Mont Blanc – Normal Route

For about a year, Lorenzo has had Mont Blanc in mind. At the beginning of July, everything was ready, but the weather let us down: thunderstorms, fog, and zero visibility—it wasn’t even worth starting under these conditions. Without too many illusions, I tried to modify the Gouter reservation, and after a few rather persistent phone calls, they found us a slot.

It’s early August: the inevitable traffic jam at the Mont Blanc tunnel. We’re stuck for a couple of hours and arrive in Saint-Gervais just in time for a quick meal, check our packs, and get some sleep.

At 7:30, we take the only morning train to the Nid d’Aigle. The weather is bad: rain and almost zero visibility. It’s going to be a long day, so we start walking toward the Tête Rousse hut. The rain soon turns into snow, which, all things considered, is actually a good thing.

Past Tête Rousse, the fog clears just enough to see the Gouter ridge, now covered with about twenty centimeters of snow. With low temperatures and snow on the ground, the risk of falling rocks in the Couloir is practically nil. In just over two hours, we reach the hut. Dinner at six and straight to bed: the wake-up alarm goes off before two.

We leave the Gouter with our headlamps, steady pace, and heads down. The walk to the Vallot hut is long. Finally, daybreak comes and the Bosses Ridge rises above us. The view is remarkable, from the peaks of Valais to the Gran Paradiso.

Arriving near the summit, the clock shows 8:00 and the temperature is close to -20°C. A short break, then straight down: the descent is long, and we’re hoping to get back to a more reasonable altitude soon. A quick tea at Gouter and down before the sun heats the snow too much along the ridge.

An intense day, physically demanding, but highly rewarding. Mont Blanc remains a serious mountain: the normal route doesn’t present major technical difficulties, but it requires a steady pace and solid training.