Mont Blanc 2019

"Mountaineering in Europe is so ... civilised"

Once upon a time a Kiwi claimed New Zealand has the best mountain huts in the world. After I recovered from a hysterical attack of uncontrolled laughter, I got back up from the floor, wiped off the dust and asked that mistaken individual whether he had been to Europe. He had not. I explained to him that this what he calls a hut, Europeans call a bivy-box.   

Refuge du Goûter

Now if you've never climbed or hiked in Europe, I'm putting it straight out there: You're missing out. It's one of the better things since sliced bread because it comes with pastry and wine. My profound love for the mountains can be traced back over twenty years ago when I first rocked up at Les Houches to climb Mont Blanc. It was not only the first major peak I ever climbed, it was also a life-changing moment and the beginning of an ongoing passion - Mountaineering. I had no idea that a stupid idea brewed up over too many drinks in a pub on Christmas Eve 1998 will condemn me to this lifestyle. 

But let's step back a little bit. In general Australians who mountaineer tend to hop over the ditch or head straight for the Himalayas before even considering the Western Alps. On the surface that makes sense since the Kiwi Alps and Nepal are simply closer however there are a bunch of things which speak for climbing in Europe:

• Accessibility
• Information about routes and conditions 
• Weather Stability
• Rescue Services
• On-mountain accommodation
• Off-mountain activities
• ... and of course: Food, Wine, Beer & Cheese. If you believe the Swiss, Germans, Austrians, French and Italians don't have these essentials covered, there's something seriously wrong with you.

Of course none of that crossed my mind back then in 1999 since I was living in Munich and the biggest mountain around was simply Mont Blanc. And this is why Dirk, Peter, Stefan and I decided to tackle this "little hill" without any climbing let alone mountaineering experience. Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? That's a whole story in itself but obviously the four of us are still alive and let me tell you this: It was a steep learning curve with a lot of close calls. However that didn't distract from the beauty of the mountains and the sense that we can and want to do this more often. Eventually we did a technical mountaineering course (TMC) and learned how to do these things without giving our parents a heart-attack.

Now instead of boring you with tales of our climbs last month ... and in the years before ... I'll give you a bunch helpful pointers to get cracking at your personal Mont Blanc and European alpine adventure.

Acclimatisation Hike

Refuge du Fond d'Aussois

You're in the Western French Alps. They are amazing so why not make use of a good hike to get your body used to a bit thinner air. Recently we found a gem you really do not want to miss: The Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise. It's epic. We did a short circuit over four days with a baby and it was one of the best hikes I've done in my life. In fact I've done the Routeburn in perfect weather and this is simply better - I know this is a big call. The Tour isn't as crowded as the Tour du Mont Blanc, stays higher - always above 2000m - and you can pick a couple of variations which means you can adjust this to your schedule. If you're keen, you also have the option to sneak in a climb of the Dôme de l'Arpont 3599m but you need a bit of gear for this.

The huts are all fully catered which means you're only taking a small pack with some food for the day, change of clothes and sleeping liner. You can get a lunch box for the next day, beer, wine and sometimes a shower. Yeah I know - how civilised!

Now flip through a couple of pics and then I'll tell you a bit more about Chamonix and climbing.

Pointe de l'Échelle reflection

Above Sardières

Ruisseau de Pingon

Beer on tap @ Refuge de l'Arpont

Fun afternoon at the hut

Marmots - the little hearts of the mountains

Not so shy chamois

Blue butterflies

Looking at Monte Pelve

Gentiana aka Enzian

Grandpa Ibex

Do you feel like hopping on a plane yet? Great, let's get a bit more into the logistics:

Where to set up camp

If you want to climb around Mont Blanc, you got a couple of places where you can stay. There are some camp grounds, you can rent a chalet or simply check into one of the hotels or B&Bs. Chamonix, Les Houches, Argentière and Saint Gervais les Bains are all villages you should consider. Obviously Chamonix is the hub of all mountain activities but that shouldn't stop you from looking a bit further. There's also the Italian side of the mountain however that's more for advanced mountaineers unless you're aiming for Grand Paradiso which is one of the easiest 4000m peaks you can climb.

Now back to France our personal favourite is Saint Gervais les Bains which is the village where the Tramway du Mont Blanc starts its climb up the mountain. It has a fucking cute village square which hosts two markets per week and a free car park right next to it. There's a climbing wall hidden under the big bridge (think Burnley but lead-climbing), there are plenty of shops to get your cured meat and cheese kick, heaps of bistros & restaurants and the icing on the cake is the Boutique Hotel La Feline Blanche - again if you don't love Anne's hospitality there's something wrong with you. 

