OK. So we'd have 11 hours from Aiguille du Midi to MB de Tacul and return...

Even if going slowly that should be plenty....enough for a snow ball battle on the way to the summit....
Regarding the Petite Verte, if you decide to climb that through the normal route, it should not be a problem, depending what path you choose on the ridge the moves can be as easy as 5.3, or more spicy if you like it...just be sure to be up there very early the Petite Verte is notorious for rock falls in the recent years.

Woo-Hoo! Just finished confirming reservation for an apartment in Les Houches. Things are coming together! Two weeks from today I'll be on the plane out of San Diego California and on my way!

hey....two weeks from today I will still be in Chamonix...let me know if you want to climb something together...

Arrived in Cham yesterday. Rain most of today so drove down and checked approach time for drive to Tasch for Zermatt climbs next week. Petiet Verte for a warm up tomorrow.

stefschuermans wrote: ... Last week of july I will be climbing Mt Blanc

Good luck on MB.

stefschuermans wrote:I'll probably do a weekend trip to breithorn, weissmiess or grossglockner ... Depending on the weather I might even go for gran paradiso for a fast weekend trip ... Last week of july I will be climbing Mt Blanc

If your car exhaust doesn't explode on the way to Chamonix

Just in case somebody is still thinking about the 3 Mont Blanc Route solo....
The Bergshrund at the start of Mont Blanc du Tacul is extra open like I never seen it, a ladder was installed, in order to bypass it...not great for a solo...
The face of the Mont Maudit after the col is bare ice...I bit tricky with a mountaineering axe...I fixed rope should be there but it could be hard to find...
I did not go up there but I was shown pictures by a friend of mine who is guide there...OHM highly suggest to not go solo on that route...

This thread started some time ago, but if anyone is still interested in soloing 4 thousanders I have just put in a trip report entitled 'Alps 2009: Sunny Saas summits and a single return to Mont Blanc'.

I solo'd the Allalinhorn, Weissmies and then Mont Blanc via the Gouter route in September 2009 as preparation for having a shot at Aconcagua next season - and have written up my trip and put in a few photos.

In the past I have solo'd Breithorn, via 2 different routes: the 'normal' and the prominent spur on the North side. Also the South ridge of the Taschhorn - and Grande Casse in winter (that one is not quite 4000m, but was a great climb).

I have attempted to solo the Eiger West flank (also not quite 4000, but deserves to be!) and turned back at 3600m and I also attempted the Weisshorn, via the normal route, but was turned back on that occasion by a thunderstorm (never descended 300m of steep loose terraine so fast before or since!).

I have climbed the Matterhorn Hornli ridge and think that would be suitable to solo, if on a 'quiet' day and good conditions.

The principle limitation as we all know is glaciers and crevasse danger.

Not that I am averse to climbing with other people - but solo is also great, especially with an iPod!

Ciao,
Mark

climbxclimb wrote:Just in case somebody is still thinking about the 3 Mont Blanc Route solo....
The Bergshrund at the start of Mont Blanc du Tacul is extra open like I never seen it, a ladder was installed, in order to bypass it...not great for a solo...
The face of the Mont Maudit after the col is bare ice...I bit tricky with a mountaineering axe...I fixed rope should be there but it could be hard to find...
I did not go up there but I was shown pictures by a friend of mine who is guide there...OHM highly suggest to not go solo on that route...

Even in the Allalinhorn normal route from Mittel Allalin the usual crevasse before the Allalinjoch is open and full of snow inside down. Though the trail passes to its left the other day there was copter rescue of a three roped climbers who fell into it. The path is narrow early in the morning after a storm and the snow is hard.

The snow cornice for descending to Vallee Blanche from Aiguille du Midi has a little step wich could be risky if putting a bad foot on the soft snow or stumble with your crampons. There's been some snow storms in the past two weeks. They usually are during the evening and nights