on to the next hut which is Tête Rousse at 3,167M after a short break at Nid d’Aigle. Acclimatization should not be a problem since we haven’t done anything physically strenuous. The hike up to Hut 2 is also fairly comfortable and can be covered at our own pace since we have a lot of time on our hands. The only thing to remember is that we need to get to the hut before 5 PM to keep our reservation at the hut valid.

We cover the 700M elevation gain from Nid d’Aigle to Tête Rousse in close to 2.5kms. Because we are carrying our backpacks with all the personal equipment, clothing, and personal ration, we should be able to cover this distance in not more than 4 hours. The trail itself is muddy, marked, broad, and extremely comfortable slithering up gradually at first on a straight path. The last 200M gets steeper as we now zig-zag up a rocky pinnacle standing vertically above the gorge with a straight view down to the entire valley with all its villages, rivers, and greens.

After a 3-hour trek, we reach the Tête Rousse check post. Right after the check post, a short traverse on a glaciated plateau brings us straight to Refuge du Tête Rousse. We are now in boulder territory – all rocks and moraine with not a single strand of green to be seen.

Tête Rousse has a capacity of 72 people in the indoor dormitories and a few tents outside which can house some more people. There is no running water at this hut because the cold clogs up pipelines. Mont Blanc looks even more imposing from this height – we can even spot the third hut i.e. Refuge the Goûter as a tiny speck on the top of a vertical face of mud and boulders which is our trail for tomorrow.

We can also see the Grand Couloir from here, one washed-out section that runs horizontally on this otherwise vertical route. But we still have a day to worry about these sections. For now, enjoying the hut with all its luxuries and the glorious sunset from this altitude is the top priority. The days in these regions are really long and hence sundown is very late - sometimes as late as 08:30-09:00 PM.

Distance: 1.1 km

Duration: 3-4 hours

Today we cross the Grand Couloir, also called the Death Couloir for it single-handedly being responsible for the highest number of fatalities on the mountain. Its funnel-like structure makes this entire gully prone to continuous rock fall with rocks crossing the horizontal traverse path at high speed making the smallest rock a massive risk for climbers crossing this section of the climb. The frequency of rock fall is lesser when the temperature is colder. It’s, hence, safer to cross during the first few hours after sunlight with the risk substantially increasing after 10 AM.

After breakfast, which is at 0730 AM, we pack up our bags and make a move towards Goûter Hut by 0830AM. In case you need to leave any personal belongings behind at Tête Rousse, you can store them in the equipment room in a box and collect them on your way back.

 We make it to the Grand Couloir within 45 minutes of starting our day. The initial patch till the couloir is rocky but a gradual climb over the moraine. There is one spot before the couloir and one in the middle of the crossing to take shelter from rock fall in case you experience a shower during your traverse. Listen to any sound of rocks coming down, and start towards the other side carefully. There is a gap after each shower which may be the best time to cross over. This path is narrow and stands over loose rocks, it is important to take extreme caution so as to not slip off or injure yourself.

Once on the other side of the couloir, it is now a completely vertical climb over huge boulders. There are orange blobs painted on the rocks to mark out the route. The 85-degree climb from here demands scrambling. Three-point contact climbing is mandatory. A single misstep would result in a straight drop down onto the glacier on which rests Refuge du Tête Rousse.

The entire 600M climb from here on is a vertical climb over these boulders until we reach an abandoned hut. From the hut, we might need to change into our snow boots and crampons to traverse a glaciated path that leads you straight into Goûter Hut. It is a horizontal path with a drop on each side. A rope is already fixed on this section all the way to the hut for assisted traverse. We should reach our destination for the day in time for lunch. Sunsets from this hut are not to be missed!

The evening and the dining hall are filled with stories of attempts from the previous day! There is an updated weather report and weather forecast put up on the notice board in the dining area of the hut. The weather forecast is updated each day and is extremely accurate. It should be referred to in order to take a fair decision on your summit push and to be aware of what to expect during the climb.

Distance: 6.5 km

Duration: 8-10 hours

Today is going to be a long day. Everyone making their summit attempt from Goûter today huddles up in the dining hall for a 2 AM breakfast. We gear up and leave by 3 somewhere in the middle of a streak of headlights heading up the mountain in the dark. We rope up from the very beginning. A small 20M climb right outside the hut gets us on the ridge we used to get to the hut the previous day. We turn to the right to walk on the same ridge that continues on for a short distance until we make a left to enter a crevasse-ridden snowfield. It is a comfortably steep climb all the way to Dome du Goûter at 4,300M post which the trail goes down for a bit till we get to Col Du Dome at 4,250M. From the Col, the trail slopes quickly up to Vallot Hut (4,362M); it is a steep climb.

Vallot Hut is an abandoned shed with no amenities. It can be used to take shelter for rest or to take sanctuary in bad weather conditions like snow storms and whiteouts. From Vallot Hut we hit two humps – first the Grand Bosse and then the Petite Bosse to head towards the Tournette Ridge which stretches out to the summit of the highest peak of the Alps. The last two hours of the climb are on slender knife ridges with a straight drop on both sides. Heavy winds make the climb on these sections even more precarious. Another challenge to consider on the ridge is the complexity and coordination of movement between climbers going up and climbers coming down since it is a single path with zero space on either side to give way.

It should take us 6-7 hours to get to the top. With the thick blanket of clouds rolling out under you and over all the other peaks in the vicinity, it is quite an exhilarating feeling to stand on the top of this mountain. The mountain really makes it worth your while!

Coming down on these slender ridges is equally challenging. The crevasse field becomes a little easier to traverse, though, in daylight.

Refuge du Goûter to Nid d’Aigle:
Distance: 4 kms
Duration: 5-6 hours

Nid d’Aigle to Saint Gervais les Bains:
Distance: 12 kms
Duration: 1-1.5 hours

We follow the same path to come down from Goûter all the way to Nid d’Aigle. We can make a quick stop at Tête Rousse in case you had left behind your belongings here on our way up. Coming down the vertical boulder section demands extreme caution. Remember, that we need to cross the Grand Couloir again today and it is best crossed in the early hours of the day, so leave from Goûter accordingly to reduce risk. After the initial boulder sections and the couloir, it is a comfortable trek down to Nid d’Aigle.

 We can take a break at the hut if required. The only thing to keep a watch on is to head down to the tram station before it is time for the last tram to take off. We should be in our hotel rooms at Saint Gervais before sundown.

Distance: 70 km (bus ride)

Duration: 1.5-2 hours

We take the bus back into the city of Geneva latest by early afternoon depending on the bus timings.

The expedition ends here but not before some much deserved celebration!

The cost of these days is not included in the overall cost. Following is the additional expense (which includes accommodation and meals) in case we need to use a reserve day. The additional expense per day might vary based on where we use the buffer day (as indicated below)

Reserve Days (per day depending on location)

Nid d’Aigle - 4000 INR

Tête Rousse - 9300 INR

Goûter - 10600 INR

Saint Gervais - 6200 INR