Mont Blanc massif, France
Aiguille du Midi & Vallée Blanche
Route detail
About this route
Rope work, crampon technique and classic routes on the Midi ridges, run out of the 200-year-old Chamonix guides' company.
Daily activity
5–7 hr/day; longer alpine objectives up to 9 hr.
Terrain
Glaciers, mixed ridges, ladders and roped snow travel.
Best season
June to September
Your guide office
Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix
Based in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
What's included
UIAGM guide, lifts, hut half board, technical gear.
Not included
Flights, lunches, rescue insurance.
Itinerary
- 1
Chamonix briefing
Time: 2–3 hr
Gear fitting at the Maison de la Montagne, acclimatisation walk.
- 2
Glacier school
Time: 4–5 hr
Crevasse rescue and ice technique on the Mer de Glace.
- 3
Cosmiques ridge
Time: 5–7 hr
Classic mixed climbing from the Cosmiques hut.
- 4
Midi–Plan traverse
Time: 6–8 hr
The long snow arête with the massif all around.
- 5
Summit objective
Time: 7–9 hr
A 4,000 m route chosen with your guide from the forecast.
- 6
Vallée Blanche descent
Time: 6–8 hr
Long glacier descent back to Chamonix and a final debrief.
What to pack
Built for this route's terrain, altitude and number of days. Tick items off as you pack — without the right footwear or hard shell, a guide can refuse to take you up.
0 / 36 packed
Footwear and pack
Broken in before the trip — new boots are the most common cause of an abandoned day.
Clothing layers
Three layers, no cotton. Temperatures can swing 20 °C between valley and summit.
Technical equipment
Your guide office (Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix) rents most of this locally — ask when you confirm your dates.
Sun, health and altitude
UV rises roughly 10% every 1,000 m of altitude.
Overnight kit
Keep these in a zipped pocket, not the main compartment.
Boots, crampons, ice axe and harness can usually be rented from Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France — confirm sizes when you agree your dates.
Traveller feedback
Ratings collected from travellers who completed this route with Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix.
4.9
★★★★★48 ratings
Written reviews for this departure are still being collected. Ask us for references from previous groups before you pay — we will forward them from the guide office.
Questions about this route?
Talk to the guides who run it — gear, fitness, weather windows, private dates. We answer within one working day.
€2,380
per person
UIAGM guide, lifts, hut half board, technical gear.
Next departure · 4 August 2027
4 of 4 spots left
Live availability updates daily and after every booking.