French Alps Training Camp

Part 3: Mont Blanc

August 8-9, 2023

Chamonix, France

Parts 1 and 2 of this report are on my profile and detail my first 6 days in Chamonix.

I ended the Chamonix portion of the trip with an attempt to climb Mont Blanc. This is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest European mountain not in the Caucasus Range on the Russian-Georgian border. This summit was my original inspiration for going to Chamonix (see Part 1 of this report) and consumed a significant amount of the planning for this trip. I first started planning this climb as a 1-day from-the-bottom ascent. I would start in Les Houches, climb the Gouter Route 12,000 vertical feet to the summit, then descend back to the valley floor. This is the classic style for the Gouter Route and the enormous challenge was a central part of its appeal. I’m not (nor will I ever be) Kilian Jornet or Anton Krupicka, but I have the fitness, relative speed and mountain experience to make this style of ascent an ambitious but realistic possibility.

The MountainProject page has a good overview of the Gouter Route here: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/107664352/arete-des-bosses-gouter-route. There is also a short trip report in the comments describing a 1-day ascent.

Unexpectedly, my early planning in May and June of this year seemed to put an end to my lofty aspirations. Starting in 2020, the Haute Savoie (French province in which Chamonix is located) started enacting regulations on the Gouter Route in an effort to maintain some standard of safety and reduce overcrowding. In 2019 there was even a restriction put in place to prevent paragliding from Chamonix to the summit, after atmospheric conditions allowed for an upward flight (https://xcmag.com/news/top-landing-mont-blanc-banned-after-record-day/). The most significant of these rules was the requirement of all climbers to have an overnight reservation at either the Tete Rousse Hut (10,300’, at the bottom of the Grand Couloir), the Gouter Hut (12,600’, at the edge of the glaciers on top of Aiguille du Gouter) or the Nid d’Aigle Hut (7,800’, at the top of the Tramway du Mont Blanc train tracks). With an overnight hut reservation, climbers are able to do the ascent over 2 days and be guaranteed a spot in one of the huts. There are many stories out there of ill-equipped people trying 1-day climbs and needing rescue, or a free-for-all atmosphere at the huts with many more people than available beds. I learned that the huts don’t take walk-in stays and that the Haute Savoie White Brigade (essentially, mountain police) conducts checks for reservations and adequate gear along the Gouter Route. Climbers without a hut reservation are subject to a wide array of fines and disciplinary measures. I read quite a few documents in both English and (with the help of Google Translate) French, and all of them were quite clear in discouraging one-day ascents.

I also, perhaps foolishly, read quite a few trip reports and forum discussions about climbing the route solo. Glacier travel without a partner is always risky because of crevasse danger, but the Gouter Route is not especially crevassed. The section between Dome du Gouter and the Vallot Refuge has the most crevasses, but far more discussion is devoted to the rockfall hazards of the Grand Couloir. Most people climb the route in a guided group and the general sentiment was that a solo climb was a very bad idea. All of this research seemed to suggest that if I climbed the mountain alone in 1 day, I would fall into a crevasse and die, then get arrested by the mountain police.

However, as I continued the planning, it seemed that 1-day ascents were still happening, but perhaps more covertly than in years past. Two men set FKTs on the route earlier this year (https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mont-blanc-france) and some clever Instagram sleuthing revealed several more 1-day ascents in 2023. I even found a few guiding companies offering a 1-day climb. Despite this apparent possibility, it seemed better to acquiesce to the new style and climb over 2 days.

The next part of the planning involved finding and making a hut reservation. Beds at the Tete Rousse and Gouter Huts in the summer are harder to get than Taylor Swift tickets. A large chunk of the reservations each year are reserved for guided groups, and the remaining spots are made available starting in the middle of the winter. I considered climbing with a guide, but quickly jettisoned this idea. Guided climbs are also filled up many months in advance and start around $1500 per person. Most of the guided climbs are also tailored to people who don’t have much experience in the mountains, and include additional training of such things as walking in crampons, using an ice axe and acclimating. I’m experienced and fit enough that all of this would be completely unnecessary. All I would gain by climbing with a guide is having someone to pull me out of a crevasse.

Reservations for the Gouter & Tete Rousse Huts are made through the FFCAM (French Alpine Club) website: https://montblanc.ffcam.fr/index.php?alias=home&_lang=GB&_setlang=1. This site is translated well and I found the instructions and procedure for making a reservation quite clear. I found a single slot available at the Tete Rousse Hut on the night of August 5. I made the reservation, paid the deposit and breathed a sigh of relief. I was going to get a chance to climb this thing after all.

