adding, you absolutely made the right decision ....good friend of mine, a certified Swiss guide, died on a satellite peak, mt maudit, in 2012. to say he was experienced is an understatement, so yes, doing down when are by yourself and not roped was the best and safest move.
Did awesome job on the edit. I liked that you went Watching the rocks fly by in the couloir knowing you have to cross it twice in the future. Brave stuff
This looks like heaven to me! All of that scrambling at the start, wow 😊 It looked like the route was pretty easy to follow. I so badly want to do this!
You made the correct decision, many die on the mountain. Turned around in a storm and just made it to the Goutier hut. Many perished who did not turn around soon enough. 1996.
I'm doing this in early August and just starting watching videos and researching -- what time of year was this? Did you encounter any issues with crevasses (as it seems most people rope up)? Why did you have a harness on if you were going solo and didn't seem to use a rope to rap or anchor at any point?
I believe this was late August/early September. I didn't have any issues with crevasses although there was one that was visible that I went around. I wore the harness because I had it and thought just in case I need rescuing better to be wearing one, or if I found a group I could rope up with then I would be prepared.
Great stuff! And congrats. Few questions: - where did u book tickets for Du Midi hut? And did u book in advance for few nights? There are limited places there. - did u need to use ropes? Or just the axe for the summit ascent ?
I don't remember the website to make the reservations for the huts but if you Google it you will find it. And yes I booked it in advance, I would suggest making reservations the day they become available for the year because they sell out very quickly. I booked several nights just in case of bad weather. You don't need ropes to summit, just the axe in case of a fall. Good luck!
No I did not clip into the wire, I just used my hands to pull myself up. I wore a harness just in case I needed to be rescued or could help rescue someone else.
Sure, you can send me an email with any questions you have at marshal.mayhew@gmail.com It might be a few days before I can get back to you, I'm about to go into the mountains for several days myself
@@reborn3530 I didn't do any acclimatization. I was in very good physical condition and based on other trips I don't suffer very much at high elevations, thankfully
Hey man. Great vid. If you see this and don't mind could you please tell me about your acclimatization for this? I've heard after 2500m it is recommended to only increase by 500m per 24 hours to avoid altitude sickness but you seemed to smash this out in 48 hours was it? I ask because I would like to do a 4000m+ mountain some day and thought it would take a week or more ha. Thanks!
If you have never been that high, then that's probably good advice. I've been above 4000m on a number of occasions and due to some good fortune it just doesn't affect me very much. So really my only acclimatization was going up to Aguille du Midi for a day. Although I will also say I was in incredibly good fitness at the time running around 50miles/80 km per week
I recommend doing a couple of days of acclimatization. There are plenty of nice routes relatively nearby as well as in Chamonix valley. Doing some 3000+ summits on the Italian side of the Vallee Blanche is great: Petit Flambeaux and/or Aiguille de Toula. If you want to do a very easy 4000'er as acclimatization I'ld say plan one or two days in Zermatt before going to Chamonix and do the Breithorn West summit. It is super accessible and you can do the return trip Zermatt-summit-Zermatt within 4 hours, including cable-car transfers. We're in the mountains to enjoy it, right, not to rush it.😄
Congrats! Great video that Alos shows your Battle with the mountain. Reasonable decision making. You missed to give us the grand couloir on the way back ;-) congrats again!
@@fatnomad Also, some of those slopes on either side of the ridge are so steep that a swift ice axe self-arrest is next to impossible ... which regrettably I experienced myself this summer in Chamonix (at a much lower altitude) and my right leg & lower-back are now in their 10th week of recovery of an estimated total recovery time of 6 to 12 months.🤕On the plus side, my ice axe self-arrest was good enough to save my life🥳
Yes, you do and they sell out fast. But you can also call the hut the day before or day of to see if there has been any cancellations, but there's no guarantee there will be space.
Love your clip to show how solo Mont Blanc Summit. Good job. Can I get up there without stay overnight? I am trail runner who gonna participate in UTMB next month Thank you.
People have gone to the summit without staying overnight, however, it is extremely difficult and I'm not sure if it is allowed. There is someone checking if you have reservations at one of the huts before allowing you to continue. Definitely check with the mountain guide station in Chamonix before you go to see what conditions are like, I have heard conditions are dangerous right now. Good luck on UTMB, I would like to do that race one day!!
Thanks! I think it was around 30 euros for the gondola and train to the starting point (one way), then the huts were around 60-70 euros per night, food cost me around 30 euros per day, and I already had all the gear so that didn't cost me anything.
