The
Mont Blanc Achievements course is the Intro
'Summits & Skills' Course with the
Mont Blanc Summits course bolted on the end.
It gives a total climbing novice the skills
for a realistic chance of summitting Mont
Blanc. As
the course is over two weeks, it is ideal
for those wishing to climb Mont Blanc, but
who believe that they would benefit from a
longer period over which to develop their
skills, fitness and acclimatisation.
You
need no previous experience of climbing or
mountaineering. This course is suitable for
keen hill walkers, indoor wall climbers, or
ramblers, to introduce you to the key technical
aspects necessary for mountaineering.
As
with the Mont Blanc Summits course, for
the ascent of Mont Blanc itself you should
be capable of running a half marathon or
cycling for five hours continuously. The
fitter you are the more you will enjoy the
views.
On
the second week of this course, we are as
flexible as possible with the itinerary so
that, if you feel ready, fit and acclimatised,
you make your summit attempt on the first
good weather window, Wednesday onwards.
To keep things varied and flexible for you, if you climb Gran Paradiso on both weeks, it is via different routes and different huts. On some weeks there is the option of an alternative mountain to ascend on either week.
This
course is focused on you preparing and summiting
Mont Blanc, with other summits and nights
spent at altitude to increase acclimatisation.
There is a dedicated information page for
Mont Blanc: summit
focus.
Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right, and
they show the live availability from our secure
online booking system. When you book online,
you receive immediate confirmation, your Alpine
Information Booklet, course specific kit list
and invoice.
Brief
Course Itinerary
Day 1 | Sunday
Travel to Chamonix. Accommodation check in at 17:00. Mont Blanc specific course safety and itinerary briefing at 17:30.
There is time for kit checks or fitting rental equipment after.
Briefings are over by 18:30 and then you are free to go out for dinner / drinks. Many clients opt
to travel out a day or two early to start their acclimatisation at Aiguille du Midi or with a night in a mountain hut (e.g. Cosmiques or Albert 1er). Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Chamonix town
Day 2 | Monday
Day
to learn and practice using crampons and ice axes
on the Mer de Glace / Argentiere glacier (2000m). You climb
vertical ice, create ice anchors, and learn glacier
travel skills. This is one of your most important
days of the course in terms of skills development
as it is essential to have good footwork with crampons. Guiding ratio 1:6 (max). Evening
theory session / meeting with course hosts: click
for info.
Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Mer de Glace
Day 3 | Tuesday
Snow covered glacier travel skills, practising building snow anchors, crevasse rescue, route choice / probing for crevasses. The day is spent with a journey across either the Vallee Blanche, Pointe Lachenal and the Col du Midi, or practising crevasse rescue. The day is essential for your acclimatisation before your main ascent. Guiding ratio 1:6 (max). Evening
theory session / meeting with course hosts: click
for info. Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Lachenal & Vallee Blanche
Day 4 | Wednesday
Drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Valsavaranches, and Pont at its head, where you trek up to either the Vittorio Emanuele or Chabod mountain hut for the night. There are no cable cars or uplift on Gran Paradiso, which perversely is one of its greatest attractions, in that the ascent is human powered all the way. The hike up to the hut is through stunning scenery in the national park. Guiding ratio usually 1:3 (up to 1:4 max). Gallery: Gran Paradiso 4061m
Day 5 | Thursday
After an Alpine start, you set off in the dark, to reach the glacier, where you put on crampons and ascend to the plateau below the summit ridge. Here the route steepens, and you leave the snow for the rocky scramble on the top section to reach the summit. Descend the same route via the hut to collect anything you have left, to reach the valley in mid afternoon. Return to Chamonix for the night. Guiding ratio usually 1:3 (up to 1:4 max). Gallery: Gran Paradiso 4061m
Day 6 | Friday
Meet your guide in the morning, and after the main ascent the day before, today is more flexible to see how much energy you still have in the tank. Many groups want to develop more skills on this day, be it building anchors and belays on climbs, or learning how to abseil safely. Ropework is a common focus of this session, for you to learn skills to develop in the future. Guiding ratio 1:6 (max). Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Alpine skills
Day 7 | Saturday
Today is a well earned days off to really
concentrate on resting and relaxation, and personal admin such as sorting kit and repacking. Maybe consider spending a few hours at Aiguille du Midi to further acclimatise. Mont Blanc specific course safety and itinerary briefing at 17:30.