Ah yes ... the cat is actually a dog and his name is Bob ... but he fulfils the colour-requirement. 

Maison de la Montagne

The House of Dreams

This is special. Chamonix has little cute building called the House of the Mountains. It's basically the office of the local guide association ... however ... it's also a place of the volunteer organisation La Chamoniard to get the latest information about routes and conditions ... for free. Yes! This is a service supported by the local council to keep climbers safe. Are you listening New Zealand?!?!? You can just walk in there and have a lovely chat about your trip intentions with a professional guide or a Gendarme of the PGHM*. They are very forthcoming and provide you with a lot of insight, can advise alternative tours or simply point out some key issues. In the end these guys would also come to your rescue so they want you to be safe. Of course if you decide your objective would be best to achieve with a local guide, you can find one right here.

Also if you don't have a plan yet, the Office de Haute Montagne is filled with folders of topos, maps and 1:10000 model of the Mont Blanc Massive. Here you can dream up an adventure in no time - there are plenty to choose from and all of them are right at your finger tips. 

*Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne - French High Altitude Police Rescue Squad. They are absolute professionals. If you get in trouble by not following their advice, you're not getting any sympathy.

Accessibility

The iconic gate at Aiguille du Midi 

You might have gotten the vibe so far: We are not purists. It doesn't need to be the raw wilderness with hideous approaches and self-imposed privations which are borderline to type III fun. While you can walk up the hill - Les Houches to the top of Mont Blanc bears more elevation change than Everest Base Camp to the summit - you can just take various ski lifts, trams or cable cars. In fact the peaks are so accessible that you can do a 4000m peak in a day. Most tours are just a two day trip which means within a week you can easily squeeze in three climbs e.g.

• Aiguille du Tour 3540m
  Take the gondola and chair-lift in the afternoon and walk leisurely 2h to Albert 1er Hut. Early morning, summit and back down. Booking the hut is essential.
• Mont Blanc du Tacul 4248m
  This is an easy day-trip from the Aiguille du Midi. Take the earliest cable car you can hop on (reserve one online or rock up at stupid o'clock), out through the iconic gate and off you go. You might need a second ice axe for the ice-fall.
• Mont Blanc 4810m
  Take the first tram up to Nid d'Aigle, hike up to Refuge du Goûter and get your gear sorted. Very early morning, summit and back down. Again booking the hut is essential. You need one otherwise they will stop you at the Tête Rousse Glacier. The booking opens somewhere around April for the season and normally the hut is booked out within hours however, if you're flexible you can get in on a cancellation as well.

These three peaks would also be my recommendation for medium-level first time visitors. You can also do Mont Blanc du Tacul as a cool-down climb after Mont Blanc and if the ice-fall looks at you with its angry face, turn left and have a beer at the Refuge des Cosmiques instead. 

Bad Weather Alternatives

Unfortunately you can be washed or blown off the mountain and there are options beside going to the climbing gym or disappearing into the void of French cheese, wine and small-good shops. 

• Les Thermes de Saint-Gervais is worth a trip but keep in mind boardies aren't allowed in French pools >> budgie-smugglers it is.
• Check out the Musee Alpin de Chamonix or Musée Montagnard, Les Houches. The first one is about alpinism in general and the latter showcases mountain lifestyles of past times.
• Obviously being a gear-slut, shopping is a great way to pass time and empty your bank account. You won't have any problems finding shops in Chamonix. Think Bogong Equipment on steroids plus all the big brands shops. In case you got wheels also check out Au Vieux Campeur in Sallanches or Decathlon in Passy. Pro-tip: maxing out you baggage allowance on your way to Europe is a mistake
  ... but maybe you should just wash your clothes, stay in the chalet and save some money.

This should give you a starting point and an idea where to begin your European mountaineering adventure. Now it's just about to find a spot in your calendar during the French climbing season, block it and book some flights.

Now if you're still wondering how our 1999 Mont Blanc adventure turned out, you're in luck. I recently recovered a trip report from the depth of the internet and translated it:

How not to start your Mountaineering Career

Yep. I'm also glad that I'm still around ...

Cheers and good luck 🍻

Philipp

This 2019 trip was the first overseas adventure of the Alpenverein Melbourne. If you're an mountaineer or alpine adventurer, this club might be the right thing for you. Check it out at www.alpenverein.melbourne

How not to start Mountaineering

I dug up an old trip report I wrote over 20 years ago about climbing Mont Blanc. The original is in German so enjoy this ridiculous tale of an adventure 😉 Also don't try to kick-start your mountaineering career in the same way.

I've added some photos from other trips since I can't find the original '99 pics.