The planning didn’t end with the hut reservation. Despite being close to Chamonix, the Tete Rousse Hut is 7,000 vertical feet above Chamonix and getting there from town takes most of a day. There are several ways to make the approach. 1) Take the bus from Chamonix to Les Houches, then hike all 7,000’ up to the hut. 2) Take the bus from Chamonix to Les Houches, take a tram from Les Houches to Bellevue, then hike 4,600’ to the hut from Bellevue. 3) Take the bus from Chamonix to Les Houches, take a tram from Les Houches to Bellevue, take the Tramway du Mont Blanc from Les Houches to Nid d’Aigle, then hike 2,800’ to the hut. 4) Take a bus and a train from Chamonix to Saint Gervais, on the other side of Mont Blanc, then take the entire Tramway du Mont Blanc up to Nid d’Aigle, then hike 2,900’ to the hut.

I initially wanted to do option 1, because it had the easiest logistics and was the most aesthetically pleasing. I’d still be climbing the mountain from the bottom and with the short bus ride I’d have the whole day to get to the hut. But, that’s a big climb with a heavy pack. I’d have to carry all my winter clothes and snow climbing gear because the hike up would be in summer conditions. That might leave me unnecessarily fatigued for the summit attempt the next day. I then considered option 4. The train knocks out a large portion of the approach and the train tickets are valid for the descent the next day. Armed with the train schedules on the Tramway du Mont Blanc website (https://www.montblancnaturalresort.com/en/tramway-montblanc), I planned out the timing for the approach and all possible contingencies/delays for the descent the next day. I bought a ticket a few weeks after making my Tete Rousse Hut reservation. All I needed now was good weather over the 2 days I’d be climbing.

Unfortunately, the weather forecasts didn’t respect my careful planning from 2 months earlier. I checked the weather forecasts and route condition reports multiple times the first several days I was in Chamonix. Every update indicated there would be a storm front arriving on August 5. Conditions on August 6, my summit day, would be deadly: strong winds, dense clouds, possibly subzero temps and snowfall. After a final check and discussion with the guides at the Chamoniarde office after the La Jonction run (see Part 1 of this report), I canceled my August 5 reservation at the Tete Rousse Hut.

I still wanted to make an attempt on Mont Blanc, so I spent several hours on August 6 making another hut reservation. I again thought about going for a 1-day ascent, but I was interested in the 2-day style and I thought it would still give me the best chance of success. I was leaving Chamonix for Interlaken on August 10, so I needed a reservation for either August 7 or August 8. Hut reservations can’t be made through the FFCAM website when the reservation date is within a week of the current date, so I had to call the huts directly. After figuring out how to dial a French phone number, I called the Gouter Hut. No spots either night. I then called the Tete Rousse Hut. 1 spot available on August 8! I paid another deposit and immediately checked the weather forecast. Not perfect, but good enough to make a safe attempt.

I still had to figure out how to get to the hut. My original Tramway du Mont Blanc reservation was nonrefundable and there were no available seats on the train from Saint Gervais on August 8. In addition to shuttling climbers up and down the lower mountain, the train takes tourists up to the short trails at Le Fayet, Bellevue and Mont Lachat for easy sightseeing. The spots are limited and sell out well in advance. I decided to take the tram from Les Houches to Bellevue and hike 4,600’ to the hut from there. This would still be an honest approach on foot and I wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of getting to Saint Gervais from Chamonix.

After the full day on August 7 (see Part 2 of this report) I packed gear, put route notes in my phone, loaded the GPS routes into my watch, checked weather & condition reports and planned the transportation, hiking and climbing schedules for the next 2 days. The planning was finished and I was very excited to finally get on the mountain.

August 8: Chamonix -> Tete Rousse Hut. Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9606288895. I followed this route above Mont Lachat: https://elevation.alpsinsight.com/france/chamonix-tete-rousse-hut/.

This whole day was an unusual start to a mountain outing. But when in Europe, do as the Europeans do: take a tram and sleep at a hut. I had a large breakfast, took a shower, made a final check of my gear & clothing and took the bus to the center of town. Most of Mt. Blanc was visible but the summit was hidden in clouds. I had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus so I walked to the Chamoniarde office to check the weather/condition report. Wednesday was predicted to be clear with strong winds- gusting to 80 kph. Hmm. The next bus took 20 minutes to reach the Bellevue tram stop in Les Houches.

