How fit do you need to be to climb Mont Blanc?

You need to be fit and fit in the right places! The summit day involves around 12 hours of almost constant exertion at high altitude. Whilst this is a generally tiring day there are also specific demands placed on your cardio-vascular system and leg muscles. This is best trained for by going hill / mountain walking or mountaineering. Working out in a gym is a lot better than nothing but is not a replacement for the real thing. The physical challenges of climbing Mont Blanc are often widely under estimated resulting in a lot of folk ‘running out of steam’ and having to turn around on the mountain. It is not uncommon for even very fit people like marathon runners to describe the summit day as the hardest thing they have ever done. Don’t be put off if you think you are ‘more of a tortoise than a hare!’. It is never necessary to go very fast on the mountain, more just to be able to keep moving for about an hour and a half at a time (before having a very brief drink / snack stop). It is hard to get a feel for the way the high altitude will effect you without actually trying it but be aware that it is extremely important to not get exhausted on the climb and completely run out of steam on the descent. So, in addition to a high level of general fitness, stamina and determination are also required to climb the mountain with some style and a decent safety margin.

How hard is the climbing on Mont Blanc? Do I need some mountaineering experience?

Via the 'normal route' the ascent is made on a rough rocky path, up to the Tete Rousse Hut and, in normal conditions, this should be a fairly straightforward walk. The next section leading to the Gouter Hut, often climbed in the dark, is steeper and involves some rocky or mixed (snow and ice on the rocks) scrambling sections. This is never hard ‘climbing’ but it is necessary to use your hands for the steeper sections and crampons are often worn, giving a fine mountaineering feel. This is the most technically challenging section of the route as, above the Gouter Hut the way ahead lies entirely on snow. The terrain up to the Vallot Reguge is mainly quite easy glacier walking whereas the impressive final sections of the ‘Bosses Ridge’ has some steeper snow slopes. These are sometimes icy and call for steady crampon work. The final narrow section of summit ridge is a little exposed but there is normally a good track and this provides a superb and fitting climax to reaching the summit. Climbing Mont Blanc from the Aiguille du Midi / Cosmiques Hut involves a longer and steeper ascent on snow and ice. There is one sustained steep snow or icy slope of about 60m to reach the shoulder on Mont Maudit and overall this is a more challenging route. The Italian route on Mont Blanc from the new Gonella Hut is generally not as steep as this ‘3 Monts Route’ but is very long and passes through some big glacier country giving a serious overall feel to the route. There are many other routes up the mountain but they are all technically harder than the main three mentioned here and all require a lot more mountaineering skill to climb. Whilst, on the normal routes the technical difficulties are not great it is very strongly recommended that you have a good level of experience climbing in crampons and travelling roped together on a crevassed glacier as well as the more general mountaineering skills of looking after yourself and navigating. If you don't have this experience but hire a Mountain Guide to run a full Mont Blanc course (usually at least 6 days) you can usually develop sufficient skill at the start of the course to go on and climb the mountain with the Guide.

Tips for staying in a mountain Hut

Keep your personal gear well organised and arranged according to the system of the hut eg Ice Axe, trekking poles & boots stored in the boot room. Crampons & other technical gear can stay in your pack which goes to the sleeping room as long as they are well packed away. Sort your equipment ready for the morning the afternoon / early evening before. Don’t leave it until the morning or late in the evening when people are trying to sleep. Have your head torch handy for entering / leaving the communal sleeping room without turning the lights on. Identify your allocated bed on arrival, lay out the blankets and leave some personal gear on the bed to indicate to other hut users that it has been taken! Get up promptly in the morning, fold blankets & remove all items from the room. Other people may be staying in bed & having a later breakfast. In the event of not sleeping well due to the altitude / temperature / snoring etc try to relax and just rest as much as possible!

Additional Items to Take to a Mountain Hut

Headtorch Earplugs! Very light silk / polypro sheet sleeping bag liner Plenty of cash to pay the bill for you (usually around 45-60 euros but can be more for example on Mont Blanc) and the Guide (usually around 30-45 euros) Alpine Club membership card if you have one Very little else – keep your bag as light as possible! Toilet bags / bathroom products are not required as invariably there are very limited washing facilities.

Do I need any specialist mountaineering equipment in addition to my hill walking gear?

Yes. You will need good quality alpine mountaineering boots suitable for taking crampons and warm enough for climbing in snow in temperatures well below freezing. You will also need, crampons, a harness, ice axe, helmet and rope. To state the obvious, you also need to know how to use it all!

Mission Impossible | High Mountain Guides

‘The Mission’ tackles the 3 highest mountains in the Alps but ‘Mission Impossible‘ challenges you to attempt the Alps 3 most renowned peaks and 3 of the worlds great iconic mountains…

The Eiger, The Matterhorn & Mont Blanc.