Cheers
Philipp - August 2019

---

2009 - Sunset at Gouter

Original Report from July 1999

Out of boredom I wrote this report on the high spped train (ICE) from Munich to Guzbach and back - useful information can not be found here. If you should read it, then you will figure out what kind of unprepared mission we executed. The participants were

• Dirk "Schmelz" Schmelzer
• Stefan "Horni" Hornke
• Peter Hammes 
• and myself Philipp "Fuzzel" Hammes

Tuesday, June 15, 1999, afternoon

Unsuspecting I drove with my mate Deffe through Dachau as my phone rang meaningful with the German hymn - My brother's question was also easy to understand:

"Remember that pub-night? Coming with us on Mont Blanc?"

"When?"

"In 2 weeks."

"OK."

So I agreed and started to buy / borrow equipment. Dirk, Stefan, Peter and I then emailed each other until we had everything together and a meeting place had been agreed. Oh, our previous mountain experience? Zilch.

Thursday, 1.7.1999, 10:09

And so it begins - I was on the train on the way to Darmstadt. Although many people advised us against this endeavour , we tried anyway. Only one had a certain amount of optimism: Horst Oster, our cousin from Rosenheim. Mum's intention was that he dissuades us from the idea; Well, that backfired a bit. Horsti has been a mountaineer for about 20 years and had already achieved entertaining peaks like Denali and climbed various mountains in South America. The statement that Mont Blanc is a nice beginner's mountain can be attributed to him a and we "should just go for it". In Darmstadt, I bought a bit more stuff and then went for some shut-eye.

Friday, 2.7.1999, 01:00

As it turned out later, the following section - the car ride - was by far the most dangerous part of the trip: Somewhere in Switzerland Dirk fell asleep - unfortunately at this time he was the last occupant awake and sat also front left[1]. Horni's Golf cruised down more or less uncontrolled with 100 km/h on the Swiss highway. Lucky us only a boundary pole, a headlight glass and a turn signal were the casualties. Also Dirk was pretty much done afterwards.
Once we arrived in Chamonix, it was time to stare at the mountain and have breakfast. Since we did not have all the equipment and provisions, we went shopping and moved on to Les Houches - a little village not far from Chamonix.

After more or less functional packing of the backpacks, we were welcomed by very nice weather, but after a few meters, the first obstacle was in the way - a nice little mountain stream. Anyway, a hop, skip and a jump later we continued up the mountain. At some point the trees stopped and a short time later we came hit the mountain tram, which takes 99% of all climbers. We took some care that the thing does not flatten us and then arrived at 2300 m. Somehow this was just a nice mountain hike so far and not so much should change until the hut: Apart from the fact that someone had substituted the remaining vegetation with snow fields and we were allowed to look at some ugly chamois.

[1] this is where the steering wheel is located.

Friday, 2.7.1999, 19:00

New Tete Rousse in 2019 with Baby Play Corner

Finally the Tête Rousse Hut[2] came into sight. After a few minutes, we also reached it and were able to rest comfortably.

The view down the valley was just great, although it was a bit hazy. At some point my digestive tract made itself noticeable and while I was thinking, if I want to use this strange toilet house at all, Horni and Peter were already thinking loud about its engineering: "For sure there's a 50m pipe going down there so the shit isn't kicking up a stink here."

The pipe was 1/500 of that - it stank. Eat, go to sleep - that was the first day: about 2000 meters without much difficulty.

[2]The old Tête Rousse Hut has been dismantled and a new hut was build in 2003

Saturday, 3.7.1999, 06:00

Getting up, do not wash and have breakfast. For the day we had planned the Grand Couloir, but we did not leave until very late, because we had not adjusted the crampons and had to figure out how the climbing harness works and minor things along those lines.

Saturday, 3.7.1999, 09:00

Specki below the Grand Couloir

The sun had been up a long time, but the slope of the Grand Couloir was still in the shade - not for long. After a short snow-hike we made the first acquaintance with rockfall - that was even before the traverse - luckily only a stone caught my ass and it was so small enough to avoid serious consequences. That was a bit of an unpleasant wake up call and because of that, the traverse should cost us some nerves.
It started with the fact that we did not even know that there was a steel cable to secure us and that we started to improvise:

• Peter and Stefan went over with a (much too short) sling and had some problems because they could not pass quickly.
• Dirk and I have took a 12 meter rope, clipped it on the cable in the middle with a screwgateand us at the each end - very handy and you get across in a double pack.

Peter was pretty exhausted now and the panic point came immediately afterwards, a short rock climbing section with a via ferrata - technically relatively simple and we would pass it without problems on the way back. We started very cumbersome belaying and meanwhile a boulder struck right next to us with a loud bang. Because we did not manage to move quickly enough and we were still in a rock-fall area, we were still losing our shit. Then, after a rather brutal rock fall rolled down the Couloir, the first voices of retreat could be heard.