There is time for kit checks or fitting rental equipment after.
Briefings are over by 18:30 and then you are free to go out for dinner / drinks. Gallery: Chamonix rock climbing
Day 8 | Sunday
After breakfast you meet our resort team, and guide, for a weather briefing and final kit checks for Gran Paradiso. You are driven by private minibus shuttle through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Pont in Val Savaranches in Italy, then ascend to the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II or Chabod mountain hut, where you spend the night on a half board basis. Guiding ratio 1:3 (max) in hut, or 1:6 (max) for approach. Night in mountain hut in Italy. Gallery: Paradiso National Park
Day 9 | Monday
Alpine start (c.4 am) to climb Gran Paradiso 4061, the highest peak completely in Italy. There are 4 possible normal routes to the summit, to cater for conditions / experience, all of which converge on the Col Montcorve. The route steepens to the final summit ridge, which although short is quite exposed, but well protected. The summit views are stupendous in all directions! Descend to Pont for return transfer to Chamonix.
Night in Chamonix. Gallery: Gran Paradiso 4061m
Day 10 | Tuesday
The next 3 days are geared to your Mont Blanc ascent. There are several route and hut choices, depending on conditions / weather / spaces, but the most popular is to ascend to the Tête Rousse hut today. This is reached by a 2 - 3 hour hike up from the Nid d'Aigle terminus of the Tramway du Mont Blanc, accessed from the Bellevue cable car. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Night in mountain hut on Mont Blanc. Gallery: Mont Blanc Gouter
Day 11 | Wednesday
Typically summit day starts soon after midnight, to cross the Gouter couloir in the coldest part of the night. You scramble up past the Gouter hut after c.3 hours, and after a quick rest you start the final push for the summit over Dome du Gouter and the Bosses Arete, taking another c.4 hours. After the summit celebrations, you descend to Gouter hut, to sleep for the night, as it might be too late to cross the couloir.
Night in hut on Mont Blanc. Gallery: Mont Blanc Gouter route
Day 12 | Thursday
After breakfast in the Gouter hut, you quickly descend to cross the couloir while it is still cold, and rockfall risks are minimised. You soon reach the Tête Rousse hut, and then the dangers are over, and you hike down the trail back to the Nid d'Aigle, to catch the tramway and cable car down to Les Houches. Guiding ratio 1:2 (max). Return and hire equipment at 17:30. Most teams opt to go out later to celebrate. Final night in Chamonix. Gallery: Mont Blanc Gonella route
Day 13 | Friday
Breakfast then the accommodation check out by
10:00. Most arrange transfers for around this
time for a flight from Geneva about midday. Some
opt to book a tandem paraglider flight in
the morning, or to go rafting, mountain biking, or trail running, if you still have the energy! Our resort team can advise you on where to arrange any of this, or routes. For those departing late, bags can be stored during the day. Depart for home. Gallery: Icicle Windermere office
ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant, so occasionally
we are forced to alter the plans. If this is the case,
suitable alternatives are offered. Please use this outline
itinerary as a guide to the types of route / activity
that you will attempt.
Course
Prices
An
Introduction course (£1345) followed by Mont Blanc
Summits course (£2495), totals £3840, so you
save £145!
Standard
course
10 days guiding, 13 days holiday in total
IFMGA mountain guides for 10 days
£3695
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
How to book
Secure
payments, bonded tour operator
Details of how to book, click
here
Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Chamonix, 2) Equipment hire,
3) Cable cars & uplift (c. 120 euros depending
on itinerary) for you (and guide if required), 4) Lunches & snacks for during the days, 5) Breakfasts and evening meals in Chamonix, & any purchases in mountain
huts, 6) Activities insurance.
Course
upgrade options
Many clients on this
trip consider upgrading with one or more of
the following course additions...
Private
room
Big
5 Alpine
extensions
Technical
kit rental
Acclimatise
weekend
Upgrade
to single from
£300-£500 in addition to
standard course price,
depending on week.
