Clothing
Shell jacket – You need a lightweight and sturdy shell jacket that stows away without taking up much space in your backpack. You should be able to fit the jacket hood over a helmet.
Mountain pants – Sturdy mountaineering pants of Schöller fabric or other stretchy, weather-resistant material. We are moving quickly, and wearing pants that can “air” out excessive heat through the fabric is needed.
Lightweight shell pants – A pair of very light-shell pants. You might not need these often, but they will act as emergency gear if high winds or bad weather creep in.
Base layers – A long-sleeved base layer top and a short-sleeved base layer t-shirt are a good combination for the upper body. You can change for the dry if one gets sweaty and wet on a walk-in. We must bring long thermal bottoms for cold starts on higher alpine objectives. You don’t need the warmest version, but one that offers enough extra insulation on cold days when layered with your mountain pants.
Mid-layer – A light fleece sweater or jacket. A hooded version is great for keeping the sun off your neck while walking on the glaciers.
Extra warm layer – A light fibre or down jacket/vest.
Warm hat – Should cover the ears and be thin enough to wear under a helmet.
Neck gaiter / Buff – Something that can warm your neck and protect against wind and bad weather. A “buff” or other balaclavas are great.
Sunhat / Cap – The sun can be very intense on the glaciers. Make sure you have a system to hide from the heat and sun.
Warm gloves – A warmer pair of gloves (best if finger version).
Thinner technical gloves – Lightweight & sturdy.
Note: A pair of gardening/bike/work gloves can be a good third glove. It can be used for a day of Via Ferrata, MTB, etc.
Socks – 2 pairs of socks. We recommend a pair of light trekking socks and a warmer variant for cold weather.
Snow gaiters – We only need the short version for summer use. You will not need separate snow gaiters if you have a pair of mountaineering boots with an integrated snow gaiter.
The gaiters also protect your pants from crampon accidents.
We might not bring them on the technical climbs.
Trekking, running, or approach shoes – You must bring a pair of normal sports/approach shoes with good soles. Some prefer hiking to the hut in these shoes and carry their mountaineering boots. They will also come in handy if we do a day of Via Ferrata or as an approach to any valley climb.
Shorts – Some prefer wearing shorts to the huts on very warm days.
Extra items
Extras: To reduce the weight of your backpack, the trick is to bring only the important ones.
Personal affairs – Money (cash euro and credit card), passport, insurance card, etc.
Energy-Bars and chocolate
Sunscreen – Choose factors 30-50.
Sun stick – To protect your lips from the sun.
Sunglasses – With side protection, level 4.
Snow goggles / Ski mask – You should bring a mask for windy days.
Water bottles/Tea flask – Sigg or Nalgene bottles are great. One liter + 0,5 liter should be sufficient for most people. If you only fill the bottles with cold drinks, simple “San Pelegrini” or “Badoit” bottles are good enough. If you bring a tea flask, 0.5l is enough and not too heavy.
Hut Items
You only need to bring these items when a hut night is planned.
A sleeping bag liner – Is obligatory in most huts.
Headlamp – A good and bright headlamp that fits on your helmet. Make sure to fit new batteries. New headlamps have a red-light function, which is highly appreciated by fellow climbers when people need to find the toilets during hut nights.
Phone charger – You can most often charge your phone in the hut.
Tooth-brush
Earplugs – For a better night’s sleep in the huts.
Small first-aid – Painkillers (Paracetamol + Ibuprofen), plaster, blister kit (Compeed, sports tape, iodine, small scissor). Don’t bring any more than this unless you have special conditions that require you to take other medicine (make sure to inform us of what you take).
Reading material – You can bring a small book or magazine to read. There is normally a selection of magazines in the huts, but often in French or Italian. But don’t bring a heavy hard-back edition…
Technical Gear
30-35 litre backpack—It should have at least one attachment for an ice axe. The best option is to go for a relatively simple “alpinist” backpack without too many extra straps.
Rain cover—Occasionally, it rains. A good idea is to bring a rain cover for your backpack.
Mountaineering boots—You need a pair of well-fitting, insulated, and sturdy semi-rigid mountaineering boots that fit crampons easily. You should choose a lightweight summer model with a soft sole.
Crampons – The lightest 10-12 point steel crampons you can find. You need anti-balling plates.
Ice axe – A short and light ice axe (max 50cm long).
Telescopic pole – If needed for hut approach and descent. Bring poles that don’t take up much space when folded. We will leave them in the hut or not bring them when climbing harder, like the Matterhorn/Eiger.
Helmet—A normal climbing helmet will do. Make sure that the helmet has a good headlamp attachment.
Harness – A light climbing harness + a normal screw karabiner.
2 x Screw karabiners – Normal screw carabiners. Choose light models.
Rappel devise – A normal belay/rappel device.
Prusik loop – A 60cm prusik loop of 6-7mm assescory cord.
1x 120 cm sling—This is for attaching yourself to a belay. A “Petzl connect adjust” loop is perfect.
Rock-climbing shoes—There is a good chance we will do a day of rock climbing. You can rent rock shoes in Chamonix, but you are welcome to bring your own.
*Can be rented in Chamonix.
** We can supply you with some of these items. Let us know what you need.
Group Gear
The guide will provide all protective and safety gear listed below.
Ropes
Protection & safety gear – Glacier kit, rock protection gear, slings, quick-draws.
First-aid kit – A first-aid kit
Radio – A radio or other means of calling rescue.