To climb these peaks in an entire mountaineering career would be an achievement but to climb them over two weeks would surely be ‘a bridge too far’…not possible…for most anyway…or maybe, for those with the right credentials, it might just be achievable? Those with sufficient fitness, determination and mountaineering skill can apply to take on a truly memorable and demanding alpine mountaineering challenge…The Mission Impossible!

2023 Course Dates & Prices

Course Aims

Climb the Matterhorn, Eiger & Mont Blanc over a 2 week period
Climb some other good quality alpine mountaineering routes as part of the training and spare days
Experience a very tough mountain challenge and improve as an alpinist
Enjoy an action packed & sociable couple of weeks in the high mountains with numerous nights spent in high mountain huts

The Summit of Mont Blanc…*Just* the Matterhorn & Eiger to go!

This course starts in Chamonix and aims to make three training & acclimatisation climbs before starting the business of tackling the big three demanding peaks. See below for a detailed itinerary. The three iconic mountains all present their own set of different challenges. These will put your mountaineering skills, as well as your fitness and mental resilience sternly to the test.

The Eiger (3970m) Alpine Grade D / AD. Whilst relatively low, the Eiger is the most technical of the three peaks and presents steep rocky sections of ridge with some physical fixed rope handling. This is all topped off with a beautiful exposed and narrow snow ridge to a classic lofty summit and sustained and intricate descent. The Mittelegi or South Ridges can be taken according to conditions. Plan A is to traverse the mountain via the two.

The Matterhorn (4478m) Alpine Grade AD. The Matterhorn combines some of the technicality of the Eiger with some of the high altitude and big mountain feel of Mont Blanc. The result is a long, tough and spectacular days alpine mountaineering. We usually climb the iconic ‘Hornli’ Ridge from Zermatt but it is also possible to climb the Italian Ridge from Cervinia.

Mont Blanc (4810m) Alpine Grade PD. With less steep rock than the other 2 famous peaks Mont Blanc provides the huge snow peak, alpine & glacial dimension to the challenge. By either the 3 Monts or Gouter route the ascent of Mont Blanc is long, physical and tough. For those on a 1:1 guiding ratio there is the option of trying the classic traverse via the Aiguille de Bionnassay.

Richard on the summit of the Matterhorn with Mont Blanc, to the North West beyond.

12 Day Mission Impossible Itinerary

This is a suggested itinerary, for 12 climbing days out of 13 days in total (1 rest day in the middle) based on good weather. It may be necessary to change the programme to make best use of local mountain conditions.

Pre-Course full on fitness training 3-6 months prior to the course and then, ideally, some walking and acclimatisation training in the hills above Chamonix for a few days before the course starts. We can offer advice on how to get the most out of these pre-course elements.
Day 0: Evening introductory welcome drink & chat. Conditions, weather and itinerary briefing and ask any questions about the week. Kit check & sort out any hire equipment needed.
Days 1-3: Acclimatise for the ascent of Mont Blanc whilst tackling some of the classic technical alpine ascents of the Chamonix Valley up to Alpine grade AD. Check out the link below for some suggestions. The routes undertaken will combine scrambling and climbing on rock, snow & ice and will include at least one night spent in a mountain hut to aid acclimatisation.
Days 4-6: The Ascent of Mont Blanc. Please check our detailed Climb Mont Blanc page for a lot more information, inspiration and FAQ’s etc
Day 7: Well earned rest day!

Jon on the North Face fixed ropes on the Mittellegi Ridge on the Eiger as part of his impressive completion of the Mission Impossible

Days 8-9: The ascent of the Matterhorn. Please check our detailed Climb The Matterhorn page for a lot more information, inspiration and FAQ’s etc
Days 10-12: The Ascent of the Eiger. Please check our detailed Climb The Eiger page for a lot more information & inspiration. After the traverse of the Eiger and a night in the high altitude Monchjoch Hut, a final ascent – the Monch or Jungfrau can be completed before returning to Chamonix.
Day 13. Final ascent in Chamonix – A classic alpine day route or enjoy some quality rock climbing in the sun after the 2 weeks of high mountain exertion! This last day also acts as a contingency if any of the ascents are delayed due to inclement weather or unsuitable conditions.

Helen climbing the South Ridge of the Eiger en route to the summit. Monch & Jungfrau beyond.

