Chamonix: Golden Granite Classics

Guided climbs in Chamonix, the mountaineering capital of Europe. Discover the alpine classics of the Mont Blanc Range.

Trip Dates

Price:

1550,- €

Duration:

6 Days

Group Size:

2

Difficulty:

Difficulty

Accomodation:

simple: Hut / bunks

Chamonix: Golden Granite Classics

When it comes to granite climbing in Europe, most climbers will think of Chamonix. There are for sure many more less known granite climbing spots in the Alps, Val di Mello, Furka/Grimsel in central Switzerland, Valle del Orco or even the Zillertaler Alps in Tyrol.

But you can't deny the fact that the Mont Blanc Range features the biggest choice of high alpine sport and trad routes on granite in Europe. And in terms of freeclimbing it can easily compete with the Yosemite valley (where glaciers became extinct a long while ago...).

The scenery is spectacular, with towers and needles of golden granite rising directly from the glaciers. Mountains like the Drus, the Grand Capucin and the Aiguilles de Chamonix have been attracting the best climbers from all over the planet for decades, and they have put up challenging routes, pushing difficulty limits.

Today there are tons of good multipitch routes of moderate difficulty that can be accessed by the Chamonix Lift System, the Montenvers Train and the Midi cablecar or the Punta Helbronner on the Italian side. And no matter how difficult you are climbing, the views on the wild glaciers or the surrounding legendary Aiguille Verte, Grandes Jorasses and Mont Blanc are breathtaking and will make this a special climbing adventure.

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Itinerary

We don't propose a fixed schedule here.
The programme can be adjusted to your climbing experience and specific goals.

For example, you want to climb Grand Capucin or Midi South Face? No problem. But we can also climb some less known routes on the Envers des Aiguilles side or at the Italian / Swiss side of the Mont Blanc Massif. E.g. from Monzino Hut, Dorées Bivy, Dalmazzi Hut or Gervasutti Bivy.

We are also flexible in terms of accommodation. Either we stay in the valley and do day trips, or we hike up to a hut and climb multiple routes from there. There are endless options from Torino Hut, Envers des Aiguilles Hut, Argentiere Hut or Couvercle Hut. Our do you fancy a bivy below the Flammes de Pierres as one of the lesser known options?

Getting There

The nearest Airports are Geneva, Torino or Bern. We will try to arrange a convenient meeting point with you depending on where you are travelling from.

Prerequisites

  • good physical fitness: stamina for 10-hour alpine days;
  • technical skills: confidence to quickly second french 6a in rock climbing shoes (US mid 5.10, UK E1); proficiency in belaying and abseiling techniques.

Accommodation & Food

You will stay on typical alpine mountain huts. They have a big dining room and dormitories with usually 4 – 12 bunks. Sometimes the dormitories have up to 20 bunks. The sanitary conditions are basic with common toilets, washing rooms and only rare showers. On very high huts there is sometimes not even running water.

We typically have half board on the hut. A lean breakfast with bread, jam, butter and, depending on the region, cereals are served along with coffee or tea. Dinner consists of 3 to 4 courses: starter (soup, pasta in Italy), sometimes salad, main course with some meat, desert. Vegetarian or other dietary requirements are accounted for.

You can order non-alcoholic drinks, beer and wine. Likewise, snacks and lunch can be purchased. On the higher huts there is no potable water and you will have to buy bottled water.

Please don't hesitate to contact us in case of questions.

Gear

Alpine climbing kit. Rock climbing shoes, approach shoes or lightweight mountain boots depending on conditions.

Included

  • Organization and guiding by an IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
  • Rental gear: glacier travel kit
  • All guide's expenses

Excluded

  • 6 x Nights/Half board on mountain huts or basic hostels (the so-called Gites) approx. 50 €/Night (alpine club members)
  • staying on a campground is also possible
  • Lunch and drinks at the huts. (Lunch for take away can be ordered the day before)
  • personal insurance covering mountain rescue

Specials

for this trip

Flexibility: joint risk of bad (weather) conditions.

Flexibility is our working method - not a slick marketing slogan. We budget 1-2 extra days in the planning of many of our trips to factor in adverse weather conditions. The days can for example be used to move the trip a day or two as to use the best weather window for the summit bid.

Of course you only pay the actual guiding days. We'd rather achieve your goal than insist on doing a poor alternative.

Alternate dates: if it doesn't work out first try.

Ambitious alpine goals require the right conditions and this might not be the case on your first try. We understand that you don't want to hire a guide for not climbing your cherished dream route. On our individually arranged trips we discuss and agree on how to deal with this situation prior to the trip.

Understandably we cannot cancel all our trips in the high season. But we will come up with a fair deal for both sides: a prefixed alternate date, a voucher for the next attempt, an adapted rate for smaller and less committing objectives, or the option to cut off some days.

Bivies, acyclic and unknown paths: off the beaten track.

The Alps are the Playground of Europe and Europe is densely populated. Some areas are frequented to a degree that is almost grotesque. Traffic jams, risky overtaking maneuvers and utter chaos on lifts and huts are common sight. Clearly the experience must be suffering.

Clever planning can avoid this and the mountains can be experienced in a pristine way — even on big and renowned peaks. We have a long record of guiding some of the most prestigious summits using bivies and less known routes, or simply climbing acyclic. It has always paid off! Does this sound appealing to you? Let's discuss your next true adventure in the mountains!

Van life, camping and road trips: it doesn't always have to be **** comfort.

Sure, we do enjoy fine food and decent accommodation. But we are happy with less comfort as well, if that's what you want. Not having to book hotels makes things a lot more flexible. Cooking together is social and can be a lot of fun. No doubt, hiring a guide is expensive. By keeping our expenses as low as possible we help you save money and focus on the really important things - to climb and to ski! If you like the simple life, tell us so! There is a surprisingly high number of climbs that can be achieved without using expensive huts.