Why didn't we go back? Because we thought it was bad to go through the traverse again at this time of day. The sun was shining straight into the Couloir and getting more stones ready to tumble.

2009 - Climb up to the Gouter Hut

The rest of the way up to the hut wasn't a problem anymore - Horni drove us on with his permanent gas emissions ... We were only wondering about all the others who went up or down being short-roped - if one falls, all fall, right?[3]

[3]As further research by the alpine clubs turned out, we were on the money with this assessment back in 1999

Saturday, 3.7.1999, 14:00

Still a bit nervous, we arrived at Goûter Hut. The rest of the day's program consisted of eating, drinking, preparing equipment (yes, we became a bit smart) and trying to sleep.

Sunday, 4.7.1999, 2:00 clock

Horni had not slept so much due to the altitude, but otherwise everything was still in the green area. After the short breakfast, we put on our gear and joined the queue up the mountain.

Although not very fast, but with a steady pace, it went up the Dome du Goûter. Horni started to struggle with altitude - it was not his fitness that annoyed him (he had a training plan to increase stamina for the project), but simple nausea. Our speed was constantly decreasing but still acceptable. In the meantime, it dawned and the last shelter in front of the summit was in sight. We were looking forward to a break, which unfortunately had a bitter aftertaste: Meanwhile, our water supplies were already so decimated that we should not have any more in the foreseeable future. 

2009 - Vallot Hut at Sunrise

A little bit recovered we went on but the beautiful weather, which had accompanied us until now left at the same time as really started to feel the thin mountain air. The air pressure on the summit is about 590 mbar - not very much and at 4400 meters it was not much more. Somehow we finally got to the summit as one of the last rope teams crawling over the Bosses ridge, which we fortunately did not see due to the fog because it goes straight down towards Italy (right) and France (left).

Sunday, 4.7.1999, 10:00 clock

On the summit, the wind was pretty strong, the visibility was almost zero, we weren't in a good shape. The summit wasn't very pleasant either - it is mainly characterised by the spots of vomit and yellow snow, at least for that day. We briefly tried to capture a summit photo (which turned out to be a dud) and then it was time to go down again.

Plan A (climbing Mont Blanc) was successfully completed at this point - we set out to work on Plan B (come down and tell about it). Because descending is much easier than climbing, Peter and Horni were soon able to grab their backpacks, which they had deposited in the Vallot Hut.

Our water was finally depleted and so Peter, Dirk and I decided that it would be better for Peter and me to go ahead and get water from the Goûter Hut.

I don't want to bore you with details again, so I'll cut it short: Peter and I ran down the Dome du Goûter - which turned out to be very fast descend - whereas Dirk and Horni immediately slid down on iso-mats, which went even faster. Why did we even bring iso-mats? NFI ...

Sunday, 4.7.1999, 16:00

After a break of 2 hours in the Goûter Hut decided to leave for the Grand Couloir. The descent to the Traverse went quickly and without problems, but a wet snow avalanche had flushed down the middle section of the trail of the traverse and we faced a 1.5 meter wide channel. Stefan and I awent first, but I had to step a little bit into the snow which did not offer as much support as it did 1.5 days ago. After a bit of hesitation we just jumped over the channel. Then came a rockfall, then Dirk and Peter and then a rockfall again - done! The successful implementation of Plan B was within reach. Comfortable and relaxed, we went to the mountain railway station.

[4]Being real tight arses we made the major mistake of not buying water at the Tête Rousse Hut. Boy we were sooo thirsty for the rest of the hike and eventually dehydrated, I'm wondering why this never got a mention although I can vividly remember it 20 years later

2009 - Summit again

Sunday, 4.7.1999, 21:00

Break, Petzels on and onwards.

Monday, 5.7.1999, 1:00

After a never-ending descent through the French forests, a few hundred meters in front of the car, the mountain stream stood in the way again - meanwhile it had significantly grown in size due to melting snow. Somehow we managed to get over this one too ... you don't want to know.

Monday, 5.7.1999, 1:20

Plan B (almost) done - we sorted our gear, played with a little black cat, which saw our equipment chaos as a playground and in the end threw everything in the car and drove off - the cat escape an involuntary trip to Germany at the last second.

Monday, 5.7.1999, at noon

Darmstadt had us back again - after an almost never ending drive during which the one or the other driver would have almost fallen asleep  behind the wheel and therefore plenty of unplanned power naps. Plan B completed - what about plan C? Well, very simple: Now it is the highest mountain in Africa![5]

[5]Not long after Stefan and Peter actually had a go at Kilimanjaro but only Peter made it to the top ... in a blizzard.