THE ALPS 2012 — 2013

The Alps

Over the years I have made many trips to the Alps of France and Switzerland. These spectacular mountains with their pointed summits offer fantastic climbing and ease of access to routes in every grade of difficulty. From easy ridge scrambles to the steepest and most difficult of technical alpine climbs. No where else in the world can you leave your hotel or mountain hut early in the morning after a prepared meal, walk less than an hour across a white glacier beneath a starry dark sky, begin and complete your route of choice, either rock, ice snow or mixed, and return to town in time to enjoy a hot shower and well-deserved celebratory gourmet dinner. There just isn't another experience quite like it anywhere else.

Because there is so much variety for climbing here and everyone is different in what they seek to find in these mountains the programs we offer are all personal and customized to the individual's desires, physical fitness and time allotment. In this way we are better able to help individuals or private groups achieve their climbing goals more efficiently thereby making their time with us more rewarding.

Because there are so many incredible routes in the Alps we have chosen just a few f our favorite climbs. These are not the only routes we guide so if you have a particular "tick list" in mind send it to us for review and we'll tell you what we think.

Many routes can be best accessed from mountain huts and sometimes, depending on our chosen itinerary, we will just spend several consecutive nights in the same hut in order to get the most rest in-between climbs.

Alpine climbing in Chamonix is special. Nowhere else can you leave your hotel early in the morning, take the telepherique high into the mountains, have a leisurely approach to your climb of choice, complete an alpine mixed route, and then return in the evening to town for a well deserved glass of wine, meal and comfortable bed. Only in Chamonix.

Climber to Guide Ratio

Whenever you can you should go with the lowest client to guide ratio you can afford. A low ratio of clients per guide offers important advantages over larger groups.

Safety is greater. Climbing in a small group increases speed in the mountains and a faster team has a much better chance to avoid rockfall, storms, being benighted; not to mention reaching the telepherique before the last tram of the day down into the Chamonix Valley.

Flexibility in adapting to changes in weather and conditions. If the climbing team is small it is easier to accommodate adjustments in team composition. Small teams offer greater chances of getting to the summit or completely a long tour. The larger the size of your team the greater the chances of someone holding you back.

Small teams mean you receive more personal attention, thereby increasing your skill-set and enjoyment on route. You aren’t just being guided. You will be learning as you go.

Climbing is best enjoyed and your goals best achieved when you have the freedom to learn and move at your own pace climbing the routes best suited to your individual style and difficulty. All the programs we offer in the Mont Blanc area are on a customized basis to best suit your individual need. We will not offer group programs, matching strangers with whom you are not compatible either in physicality, personality or technically. We strive to help individuals achieve their personal climbing goals quickly, safely and with the best results by keeping groups small, personal and flexible. We will take groups of friends who are compatible but we still keep our climber to guide ratio small. No more than 3:1 on no-technical tours. No more than 2:1 on technical routes.

There is a never-ending supply of routes in the Alps. Our suggestions only scratch the surface of what is available here. The routes we have chosen to mention are our favorites and we have left out hundreds more which we are happy to guide should you wish to climb routes not on our list.

Suggested Climbs in the Mont Blanc Area

Our Itineraries vary according to the length of time you have available for your visit. WE CUSTOMIZE OUR TRIPS ACCORDING TO YOUR TIME FRAME AND DESIRED DIFFICULTY. Each trip is different and unique.

PRICES

Our prices reflect the cost per day to be guided up any of the above routes. For an extended itinerary of say, one week or more a customized itinerary with full cost will include lodging in town, hut fees, food, transportation and the fee for being guided. The following are guidelines only.

Per day fees for four of more consecutive days of climbing
1:1 ratio $600 per person per day
2:1 ratio $400 per person per day
3:1 ratio $300 per person per day

Per day fees for one, two, or three day booking
1:1 ratio $700 per person per day
2:1 ratio $500 per person per day
3:1 ratio $400 per person per day

Sample Nine Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Chamonix. Check into hotel.

