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• #1052
Have had an invite from a friend thinking of climbing Mont Blanc, does anyone have any recommendations for a guide? There would be 4 of us. 2 with decent Scottish winter experience and 2 without
Good guides tend to be fully booked 1 to 2 years in advance. Can recommend a couple of people but that's the timeframe you'd be looking at for them.
For reference, I'm planning a crack of the Matterhorn in 2022 and I need to be booking my preferred choice ASAP. Might have to defer to 2023 if I want to go with my preferred choice.
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• #1053
Just to follow on, not really suggesting there are many bad guides out there. It depends what sort of experience you are looking for. For me, I want to climb with somebody I have experience climbing with and know I work well with. My advice probably was poor advice if you're just looking for somebody to get you up and down without doing much training on the way.
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• #1054
The 2 without should get some Scottish Winter experience beforehand
And some experience above 4,000m too. Scottish winter skills are not enough to get you up there if you're not ok with the altitude. Mont Blanc normal route is roughly 2 x Snowdons in less than a day with ~40% less oxygen available to you.
Most of the "tourist" packages for Mont Blanc factor in a week of altitude exposure beforehand. That sort of package is well worth considering imo. Gives you quite a bit of experience before the big day.
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• #1055
I did a 10-day course back in 03 which was amazing and got loads of experience until the weather crapped out right at the end so we never got to do Mont Blanc. Still had a great time though. Gave me confidence to do easy 4,000m peaks without a guide (e.g. Weissmies) in subsequent seasons.
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• #1056
Sounds awesome. That sort of package is probably a better idea of hiring a private guide if you're not a relatively experienced alpinist in my opinion. As you say, you learn a lot.
From Chamonix or Courmayeur?
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• #1057
Weissmies
Pretty impressive for a first unguided 4000m! We wouldn't have dreamed of crossing the Triftglescher without a guide for quite a few years after our first big guided climbs.
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• #1058
It was Chamonix, it was with a British guide with only 2 clients so very customisable / and detailed. I think I got it cheap because someone ducked out at the last minute. Basically like the courses Jagged Globe etc will do, but DIY with a single guide. Just googled the guy only to find he died last year of lung cancer :( I remember his smoking rollies on the belays
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• #1059
Weissmies
It's only a PD I think? Here is our party approaching the final summit ridge. My best ever day in the mountains
Then I got married and had kids and haven't done anything for years :(
EDIT we traversed from the south & descended the Triftgletsher
EDIT 2 this route https://www.summitpost.org/weissmies/150231#chapter_4
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• #1060
Sure, it's a walk mostly but Triftgletsher is gnarly.
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• #1061
This was in 05 and I don't remember any problems. Maybe it's worse now
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• #1062
What time of year did you do it? The bit you cross on the normal route is a fast moving piece of ice so has some absolutely whopping crevasses. Conditions vary hugely year by year as you say.
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• #1063
Here's a picture I just found from a guide's web site.
I mean, I'm a self admitted coward and I'm not ashamed of that but there is no way in hell I would have crossed that without somebody holding my hand in the early days :D
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• #1064
All appreciated. We/I was expecting a tourist 6 day trip rater than a 1 day up and down guide. Fitness doesn't feel like an issue, altitude is an unknown really.
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• #1065
Yeah sorry, totally misread what you were looking for. I'd just Google Mont blanc packages and go with a tour company with a good rep. It'll be hard to go wrong. They'll give you the altitude experience you need.
They'll also give you some info so you can gauge your fitness.
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• #1066
Interesting, I remember it being fine at the top with a very clear path, then very dry at the bottom so easy to dodge any issues. It's all a bit hazy but I recall staggering into the cable car top station after about 12 hours on the mountain and chugging a beer with the greatest of pleasure :)
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• #1067
I think I'm being such a pussy because I've only seen it in the flesh in winter. As you suggest, it's what you cant see that shits you up.
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• #1068
Yeah this was August so fairly late in the season. Also we were young and foolish LOL
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• #1069
Any suggestions for baby's first climbing shoes*? I know fit is very important so think I'll have to order a few pairs and keep the best ones as shops aren't likely to let me try things on these days. For mainly bouldering, always indoors.
* me, not an actual baby
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• #1070
What size are your feet?
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• #1071
UK 9-10ish.
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• #1072
As you say, fit is important. I'm a UK 9-10 street size and I'm a 41.5 in la Sportiva, but 44 in Unparallel and anywhere in-between in other brands.
Something like the Katana is an easy fitting shoe good for most stuff. I think Otakis are a great all-round shoe with a good balance of performance and fit.
For me 5-10 is a no go because they kill my achilles and they're too narrow.
Look at la Sportivas comparison chart for a good understanding of what you might want to look for: Chart -
• #1073
Scarpa Arpia are comfortable and have sticky rubber. They can be had for reasonable cash at the moment.
The thing with your first pair of shoes is that you won’t know what the right fit is until you’ve climbed in them for a while. Too tight and they’ll be a pain to climb in, too loose and they won’t perform as well.
My Arpias are eu40/uk 6.5 while I wear a uk9 in normal shoes. These are comfortable for me, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend sizing down that much to someone getting their first pair. Try a uk8 maybe. Or order a couple pairs and be prepared to send one back.
Are your feet wide or narrow?
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• #1074
La Sportiva Tarantula and Tarantulace seem pretty popular as first climbing shoes, although I've not used them myself so can't comment on them. As you say, fit is the most important thing so ordering a few pairs—potentially in a range of sizes—is a good idea.
Go Outdoors is worth checking as they sometimes have heavily discounted shoes, although it can be a bit hit or miss: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/climbing/climbing-shoes/
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• #1075
Also, are you going to be bouldering or top-rope/lead climbing?
The 2 without should get some Scottish Winter experience beforehand