Mont Blanc FAQ

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc
France/Italy
15,771 feet – 4807 meters

About Mont Blanc :

Q: Where is it
A: It is located in the French Alps on the border between Italy and France. It is actually “owned” by both countries under a bilateral agreement and is called Monte Bianco in Italy. Mont Blanc is a huge massif and the tallest peak on the massif. The nearest airport is Geneva, Switzerland. It is about an hour’s drive or by train to Chamonix, France.

Q: When is it usually climbed?
A: As with most Northern Hemisphere peaks, Summer is best because every day is warmer with less threat of snow. I climbed it in July and August. But in recent years, ~2022-2025, the summer has been so hot that local guides stopped climbing it.

Q: How hard is it?
A: There are many routes that can vary from extremely difficult and technical to semi-technical. This means ropes, crampons and ice axe. Due to the danger of crevasse, you usually rope up in teams. The ice climbing can be WF4 for short sections. My personal experience was mixed. I found it very challenging the first time due to an extremely long day – 13 hours. The other times, it became easier with my improved conditioning and experience. I used a Guide from Chamonix on the first climb and climbed alone on the other two.

Q: How does Mont Blanc compare with Denali or Mt. Rainier?
A: It is a serious climb where climbers experience long snow slopes and some steep sections. On most routes, you use one of the huts to overnight and start early, unlike winter camping conditions on Denali, plus pulling a sled for weeks. So, while it is similar in conditions to Denali, it is not as significant in time or effort. In most respects, it is more like Rainier with the multiple routes and the fact that most climbers do a summit climb in two days.

Q: Is a Mont Blanc climb dangerous?
A: Absolutely. In 2012, 9 climbers were killed in an avalanche of Mount Maudit on the popular Tres Mouts Traverse route. There is avalanche, crevasse and serac danger. You should only attempt Mont Blanc with the proper experience and logistics for emergencies. It seems like each year, a rouge storm hits the mountain in the summer, creating dangerous icy conditions and multiple deaths. Over 100 climbers died just in the summer of 2008. The Swiss, French and Italians have a fantastic rescue service. Out of Zermatt, Switzerland, Air Zermatt conducts 25 to 30 rescue missions per day with three helicopters during the high season–at no charge to the victim.

Q: How many people have summited, and how many people have died trying?
A: 20,000 to 30,000 people attempt Mont Blanc each year, and an estimated 200 people a day summit in the summer season, making it very crowded. About 20 to 30 people die annually on Mont Banc. Some estimates have over 1,500 deaths since records were started.


Training, Gear & Communication:

Q: How did you train for this climb?
A: I did a lot of running for aerobic conditioning and used smaller peaks in the area as training climbs.

Q: Was altitude a problem on this climb?
A: Climbing above 15,000′ is always challenging. Altitude can be a problem for anyone above 8,000′, much less when you are going above 22,000′. To acclimatize en route, the night in the hut helps a bit, but I would strongly suggest taking it slow and spending a few days in Chamonix.

Q: Can you prepare for the altitude?
A: Not really. The common approach is to move slowly up the mountain (1000′ a day maximum), spending your days at a higher altitude than where you sleep until your summit bid. The human body simply does not function well at high altitudes, especially above 8000m (26,300′). As you go higher, the barometric pressure decreases. Although the air still contains 21% oxygen, every breath contains fewer molecules of oxygen.

Everest legend Tom Hornbein explained it to the American Lung Association this way:

The lower oxygen stimulates chemoreceptors that initiate an increase in breathing, resulting in a lowering of the partial pressure of CO2 and hence more alkaline blood pH. The kidneys begin to unload bicarbonate to compensate. Though this adaptation can take many days, up to 80% occurs just in the first 48 to 72 hours. There are many other physiologic changes going on, among them the stimulus of low oxygen to release the hormone, erythropoietin to stimulate more red blood cell production, a physiological and still acceptable form of blood doping that enhances endurance performance at low altitudes. Adaptive changes are not always good for one’s health. Some South American high altitude residents can have what’s called chronic mountain sickness, resulting from too many red blood cells; their blood can be up to 84-85% red blood cells. The increased blood viscosity and sometimes associated pulmonary hypertension can result in right heart failure.

A popular method today is acclimatizing at home in a hypoxic tent. Climbers spend 60 days sleeping with a plastic box over their heads, reaching a simulated altitude of 17,800 feet. They can be rented for about $500 per month. The ultra-high-end guides include it as part of their expedition fee. This pre-acclimatization reduces the number of rotations and significantly shortens the expedition. However, weather delays often put those who acclimatized with traditional methods on the same schedule as the tent methods.

Q: What kind of equipment did you use?
Gear for Mt. VinsonA: I mostly use the same gear I used on Rainier—lots of layers. My technical equipment included a long-handle ice axe, harness, carabineers and crampons. Protecting my toes, fingers, and face is critical since they are most susceptible to frostbite. I use a three-layer system: base, warmth and wind/cold.

Q: Is anything special in your Mont Blanc gear?
A: Layer your clothing and be prepared for extreme cold and wind. Mont Blanc is famous for its fast-changing weather. Since you start well before sunrise, it will be very cold. If it is windy or you hit queues at tricky spots, you will be glad to have all your layers plus Down or Gortex. In the afternoon on a fine day, protection from the sun will be required, and ventilation from warm clothes is needed to prevent overheating.

