A lifelong dream: Climbing Mont Blanc and skiing off the top
As many of you may know, Pure Morzine is a husband and wife team consisting of me, Ric, born and bred in the North of England, and Charlotte, born and raised in the beautiful town of Morzine which we both now call home.
For Charlotte, growing up in Morzine meant that a leisurely family walk at the weekend looked a little different to what you and I would have in mind…
Any given Sunday you would probably find Charlotte, her brother Michael and her dad, Hubert scaling up a cliff face on the lookout for Chamois, or taking a dog walk with 1000 m of climbing involved.
Those of you who have visited Morzine before will have no doubt seen the iconic peak of Mont Blanc looking over the ski area. Towering at 4,809 meters above sea level, Mont Blanc is the highest peak in Europe and not for the faint of heart.
It’s hardly surprising then that it’s been Charlotte’s dream since she was a little girl to climb to the summit of Mont Blanc. She even asked for the trip as a present for her 20th birthday, but due to adverse weather conditions it wasn’t possible that year.
As the years went on, and Charlotte moved away from Morzine the opportunities seemed to get smaller and smaller. And even when she returned and we both set up Pure Morzine, the seasons were so busy with work that Charlotte started to wonder if she’d ever get the chance to fulfil her dream.
An opportunity
But the pandemic and subsequent disruption to the ski season presented a unique opportunity. With the ski season effectively cancelled, Charlotte found herself with more time than she had in the last 10 winters combined! And with no ski lifts running, there was lots of opportunity for training for a high mountain summit…
This was it! A date was set for 19th May 2021 to climb Mont Blanc. And the climbing party was about to get bigger.
Charlotte’s dad, Hubert, had previously climbed Mont Blanc 50 years ago when he was a young man in his twenties. But despite being in his seventies, he wasn’t about to be outdone by his daughter and he was just as keen to go back and summit it again. And Charlotte’s younger brother, Michael, didn’t want to be shown up by his dad and sister so he signed up as well.
As for me, I figured somebody needed to be back at Pure Morzine to keep things ticking over so I opted out on this occasion!
The preparation
Starting with one ski touring trip per week, Charlotte slowly built up the amount of time, distance and altitude on her training sessions, to the point where she estimated she’d achieved over 25,000m of vertical climbing over the course of the winter season!
However, training in a pandemic was never going to be smooth sailing and her training plans were disrupted by COVID-19 lockdowns in April. Not long after those restrictions eased, late snowstorms in May brought a high avalanche risk and made training even tougher.
Charlotte, Michael and Hubert did manage a practice trip on the Portes Du Soleil’s Dents Blanches which are serious mountains in their own right. However, as the planned attempt day loomed she felt under prepared, especially when it came to high altitude training and acclimatisation.
A few days before the 19th May, the group had to make a decision if they wanted to make their attempt on that day or not. The weather didn’t look great and the avalanche danger was high. Despite desperately wanting to take the trip, especially after so much preparation, they chose to delay.
On the 19th, an avalanche hit a group of climbers on Mont Blanc killing five people. It was a sobering reminder of how dangerous mountaineering in the Alps can be.
More bad weather in the following weeks worried the family that the whole trip would have to be delayed another year. And with Hubert not getting any younger, his chances of a second summit might be slipping by.
But, as time ticked on, a very small good weather window appeared for the 8th of June.. It was now or never and they decided to go for it.
The attempt
Day 1
At 7am on the morning 8th June, Charlotte, her 71 year old father and her younger brother nervously climbed into the l'Aiguille du Midi cable car. They were joined by another family of three (who also lived in Morzine) and two mountain guides. One of the guides was Charlotte’s cousin making the trip a real family affair.
The destination for the first day of climbing was the Refuge des Grands Mulets at 3,051 m. The old Alpine refuge that can sleep up to 60 mountaineers hoping to make it to the summit of Mont Blanc.
For reference, the highest peak in Morzine is 2,300 m so the party were staying the night higher than they'd been during all their training!
The refuge’s facilities are basic, certainly not up to Pure Morzine’s standards of accommodation. On the plus side, they brew their own wheat beer on site! However, the toilet being suspended over a 150m sheer drop on the glacier is not for the faint of heart.
There are two methods to climb Mont Blanc. One is to walk using crampons to dig into the ice. The other is to ski tour using specialist skis which allow your heel to lift out the binding and have “skins” attached to their base to grip onto the snow.
Being ski mad, Charlotte and family had naturally chosen to ski tour up. This option has the possible benefit of possibly being able to ski back down if the conditions were good.
From the l'Aiguille du Midi cable car the party undertook a four hour ski tour, traversing underneath the tourists up on the l'Aiguille du Midi viewing platform. They traveled across the glacier, navigating its dangerous crevasses with the excitement and relative ease of people who have just set off on the adventure of a lifetime.
The early start allowed the party to arrive at the refuge in time for lunch. A nice consequence of a more serious reason to be off the glacier by midday – the heat of the day makes the tons of ice and rock become unstable and very dangerous to be walking across.
