Possible to do Mont Blanc in one day?

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Hello,

My crazy husband and his brother are planning to go up Mont Blanc from "le nid d'aigle" early morning 5:00 am - 6:00 am and hope to do it in one day (round trip that is) They both are ready physically for climbing (they did the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim in 15 hours, 50kms and 1800 meters twice elevation change) every year they do the Grand Canyon, and they do climbing every weekend in a local area in Arizona. When they climb it's always a race. We will be in Chamonix at the end of July 2000. Their goal is to do it in one day. Can they do it? Is it realistic?

Thank you in advance worried French wife with crazy German/French husband

-- Sylvia (mousseux@mindspring.com), March 14, 2000

Answers

I dont know if that way up can be done in one day, since i dont know the train departing times, but i have seen people go up to MB summit from the Aig. du midi in one day (Mont blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit, MB) also it gives you the chance to do quite a few 4000ers in one run, if you continue to the dome. btw

-- Simon van den Bergh (Simon.vandenBergh@alg.ag.wau.nl), March 22, 2000.

It's definitely possible ... but would require excellent fitness. From your husband's rim^3 time I'd say he is fit enough. If he has never done the route before he could have problems with not knowing exactly what to expect (bad timing, soft snow, etc). Also the altitude might be a factor, is he trying to do this after hanging out at sea level?

I know there is a running race from Chamonix to the summit and back, and the record is something unbelievable like 5 hours. It must depend a lot on the snow conditions.

-- George Bell (gibell@uswest.com), March 22, 2000.


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