There were several guided groups rendezvousing in the parking lot. I bought a roundtrip ticket, showed my hut reservation and got the complimentary train ticket from Bellevue to Nid d’Aigle. The tram ride took 5 minutes and knocked 2,700’ of steep, forested climbing off the ascent. I didn’t bother with the train. It would only go up another 1,800’ and the Nid d’Aigle section wouldn’t run for another hour. Plus, I wanted to climb as much of the mountain with my own 2 legs as possible. I’ll save the Les Houches-Bellevue climb for when I do the 1-day ascent. High gray clouds made for cool temps as I started up Mont Lachat.

The climb to the broad summit was steep and slow with the big pack. I reached the summit 30 minutes after leaving Bellevue. There were crowds of people, most coming from the Tramway du Mont Blanc train. The views over the valley were enormous, and clouds covered the tops of the Aiguilles. It took another 30 minutes to reach the top of the broad switchbacks around 8,000’. The upper portion of Mt. Blanc was covered in clouds but I could see the Aiguille du Midi tram & summit station. I put on my light jacket as the wind gusted. Despite being the same elevation as home, the huge vertical relief makes for a huge disparity in weather & temperature between the valley and high mountains.

The next 1,000’ ascent was easier than I expected. Despite the steep face and obvious potential for rockfall, the trail was smooth & well-marked, and there were even chains and a ladder to protect the steeper section through the cliffs below the Col des Rognes. I took a break to put on my pants & gloves, as the wind was stronger here. The final ridge to the Tete Rousse Hut rose above, and even beyond that I could see the Gouter Hut. The vert here is relentless. 3 ibex were standing placidly among the rocks as I walked across the talus to join the trail coming up from Nid d’Aigle.

It took another 40 minutes to reach the hut. There were probably 200 people going in both directions. Those coming down said it was windy and cold on the upper mountain. I started up the ridge ahead of a guided group that was on the Bellevue tram, then took the train to Nid d’Aigle. Good- I’m moving well. My heart rate crept up as I entered a more familiar altitude. I was stopped by a few OHM officers who asked to see my hut reservation. The sky grew cloudy as I arrived at the Tete Rousse Glacier, 7,000’ above Chamonix. The scenery on the valley floor was quite distant. I crossed the glacier behind 2 women and a guide speaking English. We had a quick conversation on the porch- they were from New York.

I checked in at the desk, then organized all my gear & clothing. I put everything I didn’t need for the summit attempt (shoes, light clothes, extra food, etc.) in a storage bin, loaded the climbing gear and put on warmer clothes. I took pictures outside, heard some rocks tumble down the Grand Couloir and had a brief conversation in Spanish with 2 guys from Spain. They understood what I said and I could mostly follow their simple replies to me. Neat. I shut my eyes for awhile while my phone & watch were charging. Bringing the portable charger was smart. I could have brought some additional clothes to wear in the hut instead of my climbing clothes, and a few bathroom items to clean up. Now I know for next time.

Dinner was served as the sun set, filling the dining room with a spectacular glow. I was at a table with people speaking French and very fast Spanish. The food was some sort of vegetable soup with cheese, penne alfredo with beef and carrot cake. Very filling and well worth the cost. I talked to 4 guys from England who climbed (with a guide) Gran Paradiso last week, then talked to the American mother & daughter for an hour. A few more pictures and a last check on the phone and it was time to sleep. The bunk room was surprisingly quiet and comfortable. I don’t know how far I’ll make it up the mountain tomorrow. My goals are to not get smashed by a rock in the Grand Couloir, not fall in a crevasse on the glacier and make it to the Dome du Gouter area. I’ve made it this far, so I’ll give it a good try.

August 9: Summit attempt; Tete Rousse Hut <-> ~13,400' on Dome du Gouter. Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9615809276.

I slept well enough but I had a dream that I was stuck in the Hourglass as rockfall rained down. I woke up shortly before 4 and went upstairs to eat. Breakfast was cereal & bread. I didn’t have much of an appetite and barely ate. Next time I won’t pay for the hut breakfast and instead bring my own stuff to eat. I put on my boots and outer layers, did a final check of my pack, strapped on the crampons in the gear room and stepped outside.

