vallierojas: Mont Blanc: peak of the devil

One of the world's deadliest mountains, Mont Blanc claims many lives each year. Yet with a good guide and the right conditions, even novices can attempt its spectacular 4,810m summit

The ladder was unstable and covered in ice, fixed precariously into the snow wall above me. Looking down through the rungs, I could make out only a void, a yawning mouth of blackness, sucking at my feet. John kept the rope tight, urging me on until my ice axe slammed into the steep slope and my crampons left the slippery metal, instantly gaining purchase on the ice and ending an intense minute of movement over a gaping crevasse.

I was on Mont Blanc. It was 2am. Passy and Sallanches, two towns at the foot of the Chamonix valley, twinkled a lifetime away below as we made our way up the steep face of Mont Blanc du Tacul ? the slightly lower (4,248m)peak just north-west of the White Mountain itself. Behind us pinpricks of light signalled the presence of other teams following in our footsteps, their head torches carving a niche in the heavy darkness.

This was summit day. A storm was forecast to roll in that afternoon. And we still had so far to go.

John Taylor, my guide, has been to the top of Western Europe's highest mountain more times than he can remember. "But it still blows me away," he says, keen not to belittle the achievement, or the view, that comes with standing 4,810m above sea level. Finding a guide in Chamonix to take you up Mont Blanc is not hard. The valley is home to around 300 IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Association) guides, the most highly qualified and experienced mountain professionals in the world. But with his company, Mont Blanc Guides, John has made the ascent his speciality, devising a five-day acclimatisation and climbing schedule that can lead to an empty summit on arrival ? no mean feat on one of the world's most crowded mountains.

"Most of my clients are adventure tourists, rather than die?hard alpinists," says John. "We've made Mont Blanc our only goal, and made the programme as good as we can."

The aspiring mountaineers who sat around the dinner table at Chalet Prarion in Les Houches, base camp if you like, on the first night had a diverse selection of experience and skills, ranging from absolutely none to summiting Mount Elbrus in Russia.

Since Mont Blanc was first summited in 1786 ? by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard ? it has become an achievable jewel in the amateur mountaineer's crown. In good weather the climb isn't technically difficult. Within the reach of the less experienced if accompanied by a guide, it offers a legendary summit without the expedition price tag. But while Mont Blanc is enchanting, it is often underestimated: vicious storms and avalanches are an ever-present danger. In 2009 the death toll was more than 60, making it one of the world's deadliest mountains.

We weren't glib enough to assume it would be a walk in the park. News was filtering through of deaths on the Go�ter couloir ? on our route ? as warm weather caused boulders to shift and fall.

Despite this, our acclimatisation continued as planned. It's hard to say whether this part is for getting you used to the altitude, or to the mountain huts. Both are a challenge: the close quarters of the huts offering little respite for those suffering the fitful sleep, headaches and bloating of being up high. To get us used to the rope and crampon work essential on glaciers, John chose to ascend the Petite Fourche, a modest peak in the massif with striking views of the Eiger and the Matterhorn. With this in the bag, we rappelled into Switzerland and trekked across the Trient plateau, an endless swathe of snow under a baking sun.

The next morning we again crossed the plateau, catching a view of Mont Blanc in the early morning light through a gap in the rock by the Aiguille du Tour. That was where we were heading.

The mood was heavy with tension, excitement and nerves ? not mitigated by sharing the Cosmique hut with other climbers, some of whom could only be described as rugged mountain types. It was the evening before our summit attempt. The closing of the Go�ter couloir had left John faced with either calling it quits or going via the harder ? and longer ? Three Mounts Traverse. He chose the Three Mounts, confident we were strong enough to handle it.

Two other guides would be joining us and we would ascend in three groups of three, to increase safety and pace. The problem was the weather.

"What you don't want to see," said John as we stared at the horizontal windsock, "is wind on the clouds, so there's straight lines through them. Erm, basically like that."

But there was a chance the wind would drop, so we bedded down for a 1am wake-up call.

By 1.24am I was roped up with John and my team-mate Andy, and beginning the climb up the Col du Tacul, the night hiding the broken blocks of ice that lurked above us. We moved swiftly, aware of the dangers of our position underneath them and focusing on our task. We had to be back down by 3pm or risk being caught in the forecast storm.

Everything had to go like clockwork for us to reach the summit. After the Tacul we faced the Col du Maudit ? maudit means damned. Wind tickled my ears. My headtorch carved a column of light: outside of it I had no sense of anything. But we were climbing Mont Blanc! One foot in front of the other, relentlessly upwards, ice axes plunging into the snow wall at our side for stability.

As we neared the apex of the col, spindrift lashed at our faces and we hunched our shoulders for protection. I followed John and Andy to the top with an 80kmph wind smashing against my body, knocking me off balance. "This is not a hard decision to make," yelled John above the wind. "Guys, we're going down."

Just like that. We were not destined to reach the summit that day.

There is a saying that the mountain always wins. "Not always," said John, as we sipped sweet tea back in the Cosmique. "That's what makes people continue to go back."

He's right. Mont Blanc will be there next year. As will I.

? Mont Blanc Guides (montblancguides.com) runs six-day courses from May to September for ?1,895, including half-board accommodation in mountain huts and a chalet, guiding, lift access and all local transport. Not included are equipment hire and transport to Chamonix. Equipment (helmets, boots, crampons, harness and ice axes) can be hired for the week from ?20 an item

Susan Greenwood

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