Ski

SKI MONT BLANC – LATE SEASON

Mont Blanc is without a doubt one of the most ambitious objectives a skier can take on. In this late season tour we will acclimatise while climbing classic alpine peaks around Chamonix.

from: 395.000 kr.

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    Trip dates 28.May-2.June
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    SeasonApril-Maí
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    Duration6 days
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    DifficultyDifficult ski touring

Tour overview

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe. The North Face offers one of the coolest ski slopes in the Alps. Before heading for the summit it’s important to be well acclimatised. The best way to make that happen is to play in the surrounding mountains, where we´ll mix classing ski touring with some alpine climbing & avalanche training.
Due to the late season departure, the first two days are dedicated to ski mountaineering where we ski a bit and climb classic alpine climbs out from the Aguille du Midi and the Torino hut where we stay for one night.

The last two days are dedicated to the summit of Mont Blanc where the final goal is to ski from the top, down the North Face. This is subject to conditions of course, but there are endless possibilities for plans B, C & D.

This tour will test all aspects of your ski touring skills & experience. A proper adventure for those who are looking for a real ski mountaineering challenge. Skiing from the top of Mont Blanc is the perfect ending of your ski touring season!

This tour is guided on a 2:1 guest to guide ratio.

Detailed information

Fitness level: Strong, comfortable to move 300-400m in elevation per hour over 8-12 hours.
Experience level: Competent, experienced in the discipline and confident about their skill level.

Participants have to be competent skiers and be able to ski in variable snow conditions and ski slopes up to 35-40°.

Group tour (2, 4 or 6 participants)
395.000 kr. per person

For a private course please contact us.

Preparation meeting in Iceland:
Few weeks before departure, we will have a preparation meeting for the group. It is a great opportunity to ask any questions that might have come up, get good advice regarding equipment and get familiar with your travel buddies.

Day 1: Travelling to Chamonix
Skiers travel to Chamonix where the tour officially starts. Geneva airport being the closest one. In the evening we´ll have dinner together and get to know each other. Your guide will talk about the days ahead and answer any questions that might rise at this point in time.
Accommodation: Chamonix

Day 2: Tour Ronde (3792 m)
The main focus of this day is to get up in altitude and start acclimatisation. We start early and take the lift up to Aguille du Midi (3842m) and work our way down to the glacier where we start skiing. We ski down to the Géant glacier before we make our way up to Col d´Entréve. We leave our skis by the ridge and climb the SE-ridge and summit Tour Ronde (3792m), a classic PD+ alpine climb.
Once we are back to our skis we ski a bit down before making our way up to the Torino hut.

Accommodation: Torino Hut
Accent on skis: 650m
Decent on skis: 900m
Tour Ronde accent: 600m long, 250m vertical meters

Day 3: Aguille d´Entréves (3600m) or other summits
After heatry breakfast we set our goal on either on Aguilles d´Entréves (3600m) or Aguilles Marbrées (3535m), both of which are classic and manageable alpine climbs in the area and a short distance from the hut. After the climb we make our way back to the Helbronner lift by the Torino hut and take the lift back to Courmayeur in Italy where we taxi back to Chamonix.

Accommodation: Chamonix

Day 4: Grand Mullets
We´ll take a gondola to Plan de l´Aiguille (2310 m) and skin from there to Grand Mullets hut (2051 m).

Accent:700m
Accommodation: Grand Mullets hut

Day 5: Mont Blanc Summit Day
Early in the morning we start our journey to the summit via a mountain ridge leading to Dome du Gouter (4304 m). Skis will need to be put on your backpack and crampons mounted to your ski boots as we ascend short sections of 35-40° sections on snow. From Dome du Gouter we skin up to the Vallot emergency shelter (4362 m). If conditions allow, we will attach the skis to our backpacks and climb the Bossons ridge to the summit (4810 m).
After taking in the vast mountain view, we will ski the North face of Mont Blanc. If conditions or weather do not allow for a safe ski decent form the summit, we can leave our skis by the Vallot shelter, climb to the summit and back to the shelter. Then ski down a similar route as we used for our ascent. A successful day will call for aprés ski and well deserved dinner in town.

Accent: 1700m
Decent: 2600m
Accommodation: Chamonix

Day 6: Travelling Home
After breakfast we will prepare for departure, and head home.

Participants need to have insurance for search & rescue in mountainous terrain. Rescue teams in Europe reserve the right to charge their clients for the full cost of rescue and the use of helicopters, when needed. We also recommend that participants have at least a standard personal travel insurance on all our tours.