Day 2: Leave Chamonix on the morning telepherique to the Aiguille du Midi Check into the Cosmique Hut. Climb the Cosmique Arete on Midi. Spend night in hut.

Day 3: Depart hut in morning for climb on Mont Blanc du Tacul. Return to hut in afternoon. Spend evening in hut.

Day 4: Depart hut early for ascent of East Face Mont Blanc du Tacul. Lafille gully or Gabarrou-Albinoni route. Return to hut and return to Chamonix. Spent night in motel in Chamonix.

Day 5: Spend day resting in Chamonix.

Day 6: Leave on morning Telepherique for Argentiere hut. Arrive in hut for lunch. Spend day preparing for early ascent of Swiss Direct on Les Courtes.

Day 7: Depart hut via headlight and approach across Argentiere glacier to foot of route. Return to hut after climb. Spend night in hut.

Day 8: After a leisurely depart Argentiere hut to Chamonix.

Day 9: Depart Chamonix for departure home.

Price complete for above itinerary would be $4800.00 for one climber.

Price complete for above itinerary would be $3900.00 per climber for two climbers.

This price includes the following:
Hut fees and meals
Telepherique costs
Transportation in Chamonix Valley
Guide’s fee

Price does NOT include the following:
Lodging in Chamonix
Meals in Chamonix
Transportation to and from Chamonix Valley to airport
Alcoholic beverages

Price for guiding fee only for above itinerary is $3000.00 for 1:1 ratio

Price for guiding fee only for above itinerary is $2200.00 per climber for 2:1 ratio

For extended visits over two weeks long we have found it to be most advantageous to rent a small chalet in the Chamonix Valley and operate from this as our base of operations. It is both more comfortable and less expensive to do this but requires a little more advance notice in order to make the necessary arrangements.

SUGGESTED 2012 DATES

March-April
May-June

SKIING IN THE ALPS

CHAMONIX to ZERMATT HAUTE ROUTE-Verbier

Skiing the Haute Route is a unique and fantastic experience. Here in the Alps you can ski Unencumbered with light packs, through the heart of the mountains, over immense glaciers through knee deep fresh powder snow, arriving at your deluxe hut at the end of the day. Here you spend the night in comfort drinking wine and eating delicious prepared meals. Only in the Alps can you travel this light. Only on the Haute route do you have so many choices of which hut to stay and which route to travel. The route we have chosen is our favorite because it combines wonderful views with some ot the the nicest huts. Aditionally, the Verbier version of the tour allows a few more options should poor weather come our way or if we desire a change in skiing difficulty.

Our Haute Route trips have a low skier to guide ratio of 3:1. This low ratio increases our safety on steep slopes, allows us to move quickly when we need to and gives us more flexibility should our itinerary require a last-minute change.

Chamonix to Zermatt Haute Route-Verbier Itinerary
Day 1 Vallee Blanche ski Descent. Night in Chamonix.
Day 2 From the Grands Montets, over the Col du Chardonnet, Fenetre de Saleina, to the Trient Hut.
Day 3 Over the Col des Escandies to Champex. From Champex we travel to Verbier via taxi, ride the lifts, then ski down to the Mont fort hut, where we spend a comfortable night.
Day 4 Mont Fort hut to the Rose Blanc which we ski and then descend to the Prafleuri hut.
Day 5 Prafleuri hut to Dix hut.
Day 6 From the Dix hut we ski over the Serpentine and the Pigne d'Arolla and descend to the Vignettes hut.
Day 7 A great day's skiing to the Bertol hut. Mostly downhill with a long uphill just before the hut. Fantastic views into France and Switzerland.
Day 8 We leave the Bertol hut early and quickly cover easy ground across a glacier and ascend the Tete Blanche. From the summit of the Tete Blanc we descend down steep slopes of the Tiefmatten glacier. Continuing down to the interserction of the Zumatt glacier we pass under the Matterhorn and into Zermatt.

Program Cost is $3,500 per skier.

Program Cost Inclusions

Program Cost Exclusions

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