After lunch Charlotte and her family took a nap, played cards and tried to relax before the big day tomorrow – the summit attempt.
Dinner was served at 6:30 pm and it promptly started to snow. Depending on how long it continued, the group’s summit attempt might have to be cancelled. Climbing after too much fresh snow can be dangerous due to an increased avalanche risk.
So, as Charlotte climbed into bed at 8:30 pm she felt very uneasy – she was nervous for the big day of climbing but also unsure if it would even happen. What if it was cancelled at the last minute after years of planning and months of training?
Day 2
A 2 am wake up brought good news – the snow had stopped falling overnight and conditions were acceptable to make an attempt to get to the summit.
By 3:30 am the whole party was packed up and had forced down a small breakfast. They set off into the pitch black only found during the wee hours in a remote location.
Almost immediately they found themselves on very steep terrain. Charlotte wasn’t used to ski touring at night and started to feel out of her depth and a little freaked out. She knew because she was so tense she wasn’t moving efficiently up the mountain and was burning a lot of energy. Not good after you’ve struggled to eat much before setting off.
It was very important they kept moving forward at a decent pace. Firstly, it is safer to do as much of the climb as possible before the sun rises and secondly simply to stay warm. 4 am above 2,500 m is a very cold place to be. So, Charlotte, Hubert, Michael and the rest of their climbing party knuckled down and kept pushing on.
An hour later, their focus was broken to a welcome and awe inspiring sight. The sun was rising on Mont Blanc’s summit in front of them. However, this beautiful sight was also tinged with some apprehension – for the first time they could see they still had a long way to go!
Around 4000 m in elevation Charlotte began to really struggle. Looking back on the trip, she’s not sure why. She thinks it was probably a combination of her energy levels running low and the weight of the 15kg of equipment each climber was carrying in their backpack.
The guides made the call to stop, rest, eat and refuel. Slowly everyone began to feel better. They refocused and decided to push on for the summit.
The final part of the climb was a 2-hour ridge walk from Dome du Gouter. For safety the guides attached all the members of the party together with ropes. Charlotte remembers that at this point she started to feel amazing. They were really doing it – ski touring at high altitude and likely to make it to the summit of Mont Blanc.
The ridge was also the moment for the party to switch their skis for crampons. Thankfully the fresh snow offered some extra grip compared to the rock hard ice that you’d usually find at this altitude.
Several false summits followed – a cruel trick of perspective that fools hikers and mountaineers who just want to reach the summit of their chosen mountain.
Eventually, after 7 hours of ski touring and hiking in crampons, Charlotte, Hubert, Michael and the rest of their party reached the summit of Mont Blanc! Charlotte had achieved her childhood dream!
Tears of joy welled up in Charlotte and her father’s eyes. Hubert had repeated the feat of reaching the summit of Europe's highest mountain 50 years after he had first done it, and this time with his two children.
They spent 30 minutes on the summit. The weather was perfect. No high winds. They were above the clouds, bathed in sunshine. Despite sharing the summit with one other climbing party, Charlotte remembers how quiet and peaceful it was at the top of the world.
The ski down
Relatively few people have climbed to the summit of Mont Blanc. Even fewer have skied off the top. But that is what Charlotte and her party did that morning.
Thanks to the snow that had fallen the previous night, the conditions were perfect. Powder! Her cousin and guide for the trip, who had climbed Mont Blanc 150 times, said that this was the best conditions he’d ever had for skiing from the summit.
After the long ascent, it took Charlotte and her Dad a few turns to find their ski legs but they soon got into their stride and were cruising down the mountain feeling able to take in the amazing scenery with a new perspective.
As they descended, the snow got heavier and the glacial terrain got trickier. For Charlotte the next two hours are a bit of a blur of adrenaline, relief, effort and tiredness. At one point she remembers skiing through a crevasse. She knows the going was very challenging. Traversing and skiing. Up and down. Skis on, skis off.
By 2 pm the party had arrived back at the cable car lift station which they had last seen at 7 am the previous day. Boarding the cable car they were swiftly taken down into Chamonix for a celebratory beer and a well earned rest!
Charlotte’s lifelong dream, the completion of a circle for Hubert, and a shared magical experience was completed.
* * *
“So, what’s next?” I asked Charlotte a few months later whilst writing this story.
“Next winter I'm looking forward to skiing, y’know, with lifts! I’m tempted to burn my ski touring boots!”
“But seriously, I don’t have anything in mind for the moment. The stress of the danger. It’s enough for the moment. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved.”
Experience Mont Blanc yourself
For those of you who’d like to see Mont Blanc up close, there are easier options than climbing to the summit like Charlotte!
The nearest town for viewing Mont Blanc is Chamonix which is only a 90 minute drive from Morzine. It's a beautiful town and well worth a day trip if you’re holidaying in Morzine in the summer.
From Chamonix you can take the Aiguille du Midi cable car - the highest in France - up to the museum and viewing platform at 3,842 m. The views over Mont Blanc and the Mer de Glace glacier are absolutely incredible, and it’s an experience you’ll never forget.