Climb Mont Blanc (4805m)

First off let me be very clear, this is NOT a trek! It is mountaineering. Mont Blanc is to a Trek as the London Marathon is to a gentle jog around the park. Yes there are elements of trekking along the glacier, but they are accompanied by sections of grade 1, 2 and in some cases grade 3 scrambling. Once section requires via ferrata and on occasion a bit of belaying by the guide.

This was a truly epic adventure. Mont Blancs challenges isn't so much its height, as its sheer force of nature and the many different types of climbing styles experience it offers.

You need to be physically fit, not super human fit, but have a good level of fitness and training is required to build endurance in the legs as well as cardio. Climbing experience isn't necessary as the guides are very experienced and will make sure you get through the more technical elements of the climb. But fitness is key to being able to summit. Mental fitness as well as physical. (there will be moments when you question your life choices!)

Solid mountain boots ARE required from the first day. There is no need to start in lighter boots or approach shoes as your start height is pretty close to the tougher areas, so wear your big heavy Herman Munsters from the get go!

You will spend an awful lot of time in crampons which change the way you walk and operate (crampons are the destroyers of gaiters!)

Good poles are also a must, your knees will thank you on the ascent as well as the descent.

You can hire the kit you need, but for the relatively low cost of crampons I'd recommend buying them, if only because the hired ones have been well used and the spikes a little less sharper, and in some sections you'll be very glad of the spikes being at their sharpest! (you can always ebay them afterward)

This is a mountain in every sense and she will throw everything at you, including unpredictable weather and high winds. Make sure you have a good outer shell jacket and trousers and where possible cover your face as much as you can if caught in high winds. Wind burns aren't fun and 4 days later, half of my face is still falling off!

The refuges are a reasonably good standard and pillows and duvets are provided and the food is plentiful and pretty good when you consider where you are. Some take card, but bring cash. A 1L bottle of water is about 7 euros and while some have running water in their toilets, it isn't drinkable so you will need to buy 2/3 bottles each day.

There are toilets in all the refuges for all your business requirements when nature calls, the "step flush" is a particular highlight for your numbers 2's. . . . .

A 50L pack is ample for what you'll need and you wont need much. We took spare trousers and base layer, mid and thermal layers, hat, couple of pairs of gloves (over mitts are the key for operating at height) something light and easy to change/sleep in at the refuge, a change of underclothes and socks and a few snacks (although you can buy Snickers/Mars Bars for 5 euro at the refuge). Also bring polarized glasses if possible, if the sun is out the snow is very bright and you'll need them. And of course sun cream and moisturiser to prevent yourself from going full tilt "Goldmember" (Itsh a keeeeper!)

All in all, this was a fantastic adventure, everything is taken care of by the local team on the ground, the hotel in Chamoinx was excellent and very comfortable with a great spar and more outdoor gear shops to satisfy even the biggest kit monster and its all priced pretty evenly.

We hired a car/mini bus from Geneva airport so we had a bit more independence in planning our arrival nd depature and there is a car park under the hotel where you can leave it. You can also leave your bags with your extra stuff in at the hotel for 5 euro a day so you're only going on the mountain with what you need for the 2 nights and 3 days on both the acclimatisation phase and the Mont Blanc phase.

If you want a challenge and to achieve something that will live long in the memory then this is the adventure for you. Its hard, there will be a few dark moments when you're questioning your sanity, but it is absolutely worth every step, pull, push and teeth gritting crawl forward.

And when you summit, I challenge you to not have a lump in your throat and small tear in your eye

I went on the trip at the start of September. Due to snow and a hut closure, we were unable to attempt a summit of Mont Blanc.

This was clearly out of anyone's control and the guide did a great job ensuring we still had a fun trip and other summits. The trip we got, however, was not worth the amount we paid. Next time I would book directly with a local agency, or a guide.

To be clear the trip was good and the guide was fantastic, but there are definitely cheaper options out there if you're looking to summit Mont Blanc.

Sadly, did not get to summit due to weather, but still a great time in the Alps, crossing glaciers and seeing great views.

It's hard to put this trip into words! I knew when I booked it would be tough, and I wasn't wrong... without doubt THE hardest thing I've ever done, the summit day was both physically and mentally exhausting. But hard things are the BEST things right?!! The biggest thanks to our main guide Pierre who got us working together as a team over the week. He taught us how to use our equipment and made sure we were always safe and spurred us on! We couldn't have reached the summit without the addition of 2 more guides, Luca and Alex. Their calm experience and constant encouragement was invaluable. If you are thinking of booking this trip, make sure you do the training (the Internet has all the info you need), and test yourself at altitude first if you can. 2/6 of our group could not summit because of the effects of altitude, and the trip itself doesn't have huge amount of time for acclimatisation.

