With Julien and Erika, I prepare for Mont Blanc over three days: a quiet Cosmiques hut, their first alpine ridge and a traverse of the Vallée Blanche.
Barely back down from four days on Mont Blanc, I’m off again with Julien and Erika, who are planning a six-day Mont Blanc trip: three days of preparation followed by three days for the ascent. We’re doing the preparation together. The idea is to ease into it and tire ourselves out as little as possible — though a little effort is still allowed!
Heading for the Cosmiques hut
The Chamonix universe is in trouble at the start of the season: the Mont Blanc tramway is closed and the Aiguille du Midi cable car is out of action. That’s our lucky break! Rather than joining the crowds at Torino, I suggest taking my two lovebirds to the Cosmiques hut, where things should be rather peaceful in the circumstances…
To get there, we first have to cross beneath the massif through the tunnel, then take the gleaming Skyway, a sort of cable-car theme park designed to extract as much money as possible from tourists’ pockets! The Écrins feel very far away at moments like these!
From Pointe Helbronner, we set off into fog so thick you could cut it with a knife… Then the clouds part and we start to see a little of our surroundings. No fresh tracks head towards the Cosmiques: solitude looks promising!
Sure enough, there are just three of us at the hut tonight, and the area is more deserted than I’ve ever seen it in summer — it’s normally one of the busiest parts of the massif… Manu, the Italian cook, prepares restaurant-worthy meals for us. We’re being spoiled! A lovers’ dormitory for Erika and Julien, and a private room for me… Broken cable cars do have their advantages!
A first alpine climb on the Cosmiques Arête
A lie-in until 7 am, then we head out for a little exercise on the Cosmiques Arête, which has become completely wild again… It’s Julien and Erika’s first alpine climb. With the altitude playing its part, they still have to dig a little deeper for the climbing and downclimbing sections… And overcome a few nerves when it’s time to weight the rope and be lowered!
The clouds break up as we climb. The spectacle is superb!
We arrive at the completely deserted Aiguille du Midi terrace at a leisurely pace before returning to the hut. A packed afternoon programme awaits: napping and doing very little… And tonight it’s positively crowded: five guests and four hut staff!
Returning via the Vallée Blanche
Another relaxed start on this third day… Today we head back towards Torino, with fine weather thrown in! We cross the most broken-up part of the glacier…
After these three days of preparation, Julien and Erika return to the valley for a night’s rest before setting off on their three-day ascent with Sylvain, my fellow guide from the Hautes-Alpes… Unfortunately, the weather will force them to turn back on the first bump of the Bosses ridge!
Practical Info / Route Topo
Day 1 — Pointe Helbronner to the Cosmiques hut
- With Julien and Erika, we travel through the Mont Blanc tunnel and take the Skyway before crossing the glacier to the Cosmiques hut. With the French-side lifts closed, we find an almost deserted area and have the hut to ourselves for the evening.
Day 2 — A first alpine climb on the Cosmiques Arête
- An introductory day combining climbing, downclimbing and learning to trust the rope. The clouds clear as we climb towards the deserted Aiguille du Midi terrace. We return to the hut for an afternoon’s rest.
Day 3 — Vallée Blanche traverse towards Torino
- We head back towards Torino in the sunshine, crossing the most broken-up part of the glacier. Julien and Erika then descend to the valley to rest before their Mont Blanc attempt with Sylvain.
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