Asgard Beyond reserves the right to change the program of the trip with regard to weather and conditions at any time. This will be done with the safety of guests in mind and to ensure the best possible experience on the trip. If the travel arrangements change significantly, extra costs may apply.

Ski equipment

  • Skis 95mm under foot or more
  • Touring boots
  • Skins
  • Skipoles
  • Ski crampons

Technical equipment

  • Backpack 35 -40L with ski attachments
  • Mountaineering boots
  • Ice axe (light weight)
  • Boot crampons (light weight)
  • Harness for ski mountaineering (simple and light)
  • 120 cm sling
  • Locking karabiner x2
  • Avalanche tranceiver (with new batteries)
  • Shovel
  • Probe (240cm)

Clothing

  • Hard shell jacket
  • Hard shell pants
  • Soft shell jacket (optional, some prefer to use their hard shell only)
  • Soft shell pants (optional, some prefer to use their hard shell only)
  • Light gloves
  • Warm gloves
  • Hat
  • Buff or neck protection
  • Head band for warmer days
  • First layer top synthetic or wool
  • First layer pant synthetic or wool
  • Sunhat

Mid layer

  • Warm puffy jacket, light weight (synthetic or down)
  • Another warm jacket or vest, depends on how cold you can get (optional)

This and that

  • Sunglasses (cat 3-4)
  • Ski goggles (with low light lens)
  • Sunscreen SPF 50
  • Lip balm with UV protection
  • Head torch
  • Ski strap
  • Water bottle 1L
  • Thermos 0,5L (optional)
  • Blister kit
  • Powerbank for charging phones
  • Snacks for the hikes (nuts, powerbars…)

For the Hut

  • Extra socks
  • Fresh shirt
  • Ear plugs
  • Sleepingbag liner
  • Cash for drinks and snacks in the huts
  • Tooth brush, soap etc
  • Small towel (optional)

What's included

  • Guiding fee and guides expenses
  • Icelandic IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guide

What's not included

  • Travel to and from Chamonix
  • Food and drinks
  • Lift tickets
  • Transfer during the tour
  • Accommodation
  • Travel and accident insurance

Do you have any questions?

Below are answers to some of the questions we get regarding the tour. If you do not find the answer, do not hesitate to contact us

  • How difficult is glacier hiking

    Glacier hiking on Sólheimajökull is easy to moderate. On our private tours we can adjust difficulty to the ability of the group. On average, we hike around 3 km on the tour on easy and relatively flat terrain.
    If the group is active and fit we deviate from the beaten path and explore more difficult areas on the glacier.

  • I’m a vegetarian/vegan, can special diets be accommodated?

    We will ensure that our guests with different dietary needs are looked after.
    All huts can offer a vegetarian option but is is important that you let us know in advance so the hut keeper can plan for this.
    Vegan option can be difficult to come around. Pleas get in touch with us and we can advice you on the possibilities.

  • What are the huts like?

    The huts are often very remote and sitting at high altitude, which means the comfort level is basic. They are clean and cozy and have everything you would wish for an overnight stay.

    Most of the huts have a hostel style dormitories where people have their own small space in a bunk bed. The hut provides blankets and pillows so you don´t have to carry a sleeping bag. Most of the time it is possible to charge your phone/camera in the hut but they do not have stable electricity so it is good to bring a power bank to charge your devices.

    The hut has a fully functioning kitchen and a bar where you can order lunch from a menu, coffee, cake or beer on tap. The quality of the water varies between huts and we recommend bottled water available for purchase at the hut.

  • What happens to my booking if the weather or conditions are bad?

    In case it is not possible to operate the tour due to weather or conditions we try the following things:

    Move the tour to a different date if that works for you, change to a different activity if you agree on that. If none of the above is possible and we have to cancel the tour due to weather or poor conditions, we will refund you the tour.

  • In how much advance should I book my tour with you?

    The short answer is: the longer the better. We have limited resources of guides and sometimes we are fully booked.
    For less technical tours like Glacier hiking, Glacier hiking and ice climbing, and alpine trekking tours we can usually accommodate you with a short notice. For more technical tours like Waterfall ice climbing, Rock climbing and alpine tours longer advance is better to secure a spot.
    Short notice can be 24 hours before departure and longer notice is at least two weeks before.

  • What is the best season for the activities you offer?

    The best season depends on what activity you choose. The appropriate season is stated at the top of each tour. To break it down:

    Glacier hikes and glacier ice climbing
    Available the whole year. This activity is not dependant on weather or conditions. The only time we have to cancel or post pone these activities is when the weather is really bad.

