A dream of a lifetime abruptly cut short, not because of personal shortfalls but because of the weather. It’s a good job us Brits are used to the weather ruining our fun!
Ahh Mont Blanc. You win some and you lose some and this one was most definitely a loss. Try as we might but sometimes the mountains aren’t in the mood to be conquered. We can train, prepare and train some more but during an alpine adventure, it is often circumstances outside of our control that end up with full control of our destiny; and that’s exactly what happened with Mont Blanc.
Mont Blanc, the highest point in Western Europe, had for many years been a prospect and challenge that excited me and 2022 was supposed to be THE year. The wheels really got in motion long before this way back in 2018 where I went on an alpine trek in Switzerland and summited my first 4000m+ peak. This trip really got the alpine juices flowing and after months of training, the time had come to attempt Mont Blanc, or so I thought, because in all her 4810m towering glory, she just wasn’t in the mood from the minute I stepped off the plane and arrived in beautiful Chamonix.
Arrival
Arriving in Chamonix, thunder clouds rolling down the valley and with Mont Blanc casting a watchful, icy glare over us, the nervous excitement really started to build. Craning my next up towards the direction of where the summit rested it was hard to imagine I’d be standing there in as little as five days time.
With very little alpine experience and without the skills to attempt this on our own, this trip was booked with Adventure Base, a reputable company with highly experienced guides. Day one involved the usual formalities of getting to know the rest of the group, the guide and a welcome meal where everyone shared stories and a final reminder of kit needed.
Gran Paradiso
Gran Paradiso (4061) was our acclimatisation climb. Getting used to the altitude is vitally important when tackling higher mountains especially if you’re coming from a low altitude country. Without acclimatisation and getting your body used to the higher altiudes slowly, altitude sickness can set in quickly as your body is not able to take in as much oxygen. You can suffer from sickness, headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and a loss of energy which can turn into a medical emergency therefore before attempting Mont Blanc, we wanted to get our bodies used to the higher altitude first.
“Your gloves won’t be warm enough for Mont Blanc,” I heard a rich Spanish accent announce from behind me – our guide Fabio.
“But I used them for the Breithorn which was over 4000m high and I’ve got inners too.” I responded.
With a roll of the eyes came another, “they won’t be warm enough.”
Going against everything I believe in, I decided to ignore the professional advice and take the risk that my gloves would actually be fine!
The climb
Located in Italy, a drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel took us towards our first mountain of the trip. Parking in a lovely little valley surrounded by Italian Peaks, lush fields and forests we set off excitedly. After a few hours uphill and through varied terrain, past herds if Ibex and towards the snow-capped mountains, we finally caught sight of Gran Paradiso in all her beauty.
Our accommodation that night was the Rifugio Chabod (2710m). Mountain hut experiences can really vary but this one was homely and welcoming with some excellent home-cooked Italian food on offer and comfy bunkbeds.
As the 3am alarm startled me from my dream riddled slumber (thank the altitude for a resting heart rate of 120bpm and some random dreams) I slipped into my carefully planned out clothing and headed for breakfast. As I stepped outside the bitter wind clawed at my face and I was thankful for my warm layers. Setting off under the light of the moon, the stars and our headtorches the path was a steady uphill. Looking back towards the hut, we were treated to a stunning cloud inversion. With only two headtorches in front of us and none behind us, the feeling of isolation within these beautiful giants was deafening.
Soon, not long after sunrise, we met the snow line, attached our crampons and roped up following a steady pace, one foot in front of the other and with limited rest.
By this point I was on an absolute high – I was feeling strong and moving well and the clouds that had previously been building high above us, had cleared from the summit and as we reached the top of the glacier we were met with blue sky and warm sunshine. Our guide looked more concerned as he looked towards some darkening clouds in the distance and muttered something about “getting a move on” before looking once more at some tiny black UFO shaped clouds far in the distance (a sign that bad weather is approaching). We set off once again, the summit within an hours reach, but not 20 minutes later we were engulfed in thick fog, cloud and light snow. I couldn’t see two people in front of me on the rope and certainly couldn’t see the guide at the front. Visibility was around 3-5m.
We retraced our steps along the summit ridge, looking for the way onto the final scramble to the summit and after eventually finding it, our pathway was blocked by a chunk of snow with a large crack in it. With nobody else on the mountain by this point, the only decision was to turn around, the summit an agonising 40m away. An easy decision. A sensible one. But still a heart wrenching one. We were SO close. Down we trudged, falling through the soft snow and back to the hut for our final night.
Rest Day
Back in Chamonix, we had time for one rest day and after another telling off about my gloves I reluctantly forked out an extortionate £100 on some gloves that had a comfort temperature of -20 degrees. Sorted. This day also made way for the arrival of Nacho, the other guide joining us on our Mont Blanc attempt (for safety reasons it’s a 2:1 ratio for Mont Blanc) and after the usual introductions his outburst of “there’s no chance” really wasn’t what we wanted to hear. With a huge storm forecast and 100mph winds, a small window of 3 hours was there for our summit attempt. Both guides said there may be a chance if the window of clear weather that was forecast actually turned up, but they weren’t hopeful. The choice was ours; attempt it and probably fail or stay in Chamonix and do something else with the guides instead.
