Mont Blanc (4810 m) is the highest mountain in the Alps, and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence. There are four normal routes to the summit, the routes are not difficult but also not without danger. All normal routes end in Bosses ridge, so that part is often crowded. In the current route, we took the Grands Mulets route which was also the route taken on the first ascent to Mont Blanc. This route is usually done in late spring as ski tour. The glacier is badly crevassed, so you need experience and very good orientation skills.
Chamonix to Refuge des Grands Mulets: From Chmonix, you can either take the cable car to Plan de l'Aiguille and then walk till Gare des Glaciers or simply walk from the parking near Mont Blanc tunnel. A very good fitness is required if you start from the parking lot as you have almost 1800m with very technical glacier. From Gare des Glaciers, you can traverse the steep rock face before arriving to the glacier. Here you can rope up and continue on a very crevassed glacier. Very good orientation skills are required for this part. Sometimes you might encounter black ice. After this crevassed part, you have to climb approximately 400m on steep glacier till the hut, this part is avalanche prune.
Hut to Summit: Start very early from the hut (2-3 am). From the hut go up the glacier towards the rocks of the N ridge of Dôme du Goûter, then walk back to the left up a steepish snow slope to gain the Petit Plateau. Cross this shelf on the left, away from the seracs of the Dôme and go up another slope to the Grand Plateau. The ascent to there from the hut is badly crevassed and needs constant attention. Then, cross the Le Grand Plateau to SW and go up the long slope to the Col du Dôme. Turn to the left and reach Refuge-Bivouac Vallot. Finally, follow the exposed Bosses Ridge to the summit.
Weather: Although the weather is very unpredictable here, this mountain decides it's own weather. So better prepare for any kind of weather. This website provide the weather forecast at the summit.
Webcam: L'Aiguille du Midi
