To Mont Blanc through three peaks in 12 hours.
Reality or fantasy?
It so happened that after Lenin Peak, I almost accidentally ended up in Chamonix. There were no sports plans. After the height, I wanted to rest. Of the equipment, only climbing boots, crampons, sticks, two eyelets, a prusik and a piece of rope 14 m came to Chamonix.
Full relax
After resting and walking around the outskirts of Chamonix, I wanted some movement. Moreover, Chamonix itself was filled with movement these days - the city was preparing for the famous Mont Blanc Ultratrail. The example of running athletic and beautiful people was inspiring. Should I go from Chamonix (1035 m) to the top of Brevent (2525 m) - I thought one morning. - Of course, go. The inscription on the sign in the area of the lower station of the cable car to Brevent was comforting: the elevation difference to the top is about 1490 m and the walk at a leisurely pace will take 4 hours and 50 minutes. On your marks!
Start and finish point of the Ultratrail, view of the Brevent
Time to summit 4:50
The trail, starting in a shady forest, crosses the line of the cable car, then goes in zigzags through open areas and exits above the first station of the Plan Praz cable car (1999 m) at an altitude of about 2050 m. From here, follow the sign to the top in 1 hour 45 minutes. From this place, the trail goes up the ski slope under the summit tower and then bypassing it on the right side, through the jumper leads to the top.
Plateau Plan Praz (1999 m), gorgeous view of Mont Blanc
Well, I'm at the top! The rise time from Chamonix, taking into account rest, contemplation of beauty and photography, is 2 hours 40 minutes. It was a shame only one thing - with what ease and grace I was overtaken, in turn, by two girls running uphill, apparently, participants in the upcoming trail around Mont Blanc.
Photo 5. Top of the Brevent
Rest again. The weather continued to please. One of the evenings at the campsite, I got into a conversation with the guys who were planning to take part in the trail. Word for word, we started talking about the weather and realized that tomorrow is the last good day, and there will be no further weather. They decided to start that night to the top of Mont Blanc according to the classics from the village of Les Houches and the shelters of Tete Rousse and Gute.
It was at this moment that I had the idea to try to go to Mont Blanc in one day without spending the night in shelters - from campsite to campsite. I couldn't do it with the guys, they are runners, so I decided to go solo. Figured out all the options. I realized that, according to the classics, through the Gute shelter, in any case, I would not have time. In August, the first train from Le Fayet leaves at 7:20, respectively, from Saint-Gervais at 7:30 and arrives at the top station of the Eagle's Nest (Nid d'Aigle), at an altitude of 2380 m , at 8:30. Returns at 18:30. Total time reserve of 10 hours for an elevation difference of 2430 m. Not enough!!!
Eagle's Nest station (Nid d'Aigle), height 2380 m
Therefore, plan B was chosen. From Chamonix by cable car to the upper station of Aiguille du Midi, and then through three peaks and back. This path is longer, more difficult, but it is possible to have time to go. Fallback options were also provided: on the descent, he would stop for an overnight stay in Kosmik or even go down towards the Gute shelter.
So, the time is as follows: start from Chamonix at 6:30, descent from the Aiguille du Midi at 18.00. The total net time is 12 hours, the elevation difference is 1000 m (in fact, due to ascents and descents, the real difference is about 1600 m). Well, it's quite possible. Just remember to buy tickets for the cable car in advance.
Arriving at the cable car station at 5:45 am, I was the first, but literally after a couple of minutes people began to approach. The car was packed and some of those who wanted to get up did not hit in the first place.
Morning queue for the Aiguille du Midi
The bulk of the people got off at the first station to climb from below towards the Aiguille du Midi, and we, the remaining 8-10 people, went further up. At first I thought that they would also go to Mont Blanc and that I would not have to go alone. But all the guys who rode with me to the top went to climb the Aiguille du Midi from the side of the plateau and I was left alone.
At the top met the dawn, the views are amazing.
Sunrise. View of the Grand Joras. Ridge descent to the plateau
Further, without cats, well, in any way
So, at 7:00 I am at the top station, put on my crampons and start descending to the plateau, 200 meters in height. Looking in the direction of my ascent to the top of Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248 m), I saw three points slowly rising up . These are people who left the Kosmik shelter about an hour ago. As it turned out later, they did not walk, but “ran”, and quite quickly!