It was cold with no wind. Headlamps already dotted the entire route up to the Gouter Hut. I set off across the glacier, crunching over the frozen snow. I quickly passed 2 people and followed behind another group toward the couloir crossing. I still had my crampons on, making the footing awkward on the dry rock. The couloir crossing was short. I listened for falling rocks, then dashed across in about 30 seconds. Not bad. I was behind one of the guided groups with the British guys. I followed them up the rock a ways, then stopped to take off my crampons. There was very little snow and the steep rock was much easier to climb in just boots.

The route up the Aiguille du Gouter face was some of the steepest terrain I’ve ever climbed. The path was marked with red dots painted on the rock and there were many chains & fixed cables but it was still straight up. I followed the headlamps, staying warm and feeling comfortable on the rock even with boots. A helicopter with someone on a dangling line made a few passes over the Tete Rousse Hut. I stayed behind the British guys all the way up. They were roped together and moving fairly slowly. A few other groups went by, both descending and ascending. Some people were still wearing crampons and their footing seemed really difficult. The face steepened around 11,700’ and there were some exposed moves protected with cables. I found the pace quite relaxed- I should have gone around and continued up on my own.

The sky grew light as I reached the top of the face. Clouds covered the top of Aiguille du Bionnassay and it was clear a low cloud layer was sitting on Mt. Blanc. Not great. The final steep rock section led directly to the deck of the old Gouter Hut. From there, a few steps up the snow led to the wide path on top of Aiguille du Gouter. To the left was Chamonix and to the right was Les Houches, both over 9,000’ below. The upper mountain loomed ahead, with the cloud line sitting about halfway down Dome du Gouter. I followed the crowds to the hut and saw several groups returning from their summit attempts with rime ice plastered on their boots & clothes.

The gear room in the hut was chaotic. In talking to several people I learned the wind inside the cloud cap was tremendous and that it was snowing on the Col du Gouter. Most people turned around at the Vallot Refuge. A guy from Connecticut said “it’s like Antarctica out there.” I went up to the dining room and saw a guy sitting on the stairs with his hands over his eyes, clearly suffering from snow blindness. I ordered a mug of hot chocolate and spent the next hour at the hut, looking at the stagnant cloud layer out the window and hearing more groups talk about the unpleasant conditions higher on the mountain.

Eventually I had to make a choice about what to do. Some of the groups were gearing back up to keep climbing, and the cloud ceiling was quite stable. I decided to go up the Dome du Gouter to the cloud layer and see what was happening there. I put on my shell jacket, goggles & heavy gloves and set off on the chopped-out track across Aiguille du Gouter. The glacier was covered in a few inches of fresh snow. Chamonix was visible far below and the clouds brushed the tops of the Aiguilles. Many people dotted the slope ahead and weak sunlight occasionally broke through the top of the cloud cap.

The track skirted a small crevasse and started up the gentle north side of Dome du Gouter. I passed several people and saw more groups coming down, covered in rime ice. An Italian guy said he summited yesterday via Trois Monts but had to spend the night in the Vallot Refuge. He also said the wind was terrible above the Col du Gouter. I continued up for a few more minutes as the wind guested harder. I was warm, feeling great and enjoying being on the upper mountain after looking up at it all week. Around 13,400’ I entered the clouds. The wind was strong and mist blew in, killing all visibility in just a few seconds. The sky was the same color as the glacier and all the people above & below me were obscured. Alone on a glacier in a whiteout isn’t a good place to be. The weather wasn’t likely to improve and I didn’t want to slog through dangerous/miserable conditions just to have no views at the summit. Time to turn around and start the descent.

The return to the Gouter Hut was fast. I followed the tracks down the snow and took in the scenery. The broad slope of the glacier blocked some of the view down to the valley but I could see Chamonix 10,000’ below. I glanced back a few times to see the clouds still in place. Weak sunlight lower on the glacier revealed some icy areas. I peered at the shallow crevasses on the flats before crossing over the ridge to the Gouter Hut. I spent a few minutes inside to swap my goggles for sunglasses, take off the shell jacket, put on lighter gloves, eat and send some messages on the GPS. A few more people arrived in the gear room and reported the upper mountain was “not a lot of fun.” I went back outside, took more pictures while I walked across the top of Aiguille du Gouter and popped off the crampons on the deck of the old hut. I hung them on my pack, knowing I’d have to put them on again for the Tete Rousse Glacier crossing.