Extend by 2 days after
to ascend one of the
Big 5 Alpine peaks as
an extra summit.
Rent all technical kit
for a week. Full Alpine
Bundle costs you just
£100 for the week.
Saturday
night spent in
Chamonix, with choice
of self-guided or guided
on Sunday. From £70.
Standard
course accommodation - normally clients are based
in self-catered flats (details),
so take a look, and decide if it's for you. For
more luxury, contact us for quotes in higher standard
apartments, or hotels of any standard required.
If you have / source your own course accommodation,
or we cannot provide an upgrade, the standard course
price has a £300pp reduction applied on your
invoice.
FREE
Alpine summits open eve
This
is an event extra to the UK
Alpine Training weekend course. It is
FREE and open to those booked on our Mont Blanc
/ Eiger / Matterhorn trips. The event runs from
18:00 to 19:30 at our Windermere shop, to show films
of the routes, and discuss kit and training. You
don't need to be attending the weekend course to
join the open evening (more
details). E-mail us to reserve space(s)
and confirm availability. Dates are the Saturdays
of the weekend dates on the right.
Weekend
dates
Course spaces and dates for
the UK Alpine Training Weekend (link)...
I
just wanted to say thank you for the
most fantastic two weeks this summer.
I had such an amazing time, loved every
minute of it. You guys do such a brilliant
job and i am so so greatful to you both
for 'looking after' me. I am already
trying to think of things to do next
summer and I'm really keen to come out
again for a few weeks. I have attached
a few of pictures I took, thought the
one of the three of us girlies with
the guides at the top was a good one!
I hope you are all well, and hopefully
see you again next year! Laura
O , Achievements
Guides
were very proactive with teaching and
understanding of beginners. Course was
good. Covered a wide range of stuff John
A , Achievements
Fun
and informative all the time Jess
W , Achievements
Testimonials
Press
& media
Films
& videos
Photo
gallery
Location
data for this trip
The
trips are based in the Chamonix valley in the French Alps,
at the foot of Mont Blanc. It is easily accessed via a
90 minute transfer from Geneva airport.
Time
Difference
GMT +1hr
Local
Currency
€ Euros
Travel
from UK
1hr flight
Films
from the summit
Free
resources
FREE
Podcast Training
for Mont Blanc
A no holes barred podcast, to fully
explain what an ascent entails physically
and technically, including several examples
of hill training.
We
send a course specific equipment list to all those booking
on our courses, but due to the popularity of this course,
we outline a typical packing list for the Mont Blanc summit
day in the list below.
Basic
clothing - Light coloured long
sleeve wicking layer
- Schoeller / soft shell climbing trousers
- Mid layer fleece jacket / gillet
- Fleece hat and gloves, and sunhat / cap
- B3 leather / plastic boots, and gaiters
Equipment - Harness, helmet, ice
axe (without leash)
- 12 point crampons andanti-balling plates
- 1 x 120cm Sling, 1 x karabiner, 1 x prussic
- Telescopic trekking poles with snow baskets
- Head torch (LED style is lightest type)
Altitude
gear - Synthetic or down insulation
jacket
- Goggles in case of high wind
- Neoprane face mask in case of wind
- Thick waterproof over gloves
- Windproof over trousers (eg PacLite)
General
kit - Close fitting sun glasses
(Factor 4 for snow)
- Pocket snacks for summit day (eg Haribos)
- Water bottle (bladder type may freeze)
- Rucksack (up to 35 litres max is ideal)
- Basic blister kit, Aspirin, suncream
View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here
Pro top tips - geeks corner!
Why
choose our trips?
See
our Alpine blog, by clicking on the Word-press logo
to the right.
Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather windows on any day, to maximise your
summit chances.
Our
prices are fixed in £ Sterling, to protect
you from euro fluctuations, so you can budget accurately.
There
is a choice of routes to opt for, depending on the
weather, conditions, and your experience.
Course film short - week 1
Any
further questions?
A
key part of choosing a company is being able to come and
talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor
face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know
our clients value speaking to real people, getting open
and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are
British, and our office and outdoor store is based in
Windermere in the English Lake District.
Get
in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip
advisor.
Gallery: 
