phlipdascrip wrote:tdoughty wrote:climbxclimb, phlipdascrip, diego Sahagún,
3 monts, really? do you think the first week of august this year that it would really be safer to solo the 3 monts route rather than the gouter?
must admit that i was thinking that if i had a partner, 3 mont is my route of choice.
The 3 monts route does not have any narrow ridges so passing people is easier and less dangerous than on the Bosses ridge. The mentioned Col du Mont Maudit section - the crux of the route - is the bottleneck though (you have to get in line with other ascending or descending folks).
As for technical difficulty and objective dangers, I did the 3 monts route solo last year in late September when it was something like this:
* well tracked path on the Mt Blanc du Tacul NW flank (that I assume you already did?). Objective dangers: avalanches, occasional serac collapses, two crevasses in the upper part close to the Tacul shoulder ("épaule" in French). Route changes with conditions.
* Col Maudit: rather flat hike, usually well tracked path. obj. dangers: big crevasses in the lower slopes (the path was in a good distance from them), avalanche and serac fall danger when nearing the Maudit N flank.
* bergschrund at the base of the Maudit N flank. when I was there it looked like there had been a snow bridge that collapsed. large and careful high step required. it's likely that a month earlier the bridge was still there, arguably making it safer or more dangerous.
* short, little bit steeper section right above the bergschrund - no mistakes allowed or you slide into the crevasse (there was non-consolidated fresh snow when i did it).
* the rest of the Maudit N flank is similar to the Tacul NW flank until you reach the crux section below the Col du Mont Maudit:
* by my estimation somewhere around 40m in length and about 50 degrees steep. certainly more difficult than anything on the Gouter route, especially in descent. guides usually fix lines here that *might* aid you a bit, but since they're up there all season and see a lot of wear (especially from people pinching them with crampons and axes) not to be trusted. some rocks about two thirds up, either climb through them or bypass left or right. good steps in the snow below the rocks, more loose snow around and above.
* easy slopes to the summit from there (another 2h min.). covered bergschrund along the flat hike to the Col de la Brenva, practically no crevasses after that.
I chose the Gouter route for my descent for a number of reasons, including not wanting to descent the Col du Mont Maudit crux solo. People aside, the Gouter route is very nice, it's just in bad light due to the crowds. And yes it is easier than the 3 monts route for sure, but that might give a false sense of security as you're rather unlikely to stop a fall from the expose sections on the Bosses ridge (beware passing people!), and you have the Grande Couloir crossing on the descent from the Gouter hut. Other objective dangers are not as high. Whiteout conditions on the Col du Gouter are dangerous (getting lost or off track and closer to crevasses). More exposed to winds coming in from the west. Some crevasses in the vicinity of the beaten path, but you should be safe when on-track.
I put up a TR of my ascent last year in case you want to check it out. That's about all the beta I can pass on.
When I ascended Mont Blanc I didn't only see the Bosses ridge risky because of many people, the final ridge to the summit was much more dangerous in my opinion. And the Grande Couloir of course. Because of those falling rocks. Rocks from people descending also can reach you from there to Refuge de Gouter
Won't we be acclimated after passing one or two nights near Saas Grund (1559 m) 
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