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Rockfax Description
III, 22km there and back,
1 day. A wonderful journey through some huge mountain scenery.
There is minimal technical difficulty but you need to be confident front pointing when tackling the short crux section below the Col du Mont Maudit.
The main challenge is keeping going at altitude and moving fast enough to have plenty of time for the descent..
Approach - From the Aiguille du Midi, descend the famous snow arête that makes up the east ridge, before turning back west to reach the Refuge des Cosmiques in 30 to 40 minutes, having passed under the beautiful South Face of the Midi.
1) From the Refuge des Cosmiques, cross the Col du Midi plateau and climb the Mont Blanc du Tacul North Face (page §§§). The route varies from year to year, often from month to month, but the line usually goes roughly from the bottom left of the face to the top right, reaching the northwest shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul in roughly 2 to 3 hours from the hut.
2) From the shoulder, continue towards the north face of Mont Maudit, descending slightly before beginning to move up again beneath some seracs on the left of the face. The line taken
varies depending on conditions, but the route is usually bottom left to top right once again.
Just below the Col du Mont Maudit is the crux step, which is roughly 40m of 45 degree snow. There is often a fixed line attached to an anchor at the top of the step, and an intermediate
anchor half way up the slope; both can be used as belays.
3) Having negotiated the crux step, traverse southwards to the Col de la Brenva. The climb
from here to the top of Mont Blanc is longer than it looks, and not as enjoyable as the
Bosses Ridge on the Goûter Route. However, the scenery makes up for any tedium in the c
limbing and the route finding is non-existent (in good weather). Pass to the left of the Mur
de la Côte rock step and then climb the snow slope above. Generally the terrain is
low-angled (roughly 20 to 30 degrees) and straightforward.
4) The summit arrives suddenly and, after the long snow slope below, it is very welcome. The average ascent time is 5 to 7 hours from hut to summit.
Descent - Either reverse the route (the crux step below the Col du Mont Maudit can be abseiled in 2 x 20m abseils : 레펠 하강 ) or descend the Goûter Route. One thing to bear in mind is that many climbers don't wear a helmet on the Trois Monts Route but you will want one when descending from the Refuge du Goûter down to the Nid d'Aigle. © Rockfax
UKC Logbook Description
Gaining in popularity over the Gouter Ridge route for ascending Mont Blanc.
From the Cosmiques Hut up the normal route to the shoulder of Mont Blanc du Tacul, cross
the Col Maudit and up the steep snow slope to the Col du Mt. Maudit (helmet!). Go up the
NW Ridge towards the summit of Mont Maudit and descend the SW Ridge. Up the slopes of
Mur de la Cote and to the summit. 5-7 hours to the summit. Descend via same route or traver
se Mont Blanc via the Gouter Route.