Chamonix days and Mont Blanc

Over the past days i have been guiding for Mountain Tracks and its been a jolly good time with almost all the group reaching the summit of Mont Blanc yesterday but for my own client Patryk who after climbing the Gran Paridiso and doing some other acclimatisation forays felt ill at the Refuge Vallot so  prudently he decided to turn around. We did take in the summit of the Dome du Goutier on the way back down.

The cave exit from the Ag du Midi onto the arete

Early morning light on the Grand Jorasses

Mont Blanc summit and col do Dome

Patryk 

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Mont Blanc with Robert and Adventure Consultants.

We have had a blast on Mont Blanc.

Thanks Cosmin for this Photo of Robert ( on the right) and I  nearing the summit

IFMGA guide Cosmin with his client Jimmy on their return  from the summit as we  ( Robert and I ) were making our way up.

Robert on the summit.

Summit selfie

On the descent, the Vallot refuge in the background

Mont Blanc week with Adventure Consultants

As a IFMGA guide its cool to get the opportunity to work again with Adventure Consultants    This week my companion has been Robert who is super friendly and super fit! We started the week rock climbing then some days up acclimatising and covering various skills based from the Torino Refuge in preparation for an ascent of Mont Blanc.

Pillar Rouge de Brouillard- climb with Kacper Tekieli

and so to continue our climbing adventure:

Climbing in the dark.... Kacper

And the upper pitches

A well deserved Pizza in "Little Boxes," Chamonix.

me, on a lower pitch

We climbed the first 5 pitches of  of Les Anneaux Maguises and then after that the upper pitches of the Bonatti.. It's true climbing on every pitch..... really superb. And then Mont Blanc summit to finish with a cosy night in the Refuge Goutier, thank you Antoine and staff!

Brouillard face , Italian side Mont Blanc

My very good friend Kacper gave me the inspiration and confidence to go and climb a big alpine route on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. I'm 63 and soon to be 64 so it was big deal for me.
That side of Mont Blanc is mind blowing and truly superb... It holds a massive history!

Kasper on the glacier approach to the Eccles bivi hut

Inside the bivi hut

The Eccles Bivi hut

We decided to combine two routes so we did the first five pitches of Les Anneaux Magiues and then finished the climb to the top via the Bonatti route on the Pillar Rouge de Brouillard.

Guides rest days -climbing therapy

Some nice personal climbing therapy with my friend Maggie.

Maggie on Senza Nome - Placche di Oriana -settor sinistro - Italy

Abseiling down the 6 pitch climb.

Caco girls - Switzerland

Maggie leading a 5 b pitch but she was more confident  and climbing better than me on the 6a pitches too. A wonderful rest day for me.

Aiguilles Marbrees complete traverse

The Aiguilles Marbrees has a superb ridge line with some nice alpine scrambling and climbing but also quite a bit of loose rock, the first three quarters of the route is well travelled but the second part which is a bit more technical is not guided quite so much but of course it's a Mont Blanc climb so its still done lots. Frankie and I did the complete traverse the other day, it was superb outing.. and one has the advantage that is relatively easy walk/scramble back onto the glacier rather than abseiling down some nasty loose rock.

Frankie has a quaint habit of using her knees, and then complains that they are sore!

Nice route to the main summit with views of the Aig ou Dent du Geant and Arete Rochfort behind.