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Mont Blanc by fair means- The Pope Route

The Italien normal route from the Gonella hut.
No dependency on mechanical lifts nor trains- everything is done on foot from the valley´s floor.
An acclimatization activity before attempting the Mont Blanc.
Guiding ratio max 1:1 on the Mont Blanc.

Mont Blanc by fair means- The Pope Route

About the activity

The “Pope” Route, aka Italian “normal way” from the Gonella hut, is a wilder and much less frequented version to Mont Blanc ascents from the French side. There are no mechanical lifts nor trains, and everything is done on foot from the valley´s floor. The route itself needs a lot of snow to build solid bridges over the crevassed Dome glacier and is therefore being done in most years only in early summer. Because of the challenging character of the route, we offer it in a three days ascent planning, with a maximum guiding ratio of 1:1.
The activity includes:
Glacier travel ‎
Acclimatisation
Training routes with moderate difficulty rock and ice
Mt. Blanc ascent
Exemplary Timetable: (The mentioned timetable is exemplary and may vary due to conditions, ability of the participants, safety & weather limitations.)
Day 1 Saturday- Meeting at 17:00 in Chamonix– for a briefing and a gear check.
Day 2 Sunday- Crossing through the Mt. Blanc tunnel to the Italian side and from the Helbronner station 3,462m a day route such as the Aiguilles Marbrees 3,535m traverse. Overnight at the Turin hut 3,100m.
Day 3 Monday- Another summit- depending on conditions there are many options to choose from- and descent to the valley for another hotel night before heading up the next day.
Day 4 Tuesday- Ascent to the Gonella hut 3,071m - a short drive through the tunnel and into Val Veny (Veny Valley), after which a long walk- first up the Miage glacier and than through the Chaux de Pesse, steep and technical, however well-equipped route leads us to the hut. The night at the Gonella is usually good as the relative low elevation, the good food and friendly environment allows a good recovery before the next day´s challenge. (1,400m ascent, ca. 10 km, 5-6 hours walking time, at times easy climbing, fixed ropes, chains and ladders).
Day 5 Wednesday- The earliest version of a “Mont Blanc breakfast” and around 1 am, we start weaving our way through the crevassed glacier. In most years the actual crux of the route is the glacier passage to the Aiguilles Griseso pass which is heavily crevassed and difficult- from the ridgeline the climb is airy and spectacular with some rocky, snowy and icy sections. The Piton des Italians 4,002m, the Dome du Gouter 4,304m and the Arete des Bosses (the Bosses ridge) lead us to the Mont Blancs 4,810m summit. Planned is a short summit break and and than down the same route for another overnight at the Gonella hut. Please note, due to the aspect of the route and the seracs/crevasses potential threat the guide can decide short term- in order to stay on the safe side- to descent to the French side via the Trois Monts or the Gouter route. (ca. 1,800m ascent, 1,800m descent, ca. 6 km, Rock II, ca. 9-11 hours walking round trip).
Day 6 Thursday- Descent from Gonella hut to the parking and drive to Chamonix, gear return and activity´s end. ETA in Chamonix ca 14:00. (1400m descent, ca. 9.5 km, 4.5 hours walking time, at times easy climbing, fixed ropes, chains and ladders).
* For clients that would like to traverse the Mont Blanc already in an early stage, we offer to book an extra night in the Gouter hut, instead of returning to the Italian side, with additional costs due to organisational complexity (mainly taxi costs from Chamonix to the Veney valley).

Fitness level & difficulty

Price and details

Dates and bookings