After crossing the plateau, the ascent to Takul begins. The first “surprise” is right there - a vertical wall 5–6 m high.
Ascent to Mont Blanc du Tacul (4248 m). The location of the ice wall is marked
Ice wall
Everything turned out to be simple here - two ropes with knots were hung, which made it possible to quickly overcome this obstacle (perhaps in this place, a ladder was installed several years ago). The trail to Takul winds to the right and left, in some places it passes along snow bridges through deep cracks, flowing ice, and in some places it disappears altogether due to small avalanches, falling asleep with snow crumbs. From the ridge there is a beautiful view of the second peak of Mont Mody (4465 m).
The summit of Mont Mody (4465 m). The location of the ice wall is marked
From Takul I went down at a height of 250-300 meters, and then along a steeper slope than on Takul, almost right in the center, I again climb the ridge, to the right of the main peak.
The trail is steep, in some places you have to walk knee-deep in snow and crumbs, it goes along the ice firn, slick ice.
O! Another surprise! A vertical wall, the same as on Takula, but alas - without a rope !!
Ice wall
What to do: go down or try to climb without an ice ax and other alp gadgets? I decided to take a chance and try to climb with the help of sticks, shortening them to a minimum and removing the rings. A couple of minutes - and I'm on top, and then, after six meters, I saw a rope going straight into the snow.
I assessed the situation for the return descent - my piece of rope allowed me to rappel in this place. Hooray! We work further!
I climbed the ropes to the ridge of Mont Mody, from where a gorgeous view of the top of Mont Blanc and the ridge leading to the top from the Gute shelter opens.
View of the top of Mont Blanc
Further - again descent with a traverse to the jumper between Mont Modi and the top of Mont Blanc. It was in this place that I met the first runner, who was already descending from the summit (I met the other two participants later, when they were already descending, on the last plateau before taking off to the summit). From the jumper, wagging a little, then rising, then traversing, and in the upper part I snake up to the top !!!
And there is beauty, magnificent panoramic views and no one there !!! And only three paths converge: my path, the path from Italy and the path from the Gute shelter.
After about 10 minutes I saw people climbing to the top from the side of the Gute shelter. First two, then four. Everyone took pictures of each other and began to descend in their directions.
Access to the summit from the Aiguille du Midi
Ascent to the summit from Italy
Exit to the summit from Gute
Traditional photo at the top
Yes, but what about time? Here's what happened: the ridge of Tacul was at 8:46, the ridge of Mont Maudie at 10:26, the summit was reached at 12:43. In total, my ascent to the summit took 6 hours 13 meters from Chamonix, and 5 h 43 m from the cable car station.
Everything, you need to start descending in order to catch the cable car at 17.30. At first I thought that the descent would be faster than the ascent, but after the first 20 minutes I realized that this would not work out. Somewhere deep snow, somewhere dense firn and slick ice did not allow going down to the straight line and drove onto the path. And you also need to climb, rappel, etc. As a result, instead of the pre-calculated time of reaching the Aiguille du Midi plateau - 16:00, I ended up there, around 17:00.
Then traverse the plateau, climb to the station. Here I had to go around all the cracks in a big circle (on a short path from the sun, all the snow bridges melted and it became really dangerous to walk). Once on a narrow knife, 300 meters before the station, I heard an announcement that in a few minutes the last trailer would go down. I turned on all my reserves and started to accelerate as much as possible, while shouting to the people going down the narrow place, like - everyone to the side, let me through, I'm late - uncivilized rushed past them.
Having run into the station, he took off the crampons and threw them with a rope over the fence. Then he grabbed them and rushed to the landing. But I forgot that the way to boarding goes up through the labyrinths of the station and a series of shops.
The run ended well. After 5 minutes, he was standing in a packed trailer going down. In Chamonix, I was at 18-00, where I could not tear myself away from the bottle of water.
A beautiful yummy in the evening is a bonus for a quick and beautiful ascent!
Nice bonus
In conclusion, I want to say that a one-day ascent of Mont Blanc from Chamonix to Chamonix is real and possible, but under certain conditions, namely: good weather, ice and snow conditions, acclimatization, climbing and physical training, equipment.
What about runners? Yes, everything is simple. Those, like in my case, run out of the upper shelters and run, yes, very quickly.
And my friends, who started at night from Les Houches, descended to Les Houches, approximately in 23 hours.
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