The course starts with an evening meeting with your course leader and the other members of your group. Your guide will go though the itinerary for the week and answer any questions you may have.

The day will start with a drive to Italy and a hike through the Gran Paradiso National Park forest, with trails up towards the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuelle II hut (2732m).  You will stay overnight at the refuge. Sleeping at altitude is one of the best ways to acclimatise.

Today you will climb the Gran Paradiso, at 4061m the highest mountain entirely within Italy. This is a great way to acclimatise for Mont Blanc and summit a 4000m peak at the same time. Your mountain guide will drive you from Chamonix through to Italy and back again.

Today we will do 1 of 2 plans, depending on the group and the weather. We will either take the lift up to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m) to traverse the Vallée Blanche, in order to gain further acclimatisation and continue your practice with ice-axe and crampons. You will walk on a spectacular glacier to reach the Helbronner, taking the lift back to the Aiguille du Midi in the Panoramic gondola. Or, in the case of bad weather or needing to rest before the Mont Blanc ascent, we can take the Montenvers railway up to the Mer de Glace and practise our crampon skills on the glacier there.

Now that your training is completed, you are ready for the ascent of Mont Blanc! You will walk up to either the Tête Rousse (3167m) or the Gouter (3815m) hut. You will be at the hut by early afternoon, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the dramatic location and spectacular views. Dinner will be eaten at the hut and we will have an early night to prepare for an early start in the morning.

The Big Day! Weather permitting you will aim to summit Mont Blanc today. The ascent takes about 6 to 7 hours and we will set off early to reach the summit. You will return by the same route to the Gouter hut, where you will spend the night.

If you have not summited the day before, you will make the attempt today requiring a 1am start. After summiting, we will have to descend all the way down to the valley and should be back in Chamonix by mid-late afternoon, where we will meet at the Chamonix Experience office to celebrate!

We can help you to organise your transport to/from Chamonix. We work with well established airport transfer companies using new and comfortable vehicles, with the capacity and know-how to handle everything from delayed and cancelled flights, to unexpected traffic jams with professionalism and efficiency.

To book your transfer, we will need the following:

• Full name
• Mobile phone number
• Email address
• Your destination address
• Flight details (date, time and flight number)

SHARED TRANSFERS:

This is the most economic and ecologically friendly way of travel. The driver will meet and greet you at the airport, gather you and the rest of the passenger group together and then head off to your chosen destination. The door-to-door service means that you will be dropped off and picked up right at your hotel /chalet / apartment. From 40€ per person for one way and 80€ per person for a return trip.

PRIVATE TRANSFERS:

Private Transfers are the quickest way to get to and from the airport. Your driver will meet and greet you at the airport and guide you to your vehicle. There is no waiting for other passengers. Private transfers are available for one to eight person bookings and travelling together and you are guaranteed sole occupancy of the vehicle for your transfer. And, of course, it’s a door to door service, so you won’t be lugging any bags very far.

We don’t include mountain rescue insurance in any of our courses but we strongly recommend that you have it. Mountain rescue may be very expensive, particularly if helicopters are involved. Check with your travel insurance provider if you are covered for the specific activity you are going to do with us.

However, we can organise the mountain rescue insurance for you. Details of the insurance cover are different for EU and non-EU residents; please contact us for more information.

We highly recommend that you book any equipment with us at least 2 weeks in advance as the hire shops can have limited availability in the busy season.

You can collect your equipment the evening before the start of the course and return it in the evening at the end of your course. We work with the following Chamonix ski hire and mountain shop:

• Concept Pro Shop that is conveniently located directly next door from our office. Open 7/7 08:00-19:00

If you wish to book accommodation in Chamonix we would be happy to recommend some local hotels, gites, self-catered apartments, or chalets and advise on the best locations. Please contact us if you would like help finding accommodation in Chamonix.