Mont Blanc

Our route up Mont Blanc

7.15am - We tackled Mont Blanc from the Aiguille du Midi, from there we had 3 mountains in the way (Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc). This route according to mountaineering standards is a grade AD-D, which means it ‘demands good technique, experience and fitness.’

Here’s where we stand on these 3 attributes:

1. Technique – poor but getting better with every step

2. Experience – seriously lacking

3. Fitness – pretty good

The descent of the Aiguille du Midi

First up was a leisurely descent of the Aiguille du Midi arête to the glacier du Tacul. To get the blood pumping we had a 1,000 foot drop on either side (see picture above). One wrong step to the left you were gone and one wrong step to the right you’d have a hefty fall. All safely negotiated before 7.45am. We then descended to a plateau where a handful of hard core climbers had pitched camp.

Mont Blan du Tacul

Next was the first of our 3 mountains, Mont Blanc du Tacul. Standing at the bottom of the Tacul (3,613m) the enormity of the task was clear. It’s a steep traverse with crevasses lurking beneath. Roped together we made our way up the Tacul with the pace being set by Stuart our guide. Stuart only has one pace – fast - and he doesn’t have a stop button. The relentless grind of putting one foot in front of another and constantly climbing had begun. We were on the ultimate stepper machine and there was no way off.

After reaching the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul we descended and traversed to the foot of Col du Mont Maudit. Here Stu directed us to a half built igloo to shield from the wind and put our waterproofs on. It was a frantic 5 minutes – we had to refuel on half a ham and cheese sandwich, rehydrate and dress ourselves. The third task proved the most difficult. I thought i’d put my trousers on the wrong way round only to take them off and discover they were right first time. A wasted 2 minutes. Pete was equally perplexed by his trousers, spending over a minute trying to unzip his trousers the wrong way.

Stuart had seen enough and encouraged us to get a move on, in the nicest possible way.

The Col du Mont Maudit - the point where many decide to turn around

The face of The Col du Mont Maudit was staring down at us, challenging us to have a go if we thought we could. This is the most technical part of the climb, requiring us to clip in to a fixed rope and use our front pointing technique to get up the steep slope. We waited for a group to abseil down and then we were into the climb, using every muscle to make sure our ice axes were getting a good purchase on the glacier and our crampons were secure with every upwards step. Stuart ‘the machine’ McDonald pumped his legs at 100 miles an hour to get up to the top of the first section at lightning speed. Knowing we were racing against the weather Pete was next and tried the same only to be shouted down to by Stu, instructing him to slow down. Stu, unlike us, knew what was still to come.

Part 2 of the 40 degree slopes of the Col du Mont Maudit

With our legs still burning from part 1 of the climb, we scrambled over a few rocks and it was time for part 2. Another fixed rope, another steep climb and another opportunity to dig in. Its a 40-50° degrees ice climb to reach the Col du Mont Maudit (4345m). This key passage is often the point where people decide to stop the climb.

We had completed mountain number 2 of 3, on to the big one, Mont Blanc

Ice axes at the ready after completing the Col du Mont Maudit

As our minds and bodies are drained of energy, the next section of the climb is a blur. We crossed the Col du Mont Maudit to reach the Col de la Brenva (4303 metres). From here we climbed up the steep wall of the Mur de la Côte.

10.50am - It was around this time we had THE TALK. This was the do or die moment of the whole trip.

Stu laid out the facts: “Boys, we have 2 hours up and an hour and a half back down to the nearest hut, and the weathers closing in on us. We should turn around. Only if you’re feeling strong can we push for it.” Unable to contemplate going down without standing on top of Mont Blanc first we both confirmed we were feeling strong and were ready to get going. We just needed half a snickers bar and some water to get us there.

20 mins after confirming we were feeling good Pete got cramp in his right leg and then his left! He informed Stu and asked “what’s good for cramp?” To which Stu suggested, “MTFU” (Man The **** Up). At this point, with the wind reaching 50kmph, Stu instructed us to put our duvet jackets on despite feeling boiling. Pete dropped his jacket on the floor and I dropped my glove, both ready to be blown down the mountain and into the surrounding cloud. Sensing our lethargy Stu confirmed, ‘We are in the thick of it now. You can’t afford to drop your equipment, come on’.

This was to be the last slip up before the summit. We both went into our own worlds to get us to the top over the next hour and a half. No more stops, just a hard slog up to the summit of the highest mountain in Western Europe.

We arrived on top of Western Europe exhausted and with views of nothing but cloud! We did the customary summit photo but it looks like we could be anywhere (see pic), at the time the view didn’t matter, all that mattered was we made it.

On top of Mont Blanc