John from Colorado, Mission Impossible Completed August 2016

“I am back home now, savoring the wonderful memories I collected in the Alps — and readjusting to the time-zone change. I enjoyed my Alpine adventures very much, and I enjoyed Phil’s company and expertise — and his willingness to accommodate my wishes. All my objectives were met, and I am especially pleased that I was able to add on the Monch and the Jungfrau to my list of summits climbed. Thanks again for arranging for me to climb Mont Blanc earlier than planned so that we could enjoy the superb weather. Thanks to both of you for making my Alpine adventures so pleasant and successful.”

Rory enjoying the fine dry late summer conditions at the Shoulder on The Hornli Ridge. Dent Blanche South Ridge on Left and Obergabelhorn, Zinalrothorn & Weisshorn on the Right.

Who Can Climb The Mission Impossible?

Similar to our ‘Mission’ course, high levels of fitness, stamina and determination are required to complete these 3 tough mountaineering challenges. Some strong previous hill walking, mountaineering and climbing experience will be beneficial and we usually find that people who are only able to train in the gym do not do very well on such an extended mountain challenge. Furthermore the Eiger & Matterhorn present technical mountaineering challenges so some rock climbing experience is required (up to around Alpine IV / UK Hard Severe / U.S. 5.6) and experience and competence is required with the use of ice axe and crampons. Further training will be given at the start of the course but this is not a challenge for newcomers to mountaineering. The summit days will be 9-13 hours long, technical and at altitude, so you should be physically and mentally prepared for this considerable challenge. Please get in touch to discuss your mountaineering experience and fitness levels if you are not sure.

The training has paid off…enjoy the last few steps to the summit of Mont Blanc.

Alpine Mountaineering & Mont Blanc Equipment Lists

2023 Mission Impossible Course Dates & Prices

Courses are run on a private guiding basis in July, August & early September. We generally run these programmes at a 1:1 guiding ratio however the maximum guide to client ratio is 1:1 or 1:2 for days 1-6 and 1:1 for days 7-12.

Our course include 12 climbing / guided days, within a 13 day block, and an introductory talk the evening before the first day. We can increase this number of days and add more rest days between the peaks as per your preference on a private guiding basis.

Guiding Fees

£6105 based on an individual booking with 1:1 guiding.

A team of 2 booking together could reduce this fee by sharing a guide for the training & Mt Blanc phases of the trip although this may compromise flexibility slightly during the course. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.

What’s included in the Price?

Our courses are priced on a ‘guiding only’ basis which means you pay the exact cost price for all other expenses like hotels, mountain huts and lift passes. These expenses amount to about 1500 euros which includes 13 nights half board accommodation in a hotel & mountain huts & lift passes. You could reduce this figure if you wanted to stay in a gite or camp and increase it if you want to stay in a more luxury hotel.

11 full days mountain guiding with an IFMGA Mountain Guide
We make all your mountain hut bookings – you book the valley / hotel accommodation
Professional bespoke management of your programme both in the planning & climbing phases
Car transport during the course
Loan of harness, helmet, crampons & ice axe as required

What’s not included?

Valley accommodation. This course is based in Chamonix and a variety of accommodation options are available. Please see our Chamonix Accommodation Notes with overnight rates starting at C. 25 euros per night for guest house style accommodation through to 5* Hotel options.
Accommodation for the Mission Impossible is generally best arranged with a flexible component e.g. self catering to allow for changes to make the most of the programme according to weather and conditions.
All mountain huts & lift passes, for you and the guides. Allow about 70-90 euros per night for your half board accommodation plus at least half this again for the Guide.
Some huts and lifts are more expensive, like the Gouter & Hornli Hut and the Jungfraujoch Railway. Plus some other specific expenses like those below.
Hornli Hut fees, 150 CHF for you and 140 CHF for the guide, thus 290 CHF in total for the guest to pay.
Return train fare for you and the guides from Tasch to Zermatt (around 60 CHF)
Parking in Tasch (around 30 CHF)
Lift from Zermatt to Schwarzee for you and the guide (around 80 CHF)
Parking in Grindlewald and the brilliant but very expensive train to Jungfraujoch (195 CHF per adult)!
Your personal mountaineering equipment – see our alpine mountaineering kit list and options for mountain equipment hire.
Flights and transfer from the airport to Chamonix.
Lunches, extra drinks, snacks etc during the course
Insurance
Any other expenses
Please refer to our Alpine Expenses page for current costs of Chamonix accommodation, mountain hut costs and mountain lift prices

Scott on the summit of the Matterhorn with the Monte Rosa Massif beyond. More summery conditions than normal for mid Sept when it’s usually starting to feel like early autumn.

More Details & Booking

Please contact us via the form at the base of this page and let us know your experience & fitness details and aims. Also what dates you are available. We can then reply and discuss availability and mail over an invoice for a 25% non refundable deposit payment with the balance then due 3 months before the course start date.