Massive thanks to our guides Patrick and Fred and my group Jen, Tom, Loui, Graham and Mark for company. My first summit over 4000m. Amazing experience in France, Switzerland and Italian Alps. Hope I'll be ready next year 6476m summit 🙏🫶

Experience of a lifetime! The guides were absolutely outstanding getting us to the top of Mont Blanc in 60 kmph winds. The acclimatisation trip provided a great opportunity to practice walking in crampons and the technical skills of using an ice axe, so no prior experience was required. My top tips: you can rent boots there which are crampon compatible, there are crocs at the huts so don't need to pack sandals and bring a thermos for the summit day as the hut will fill it with hot tea!

It’s a good trip. It’s safe, the guides are competent if maybe a little conservative. It is a tourist operation. They do not teach much they basically rope you up and say follow me. As an example, in my group only three of us had ever held an ice axe before but there was no instruction on how to use it or the best way to carry it and not a word about self arrest. They did give my group some basic crampon instruction on a glacier. I would give the company a C- on communication. I had a couple of unanswered emails/ texts or long delays on responses.

Having stated the above I did enjoy the trip. The scenery was magnificent, the huts were comfortable and well stocked. The guides we competent if overly conservative as previously stated. At the end of the day they did deliver on a safe attempt to summit Mt Blanc.

I loved this trip and had a successful summit. Be prepared for things not to go to plan and very changeable weather patterns. Make sure you give yourself best chance of success and control what you can. Train hard, don’t just buy the equipment, use it. Get out into the hills if you can. I had a last minute boot hire in Chamonix, to B3’s because weather unseasonably cold. If I had to do it again I would have bought these and worn in myself. Created a bit of anxiety wearing boots never used before. The landscape is breathtakingly beautiful. The days ahead of summit provided good time to gear check and warm up. Guides were on point.