The descent to the Tete Rousse Hut took about 90 minutes. I didn’t push the pace but I also passed quite a few people. The whole face was easier to negotiate in daylight and the climbing on the upper half was fun. The cables made all the exposed areas easier and I never did have to clip in with the sling. There was a guy limbing up with a guide and he had a via ferrata sling on the cable sections. Many other groups were still wearing crampons and moving really slowly.

Being roped up didn’t make much sense. If the guide wasn’t anchored to one of the cables then he would get pulled off too. Other people seemed unsure of downclimbing and didn’t choose good lines. I don’t know if it was “mind blowing goonery,” as Kyle Richardson described it during his 2019 ascent, but I seemed to be among the faster and more competent people on the face.

The descent reminded me of Little Bear above the Hourglass or the Middle Teton couloir, just far longer. The route finding was easy- follow all the people and the red dots on the rock. Small cascades of rockfall bounced down the couloir and several people yelled a warning to those below. I passed a few more people and arrived at the couloir crossing. I listened for rockfall and heard nothing. The path was clear so I quickly walked across and reached the sheltered spot on the far side. Nothing to it. It didn’t seem as dangerous as all the reports indicated. That probably changes in warmer conditions, but the Hourglass had far more sustained exposure to rockfall. A few more minutes brought me to the top of the Tete Rousse Glacier. I put my crampons back on and strolled down the snow to the hut. I sat on the porch while I checked the watch & GPS summaries. Clouds still swirled around the Gouter Hut and the sun was nowhere to be found. The day was already long but I still had a sizable journey to get back to Chamonix.

August 9: Tete Rousse Hut -> Chamonix. Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9615816801

I went in the hut gear room, took off my boots and did some minor organization of all my gear & clothes in the pack and a storage bin. I then went in the hut and had a simple lunch of spaghetti, a cookie, a bar and some gummies. It’s nice to eat a real meal on the mountain during such a long, demanding day. I also checked in on the phone/GPS to indicate I was alive. After a nice break, I changed clothes, methodically organized the pack and set off on the descent.

It took me just 2.5 hours to hike down to the Bellevue tram. The deproach went quickly on such a steep & smooth trail. Clouds still covered the upper mountain and dipped below the tops of the Gouter & Bionassay Aiguilles, roiling in the wind. Many people were going up & down on the Tete Rousse Glacier. I passed several people on the ridge down to Col des Rognes. One of the resident ibex was next to the trail. I cut over to the edge of the cliff and took a break to remove some of the long clothes and look down on Chamonix with the binoculars. The vvert here is still astounding even after a week of seeing and experiencing it every day. The wind at 9,000’ was calm but the weather on the upper mountain still looked quite unpleasant.

I hiked all the way to the Mont Lachat train stop in an hour. 2 Italian guys asked if the trail went to Les Houches as we descended the ladder & chain section. I said it did, and they said they came up in the dark this morning and made it to the Gouter Hut. Sure sounds like a 1-day ascent attempt to me. It was pleasant to stroll along mindlessly, watching the valley floor steadily draw closer. The pack never seemed too heavy but my legs got sore on the long switchbacks next to the train tracks. I took the much more gradual and shaded trail around the north side of Mont Lachat, instead of going back over the top. The sun came out for the last mile. I got to Bellevue and walked right onto the tram. 10 minutes later I was in the parking lot waiting for the bus. I started up at the Aiguille du Gouter, 9,000’ above. Hard to believe I was up there just 7 hours ago.

Even though I didn’t reach the summit, I’m satisfied with the attempt. I learned a lot about the route and the logistics, and I already have a better plan for doing an overnight climb in the future. I wasn’t outclassed on the mountain. I moved fast, had more experience on the terrain and with the gear than many of the guided groups and felt comfortable on the glacier. I also made a safe decision with the weather today. I still think a 1-day ascent is possible. Perhaps it has to be timed to reach the Tete Rousse Hut when the 5 AM crowd starts, but people have done it this summer. It would also require exceptionally perfect weather & conditions, very careful selection of gear/clothes and fitness at my current level, but it could be done. It will probably be at least 3 years before I return to Chamonix, but I’ll be back eventually to reach the summit.

Part 4 of this report will detail the final part of the trip: a run on the Hardergrat traverse in Interlaken, Switzerland.