Obviously, we chose to go for it. How could you not? A small chance is a chance, and we were prepared to take the risk. Tomorrow was the beginning.
Mont Blanc
An early start and my new gloves packed, we set off for Mont Blanc. Depending on the time of year you go, you can often miss out a 2 hour trudge uphill and jump on the Mont Blanc train to an altitude of 2380m and sensational views. Unfortunately for us, the train wasn’t open yet so our only option was to walk.
Soon, the heavens opened and we were pelted by rain. After sheltering for a while, it showed no sign of stopping so we carried on through the wind and rain (which eventually turned to snow) over a mix of stony paths and snow-banks, before meeting the final scramble towards our hut for the night, The Tete Rousse at 3167m. Crossing through the snow, I was so relieved to head into the warmth of a hut and some lunch, along with around 50 other climbers/hikers.
This hut was the no thrills hut I was used to. Basic, no running water, no showers, rooms with up to around 20 people in all sleeping next to one another on a long bench. The bedrooms were downstairs too, cut into the rock face I believe, surrounded by metal so they were absolutely freezing.
At dinner, we heard the familiar comment of “there’s no chance, the window is even smaller and the wind is getting stronger.” It was hard to believe – we headed out from the hut into the calmest of evenings, the summit of Mont Blanc just out of view in front of us, a crystal clear sky and literally, no wind. It was perfect, so calm. So quiet. So clear. I watched the most unbelievable sunset from part way up Mont Blanc that night, surrounded by the mountains I’d once dreamt of.
Before bed, all the guides in the hut went out for their evening meeting leaving all the clients, looking nervous, back in the communal area. This was it; decision time. Will we or won’t we?
Back our guides came, a sullen look on their faces before uttering those words I just didn’t want to hear; ” We can’t take you guys. We’re sorry. The storm is coming in earlier and the weather window is gone. It’s too dangerous.”
It was like a thump to the heart, it really was. All that time and effort put into the training, all the dreaming, all the waiting and it was gone.
Beautiful clear skies outside were just a mask for what was to come.
We had two options and every guide agreed;
- Option 1 – head down early tomorrow morning back to Chamonix and do another activity for our final day.
- Option 2 – head up to the next hut after an early breakfast and then make our way towards the final summit ridge line if possible. They thought we might be able to get to within around 300m of the summit but were very clear that we would have to turn around at this point unless a miracle occurred. Then we’d be heading back to the new hut for the night and walking down to Chamonix on our last day.
Option 2 won. They were right back in Chamonix, who was I to doubt them?
After a VERY cold night, I woke in the morning to blue skies. Was this a joke!? Confused, I opened the door to have it nearly blow off the hinges and the wind to almost throw me down the mountain side. OK, they were right. The wind was INSANE. and actually, really scary at times. Heading back down the mountain, with more fresh snow, was hazardous so we found some quieter, more sheltered areas and slid almost all the way down the snow-slopes using our poles to steer us back to the train and the final walk back down to our pick-up point.
The mood was so subdued; it was the only decision and with black clouds swirling above us with the occasional pop of thunder ringing loud, our only priority was getting off the mountain safely.
Back in Chamonix, the feeling of failure was suffocating. Failure, not because of my lack of ability, but because of the weather.
Failure; a word full of negativity.
Failure; an idea that we could have/should have done better. That we could have done more?
But was it really failure?Yes in some sense, not making it to the summit was a failure but when I look at all the things I achieved during this trip, they far outweigh the one failure – being fitter and stronger than I ever have before, having an inner determination I didn’t know I had, learning new skills and getting better at alpine mountaineering, listening to fascinating stories from the guides, meeting new people, setting new goals and not to mention getting 3/4 of the way up Mont Blanc!
Maybe it’s time to move on from a summit either being an achievement or a failure and to start focusing on the journey getting there too because summiting is such a small part of this journey when we think of all the sacrifices and dedication we put in in the lead up to our summit attempt.
That day, nobody else summited Mont Blanc. Actually, at our attempt point, we were 3 weeks into the season and no commerical group had yet summitted. After that, it was sporadic. With warming temperatures that season, Mont Blanc saw snow melt like no other, storms, closures and huge rockfalls. Successful summits were infrequent and some guiding companies shut up shop early for the season. A sign of things to come? I hope not.
But it didn’t all end on a negative! On our final day, we got to scramble and climb across the incredible Cosmiques Arete – the hardest climb I’ve done so far and every second was a joy. At the end, all I could think to do was throw my arms around our original guide, Fabio, and say “thank you, I’ve had the best time”, as I tried to wipe away the tears from under my sunglasses.
What an experience. Will I be back for Mont Blanc again in the future? Who knows but with that question unanswered one thing I know for sure is that my love of big mountains grows stronger every day.
Huge thank you to Adventure Base for such professional service from start to finish.
P.S You might be wondering if I used my gloves in the end – I didn’t. I confirm they remain unused and waiting for the next big mountain trip!
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