    Rock climbing and alpine rock climbing
    Rock climbing is a summer activity available May-October. This activity is highly weather dependant and not possible when the rock is wet or when it is raining. If you are interested in rock climbing outside of the season, it is possible if we have really good weather days. Please contact us for further information.

    Ski touring
    The best ski touring in the south-west part of Iceland is usually around spring time. The ski touring season is usually between Feb-May, however it is possible to ski outside the season if conditions are good or we ski the glaciers like on the tour “Ski touring Snæfellsjökull”. If you are interested to ski outside of the season please contact us for further information.

    Waterfall ice climbing and alpine winter climbing
    The main season is from late November to late March. Iceland has a maritime climate and temperatures fluctuate through out the season making this activity highly subject to weather and conditions. In case we have poor conditions for ice climbing we can always substitute the waterfall ice climbing with ice climbing on the glacier.

    Alpine trekking
    Snæfellsjökull can be climbed almost the whole year, appart from the darkest month of the year, December.
    Other bigger mountains like Eyjafjallajökull and Hvannadalshnúkur, the highest summit of Iceland, have the best conditions from early spring to late summer.

  • Do I need any prior experience to participate in your tours?

    Since all of our tours are private we are able to adjust the difficulty and and experience level needed for each tour. However, for some of your tours it is advisable that you have have some background in the activity:

    Glacier hiking and glacier ice climbing
    There is no prior experience needed for those tours

    Waterfall ice climbing
    It is possible to try waterfall ice climbing if you do not have any prior ice climbing experience. We would choose an easy climbing route with easy access. If you have never done ice climbing before it is worth looking into our Ice climbing and glacier hiking tour on Sólheimajökull.

    Ski touring
    For our ski touring tours you have to be a competent off-piste skier and able to ski down in various conditions.

    Rock and alpine climbing
    No prior experience is needed for single pitch rock climbing. For multi pitch climbing it is advisable that your climbing level is at 5.7-5.8 and you have to know how to belay a lead climber.

  • Can I request a tour that is not on your website?

    Yes, without a doubt. Private guiding is what Asgard is all about and if you can dream your adventure, we can make it happen. If you do not find your perfect adventure on our website, do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]!

    Examples of private tours we have done in the past:

    • Expedition planning and support
    • Cross country ski touring
    • Expedition and polar training
    • Private hiking, day tours and multi-day tours
    • Location management and safety on film projects
    • Private tours for photographers
    • Alpine trekking on glaciated summits
    • Multiday tours in Greenland
  • Do you offer pickup service?

    In general we only meet our guests on location, or car pool from a central location in Reykjvaík. However, if you do not have your own car and can not meet us on location please get in touch.

Testimonials

Ferð mín með Asgard Beyond um Silvrettu leiðina var bara akkúrat það sem vantaði í líf mitt! Þetta var mín fyrsta ferð með leiðsögumanni, en ég hef áður farið á svipaðar slóðir sjálf. Það er alger game changer að leyfa fagmanni að taka ákvarðanir um leiðarval útfrá aðstæðum. Maður fær miklu meira úr ferðinni og þorir lengra út úr þægindarammanum. Ætla pottþétt í aðra ferð sem fyrst!

Sara Axelsdóttir Ski touring guest

Fór í ferð með Asgard um Silvretta Traverse og gæti vart verið ánægðari með ferðina, líklega eitt besta frí sem ég hef farið í. Róbert, okkar frábæri leiðsögumaður, var í senn afskaplega fagmannlegur og skemmtilegur. Hann hélt vel um hópinn og tryggði sér gott traust frá fyrstu stundu. Mæli hiklaust með þessari ferð og fyrirtækinu í fjallabrasið.

Þórdís Bjarnadóttir Ski touring guest

Brilliant tour!
Well educated guide, good equipment and a nice small group. I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a personalized trip 🙂
Tip: ask the guide to tell you extra amount of stories and facts – they are wisdom fountains there for you to learn from

Rakel J Ice climbing and glacier hiking

This was one of our favourite experiences on our trip.
We’d purposefully booked with Asgard for the smaller group size (and we were fortunate that it was only us two in the end) and for the longer time on the ice. It was most definitely the right decision.

Nicola Kirsty Glacier hiking guest
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Our
partners

Arc’teryX

Asgard guides wear Arcteryx gear because it is durable and keeps them warm and dry in challenging conditions.

Fjallakofinn

Fjallakofinn is an outdoor store in Reykjavík offering high quality outdoors products & a rental service.