At 4810 meters Mt. Blanc rises above the clouds to be the highest summit of the old European continent, first climbed in 1786 by a group of adventurous Englishmen. Even 200 years after its first ascent it remains a Mecca for all alpinists all over the world and remains the proving ground for top climbers before graduating to the big walls of the Himalaya.

A dream for many the imposing southern flank of the mountain rises up from the Aosta Valley like the walls of an impenetrable fortress. From Chamonix the view changes dramatically as the mountain is heavily glaciated, with its glaciers extending almost entirely to the town of Chamonix.

The glaciated path to the summit is evident via two alternative routes, one being the “classic” Goûter route, the other more difficult being the “Three Summits” route or “Les Trois Monts.” The Goûter route comprises an overnight stay at either the Gouter hut or the Tête Rousse hut, followed by an early morning climb of the Arête des Bosses to the summit. Alternatively the “Three Summits” route takes climber up the Aig. du Midi cable car to an overnight stay at the famous Cosmiques hut, to begin the climb at 2am up the shoulder of the Mont Blanc du Tacul, the col or Mont Maudit, and finally the Mur de la Côte to reach the summit for the sun rise.