Q: Did you use SAT phones?
A: No, but cell phones work fine as long as you have a line of sight with Chamonix. 999 is the emergency number.


Climbing Mont Blanc

Q: Which route is most prevalent?
A: The Three Mont-Blanc route is one of the most popular. This is one of the longest routes on Mont Blanc. It starts at Chamonix with a gondola ride to the Aiguille du Midi, then a short stay at the Col du Midi (Cosmiques hut) before traversing two peaks: Mont-Blanc du Tacul, Mont-Maudit and summit Mont-Blanc Another popular route is the Aiguilles du Gouter over the bosses ridge which some consider it to be the “classic” route. But many other routes on this hill are highly technical and subject to avalanches.

Q: How long will it take?
A: Two days for the normal route. You arrive in Chamonix around noon and take the gondola to the Agile du Midi, a stunning rock summit. From here, you walk half a mile across a knife-edge snow ridge and down to the hut, Cosmiques. You have a nice dinner and sleep dorm-style with one hundred other climbers here. The wake-up call is around 2:00 AM when you have a civilized French breakfast, dress and leave for the summit no later than 3:30. Eight hours later, you summit and take 5 hours to return to the gondola for the ride down. A pleasant 13-hour day!

Q: How much does a standard climb cost with and without a guide?
A: The costs can range from $500 to $2,000, depending on who you use. If you do everything yourself, you can cut the highest cost by half or more or even free.

Q: Do I need a permit to climb?
A: No permits are required, but as of 2025, there is much talk about a permit system to control the volume of climbers and ecological and safety concerns. You will need a reservation at the hut. Make this reservation as far in advance as possible since they are incredibly crowded in the peak summer months. While it is not legally permitted, many climbers stay in tents outside the huts.

Q: Do I need a guide for Mont Blanc?
A: It depends on your experience. I used a guide for my first climb and went alone the other two times. It can be quite crowded, so you will probably always be in sight of another party, but I never recommend climbing alone like I did. If I had a problem, I would have been in trouble. In my opinion, you must bring a two-way radio and a cell or satellite phone and have the frequency or number of the local rescue resources already programmed in.

Q: Are there local guides for Mont Blanc?
A: Yes. Companies in Chamonix, France, can provide local French guides.

Q: How do you get on an expedition to climb Mont Blanc?
A:
Just sign up! There are not many questions since it is considered an overnight climb similar to Rainier in the US.

Q: What is involved if I plan my climb?
A: Everything: permits, travel, hotels, food, gear, routes, communications, emergency contentions – everything. You can save a lot of money this way, but as I said before, consider your skills if something goes wrong – are you 100% self-sufficient? What are your medical skills? HAPE and HACE are possibilities in Mont Blanc – do you have the proper medicine and training to deal with them? And a hundred more questions. Again, climbing alone or in small teams is never a good idea. Saving a few thousand dollars is not worth your life.

Q:
What kind of weather conditions will I experience?

A: In July and August, it is not too cold. But the weather on Mont Blanc can develop quickly, so you need to carry all your layers. It’s common to have fast-moving systems drop temperatures and bring freezing rain to the route. In August 2008, a serac the size of a four-story building broke off near the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul, killing eight climbers.

Q: What is the biggest problem most people face?
A: Mont Blanc is more of a stamina climb than a challenging technical climb by the popular routes, so many people underestimate it. You need to be prepared for bad weather. A few problematic sections require close attention to footwork while climbing ice. It is a very long day, so fatigue is an issue if you are not physically prepared.


My Experience

Q: Did you summit?
A: Three times: once in 1995 and twice in 1998. I used Mont Banc as a training climb for my 8000m expeditions.

Q: Did you use a guide?
A: My first time, and I went alone on the other climbs.

Q: Who was the guide, and how did you arrange it?
A: I found a French guide through a guide service in Chamonix, France. He was pretty good. There was a Frenchman with us, and no one spoke English very well, so it was quiet throughout the climb. The guide was relatively safe and very competent.

Q: Which route did you take?
A: The Three Mont Blanc route traverses over Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit and up to Mont Blanc itself. It starts with a gondola ride to the Aiguille du Midi observation station in our full climbing gear and packs and then a fantastic short climb over a very steep, narrow snow ridge to the Cosmiques Hut. The climb took 13 hours the first time and under 10 the other two. The climbing is over long snow slopes, with one fixed section requiring moderate climbing. I rappelled down this section on the return.

Q: What kind of weather conditions did you experience?
A: Hot and sunny, cold and windy—normal mountain weather. We were fortunate that the overall weather was good, and we did not experience sudden rain or snow squalls.

Q: Would you climb Mont Blanc again?
A: Probably not. While it was fun the first time, it has become very crowded these days, and the weather is so variable that it has become a dangerous climb.


Bottom Line

Mont Blanc is a beautiful mountain in an incredible valley. The entire environment is impressive and makes you feel special. The French and Italian influence makes it unique for Americans. The climb itself is not technically challenging but does test your endurance. But the views from the summit are well worth it.


Mont Blanc Resources

I have summited Mont Blanc three times. You can read about my climbs through these links:

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