More Mont Blanc Questions...

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sjellison2
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More Mont Blanc Questions...

Post by sjellison2 »

Hey folks, I know we've had a lot of these, but thought I'd give it a try...

I’ve been planning to attempt Mont Blanc via the Gouter from Les Houches in a few weeks and noticed in recent forums that some members around here are quite familiar with the area. I have a few last minute questions that I wanted to run by you guys.

Thanks in advance for any input!

1. Can I buy water at the Gouter Hut if I’m not staying there? Any idea how much it costs? Is this the only opportunity for water aside from melting snow? Is there water at Nid d’Aigle, Tete Rousse, or running below the glacier?

2. I’m trying to determine the most simple and quickest route up to Nid d’Aigle from town. It will be dark at this point, so ideally a route with minimal opportunities for me to get lost. From what I’ve found online, it looks like the best route sans tram/chair from Les Houches is via a path zig zaging up beneath the Bellvue lift. Is this the best option? Is it tricky to connect from the top of Bellvue to Nid d’Aigle?

3. Are there any particular bottlenecks or areas of the route to avoid during certain times? For example, the narrows on Longs around 10am in August.


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13ers
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Re: More Mont Blanc Questions...

Post by 13ers »

Yes, you can buy water at the Gouter hut if you are not staying there, it's not the Soviet Union. It is expensive. Your other opportunity for water might be rain from the sky if you happen to be very unfortunate. Below the Grand Couloir you should be able to get water, or at the other huts you mentioned.

If I were you, I would take the tram up from Les Houches and then ride the Tramway du Mont Blanc to Nid d'Aigle. Otherwise you will probably be beat, and won't feel like climbing at all. La Dame blanche is almost 16000 feet high. If you can't afford the tram, maybe you should consider selling yourself on the streets of Geneva. There are some pretty slimy neighborhoods I stumbled across while there.

From the Bosses Ridge to the summit there are some shortcuts to get down the mountain REALLY fast! Crowds can bunch up at the crossing of the Grand Couloir, especially in the morning. Don't hang out there. Get ahead of the crowds, unless you're looking forward to death from above via stoning.

The white lady is no joke:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns- ... 2306.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Will belay for free.
sjellison2
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Re: More Mont Blanc Questions...

Post by sjellison2 »

Thanks for the info, 13ers! I've been planning to attempt a 1 day ascent/descent for a while, so my hindside will be safe from the streets of Geneva, but thanks for the resourceful recommendation! It's a daunting objective, but I've been looking for the largest 1 day ascent I can find and Mont Blanc seems to fit the bill. We'll see how 12,000ft in a day goes... I've been training 3-7k runs most days, so I think it may be possible. I'm planning to leave around 1-2AM and ideally be on the summit by around 9. My biggest worry is fatigue high on the route where the consequences are highest, but with microspikes and ice axe I think it should be reasonable on the well-worn path.

Are the "short-cuts" you refer to on the way down intuitive and easy to locate or would you mind providing some details? Also, I'll be in Chamonix for a few days with the lady and looking for fun things to do if you have any recommendations. The Panoramic Gondola seems like a must do. If you are familiar with the area and would prefer to chat over the phone then please PM me!
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13ers
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Re: More Mont Blanc Questions...

Post by 13ers »

I just sent you a PM. While in Chamonix, the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi is a must and so is Le train du Montenvers. For the benefit of anyone else that may read this, I was being facetious in my previous post, as a fall at or above the Bosses Ridge could easily prove fatal.
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