Hi, I booked the trip in December 2023 and advised the company I had one leg. It was transparent that this was going to be a first for all of us and it was very much lets see how it goes. I had a call with Dan Moore our guide a few weeks before and he was up for the challenge. an above knee amputee climbing Mont Blanc is not for the faint hearted. When my friend Steve & I arrived at the hotel we were met by the French version of Basil fawlty! Brilliant all added to the experience. We then met the team and Dan and other holiday guests. Lovely people. Dan talked to me at length to gain an understanding of my leg and what we were doing and it was fair that he took me under his wing and the other 3 would be with another guide. On the first night I didnt sleep very well. I had stomach ache as eating the wrong foods on the ferry. Nonetheless, i thought no more of it as we were supposed to only do 500 metres. Unfortunately the lift was closed so we hiked up 1,300 metres to the Premier hut. I could not have been slower as what was only supposed to take a few hours took 8 or so hours. Dan supported me the entire way. He exampled leadership, teamwork, safety and kept up conversation. We were both shattered by the time we got to the hut as there were hours of focus. We had a laugh and it was clear to me that his knowledge of the mountains was second to none. We had dinner and then an early night as I was tired and requested the following morning off. We hiked that day through sun, rain and snow, but we all still had smiles on our faces. Everyone seemed happy and the other guide was a little less confident if not shy. On the second day I said to the other guide, why are you so noisy? He looked at me bewildered, so I explained that he need to come out of his shell. He received the feed back from with grace and I believe dan had a word with him and he actually made a constructive effort to be more communicative. Great. Next day we left early as the bad weather was coming in. The abled bodied went with xandro and i went with Dan. We slid down on my butt for 300 metes and I got down in a fair time. Dan and I had discussions about the realism of me reaching the summit of Mont Blanc. First there was the weather forecast. It looked very poor and it looked as though it would be called off. Then it had to be safe. I accepted that I would not do it this time unless the train suddenly came on and the weather changed, Dan warned everyone and it was accepted that they would try and Dan would monitor the forecasts. When Steve & I got back to the hotel we went to our room. We were buzzing. I established that the other chaps were not happy as their room was not ready - I believe they met Basil Fawlty - it all adds to the experience. We cleaned up and went downstairs to meet Dan. I felt for Dan at this meeting as he was being the go between for the company and the other guides. I was told that I would not reach the summit but I could have a go at getting to Tete Rouse hut or we can go to Monta Rosa. I'd never hear of Monta Rosa before - so a quick call home and we agreed I would do Monta Rosa, safer, still a challenge and my plan had to adapt. I am really grateful to Much Better Adventures and more importantly Dan for making this happen as you could have said stay in Chamonix. I said to my friend that he could go with the others or come with me - the choice was his - he decided to come with me. The others - they were reactive at the news that it was not recommended that they do Mont Blanc due to the forecast. it was explained clearly by Dan that reaching the summit was nominal due to incoming snow, rain and risk of rockfalls etc. He said that he spoken to the other guides of 20 years plus experience and they were adamant that summiting would not happen but they could still try. Dan took a lot of flack from the other three and I think this was unfair on him both in terms of how they spoke to him and that the company expected Dan to deal with it. Nonetheless, dan did deal with it and arranged everything. I know he is not employed by you and I think in the future it would be good practice to have a rep from Much Better Adventures to support the guide if bad news has to be delivered. Quite simply, they were just upset that they were not getting what they had paid for. Dan made it happen and the gratitude he received from them was nothing. Steve & I thought he handled it well, and it was given the go ahead, even against everyone's advice. I recall the chaps saying - i dont care if i dont reach the summit I just need to know I tried. They all agreed to that affect. Dan advised that he'd pick them up first thing take them to the lift and then come back for Steve & I. He collected us outside our hotel and off we went. arriving at Monta Rosa, we got the lifts up to be greeted by another snow storm. Along the way, there was a minor snow slurry. Dan sorted it and got us to the hut promptly. Dan was and is such a compassionate human being. He took the time to explain everything, kept me safe, we talked about everything and anything. The conditions for me were not great. The snow meant that every step collapsed through 4ft of snow. He knew I was struggling and began to walk like me to see how much effort it was taking. I appreciate that as he really took the time to understand my disability so we could adapt. We reached 4,000m and I was done when my friend threw a snowball in my face. I had had a fall and my stump was in a sore way. When I declared this Dan came over, fist pumped me and gave me a massive hug - he was so proud of what we had done. We went back to the hut, tired and relieved but we had all become solid friends. Next morning we left at about 6 am to get back down. The snow was frozen this time and in these conditions I know I would have reached the summit of the peak we didn't. Never mind - its about the journey not the destination. ON the way down there was a problem. The path had been demolished by an avalanche. Dan had to perform an emergency stomper, with Steve going first. Never shit myself like this before, but I am so glad this happened. Dan was in control and explained everything beautifully. We did as he said and being a left leg above knee amputee I went down 7-10 meters on 3 limbs and a prosthetic. This was what this was about. Obviously I was disappointed about not doing Mont Blanc. However, this trip was a learning curve educating me what I need to do to reach the summit. Dan is direct. I asked what I need to do to reach the summit of Mont Blanc and he told me. I love the fact that the does not tell bull shit as this makes him a genuine person, a good friend and an excellent guide. Some people can't handle being told the truth, but if they are not told the truth and live under an illusion they are just setting up the situation to fail. Dan will put in the hours to make sure his entire party is safe. I witnessed him go out of his away to make sure all the parties needs were met, that they were happy and most of all they were safe. In my opinion he went over and above the call of duty. I am that impressed with Dan that I am arranging a team for another go of Mont Blanc in September 2025 and I want Dan to be my guide, because I trust him and i know he will always have my best interests at heart. Improvements - we didn't find out the hotel location until the day we arrived. No drama. I treat this whole trip as a learning curve - i/we learnt a lot. All I can say is thank you and do please look after Dan. He represented your company in a really good manner on the Saturday and unfairly took a kicking from the others on your behalf. He's a great guide and I will certainly recommend you and him to all friends. I will approach you for the next tour but I have only been back a week so still processing that I reached 4,000meters and did an ice wall. I have plenty of photos which I will send via we transfer if you want them. Best, Chris Linnitt PS - when I was exhausted Dan gave me his last plumb and his plumb tasted gorgeous! :)

What an amazing experience! The Alps are beautiful! The guides were fun and encouraging when things got tough.

Due to the Tramway not running we had a very long day to get to the Tete Rousse hut. Then starting that low for a summit attempt is a long very difficult day for an average mountaineer. This itinerary is not set up very well for success unless you are a very strong athletic mountaineer. These distances and elevation gains are tough for an office working, weekend mountaineer.

Lastly as a weekend climber I was hoping to pick up a few tricks of the trade from the guides but they really didn't share much, I learned a few things through observation but not much that I could add to my skills list.

The people were fabulous! Truly remarkably wonderful!! They made us feel welcome and cared for our needs - truly amazingly awesome!

Organisation was great.

The huts and organisation was good. Both summits gave perfect timing to learn, rest. Excellent trip

The level of experience I gained was great.