Chamonix – The “Mecca of mountaineering & alpinism”
Chamonix is called the “mecca” of mountaineering and alpinism. Our “playground” is vast, and the choice of routes is tremendous. From popular classics to more secluded jewels.

Many lifts and cablecars (Aig. du Midi, Skyway, Montenvers, Brevent, Flegere, Le Tour, Grand Montets) provide quick access to many day climbs high up in the mountains. Taking the lifts up also helps us reduce the time on hut approaches.

We advise you to book 4-5 days. This allows us to make several day trips to maximize the climbing time or mix a couple of day climbs with a hut trip to get further into the mountains.

The most popular areas are:

The Aiguilles Rouges:
In this range, we focus mainly on rock climbs. A wide choice of routes is found, from classic ridge lines to modern sports routes. The easiest ridges are graded PD, and pure rock climbing starts in 4th grade.

Aiguille du Midi
With the easy access by cablecar early in the morning, we have a relatively large choice of great itineraries in this sector. We are high above the glaciers and climbing over 3000m of altitude.
The most popular and iconic climbs include the “Cosmique Ridge,” and “The rebuffat route on the south face of the Aig. du Midi,” “The Midi-Plan traverse,” and “The Chére couloir.” The list is long.

Pt. Helbronner:
The Italian side of the Vallée Blanche is accessed by the Skyway cablecar going from the village of Entreves to the height of 3400m at the Pointe Helbronner. From here, as from the Aiguille du Midi, we have a lot of significant climbs that are doable within a day. The “Traverse of the Marbrées” and “The Traverse of the Entréves” are popular outings ensuring a high-quality experience with plenty of scope to learn techniques on beautiful exposed rock ridges.
The Tour Ronde is another famous summit in the area. The North Face and the Gervasutti couloir are good snow/ice climbs. Today, the descent route is mainly done by the “Freshfield Ridge” to avoid the stonefall risk on the normal route.

Plan de l’Aiguille:
The Aiguilles du Chamonix is renowned for great granite rock climbing. Good routes are. “The Papillon Ridge”, “The Peigne normal way”, “Aiguille de I’M”, “Petit Charmoz”, and “Le Lepidoptores”. These are granite entry-level climbs; anyone with a grade 5 level will have a great time.
Looking towards harder climbing, good climbs are found on the “Gendarme Rouge” on the Peigne (Contamine/Vaucher (TD, 6a, Le Maillon Manquant (ED1, 6b+) and the Red Pillar of Blaitiere (e.g. Nabot Leon (TD-, 5c), Les Diamants du President (TD, 6a+).

The interior of the Mont Blanc massif has a network of huts, which allows access to less-travelled peaks and areas in the high mountains with glacier approaches. Here, we find rock climbs, mixed routes, and beautiful summits.

Envers des Aiguilles
Guidebooks describe the enormous potential of granite rock routes on the many walls and rock faces around the Envers hut. The best idea is to plan for 3-4 days of climbing in this sector, as the approach from the Montenvers train station is fairly long. A grade 6 level is required to enjoy the climbing fully, and you should be accustomed to multi-pitch climbing and abseiling.

Bassin de Talefre
Expect a full-day approach to the Couvercle hut from the Montenvers train station.
Aiguille du Moine has an interesting southeast ridge with good climbing and great training for climbing in big boots. The descent by the normal routes is equally interesting and great training for mountains where down-climbing and efficiency are important (e.g., the Matterhorn).
This area also sports harder 4000m summits, such as the Aig. Verte, The Droites and the Aiguilles du Jardin. All these climbs are serious, and climbing them at the right moment when the weather, temperature, snow cover, etc., are good is important for success and reducing the risk.
The peaks of “Les Courtes” and “Pointe Isabelle” are very interesting mountains, just under 4000m. Most of these mountains are climbed only by experienced groups and mainly on a 1-1 climbing ratio.

4000m peaks
Climbing alpine routes does not exempt climbing 4000m peaks. Within a week, a good plan could be to climb a few alpine routes, learn techniques, and acclimatise before climbing an exciting 4000m peak.

Many easy 4000m peaks can be climbed without much experience, but other 4000m peaks can only be reached by technical and long routes. You need to be able to climb on rock and ice, handle climbing on exposed ridge sections, be efficient and safe while down climbing, and know techniques such as abseils, crevasse rescue, and placement of protection gear. The alpine routes to these summits are often technically easier than climbing pure alpine rock routes or shorter but more difficult alpine climbs at lower elevations. Remember that the elevation, cold, wind, etc., on the 4000m peaks raises the stakes, which adds to the overall grade.

Read more about climbing 4000m peaks on this page – click here

Reach your potential
Topping out of a route and reaching a summit, greeted by a beautiful sunrise, brings emotions, joy, and a profound feeling of accomplishment. Whether shared with your friends and loved ones or just a personal voyage, these are unforgettable moments and memories for life.

Our guides are great climbers and mountaineers with local knowledge of Chamonix and the nearby Alps. Their vocation is to show you this world of wonders, providing a safe and fun experience. You can rest assured that they will help you reach your potential in this spectacular environment. You will learn many techniques and progress quickly in a small team with a guide.

Weather and conditions
We enjoy climbing where it is suitable for the moment. This is mostly where access is still possible and safe when the weather is good enough, and the terrain is in good condition. For example, rock is climbed when it isn’t slippery and wet. Snow and ice conditions are suitable when a good overnight freeze stabilizes rocks and consolidates the snow and ice.
When afternoon thunderstorms are predicted, we will be down in time.

Small teams
We prefer small groups of a maximum of 2 clients per guide. This ensures that we can do climbs and routes and provide the required level of security and success.

If you are a larger group, we can propose accessible summits or glacier walking. Just get in touch, and we can discuss and provide a quote for such scenarios.

Flexible and fun programs for all levels
Let us know what you wish to do and what your ambitions are. We will plan a custom-made preliminary program for you, considering your experience, fitness, and climbing level.

Number of days?
We recommend booking guides for 4-6 days.  This gives time for several single-day climbs or one or more longer climbs or mountains. This will include time to refresh or teach basic skills, get acclimatised for higher objectives and leave us time to adapt to changeable weather conditions.

Our summit climbing programs include Grand Paradiso, Mont Blanc, Saas-Fee 4000m & Matterhorn. These programs should give you a good sense of what is possible within a specific time frame.

In the high season (July – August), most guides work in blocks of weeks, so book well in advance.