Mont Blanc : Which are the main routes to the top?
There are three main routes to the summit of Mont Blanc; via the Gouter Hut, Cosmiques Hut and the Gonella Hut.
The Gouter Hut is the highest refuge on the mountain at 3800m. It also has the quickest route to the summit (3-5 hours). However you should be aware that getting to the Gouter Hut itself is not easy. From the top of the Tramway du Mont Blanc train tracks at Nid Aigle it takes approximately 5 hours to reach the hut. This climb involves crossing the notorious “Grande Couloir” – a steep gully that is often raked by rockfall, and also serious scrambling on rock and snow to reach the hut.
The route from the Cosmiques Hut (3600m) allows a traverse of the mountain to be made. The journey to the summit takes an average of 7 hours, and covers a long distance, crossing over the shoulders of Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit before reaching the summit ridge. This route should not be attempted after heavy snow due to the risk of avalanche on Mont Blanc du Tacul. Perhaps the main advantage of this route is that the hut can be reached in just 30 minutes from the Aiguille du Midi telepherique !
The Gonella Route (aka Pope route) is the longest of all the “standard routes”, with no trains or lifts to aid the ascent. The route begins in Italy and involves a long (6 hour) walk to the Gonella Hut, before a long summit day (8 hours) involving 1700m of ascent.
There are literally hundreds of routes up Mont Blanc. Of the three most popular routes the Cosmiques is probably the most serious. Some of the most technical routes take several days to complete and involve very hard rock and ice climbing.
