Has anyone got any info on the Aiguille Verte, in the MB massif, by the Arête des montets and also by the Whymper couloir?

I'm specifically trying to get an idea of the difficulty of these two routes, and the best time to climb them. Any other info (i.e., necesary equipment, etc) is also welcome.

Thanks!

alexk wrote:Has anyone got any info on the Aiguille Verte, in the MB massif, by the Arête des montets and also by the Whymper couloir?

According to Couvercle hut guard, there is little snow on Verte and surroundings. 0°C is at 4500m, -10 at 6000m. Wich means really bad, bad, bad conditions...
http://chamonix-meteo.com/bul/metPreMatEn.php
Right now (7:20 PM, french time ) is raining in Chamonix

Why not ask office du haute montagne? Call them at +33(0)4.50.53.22.08, or better yet, go in person and read the conditions reports in the book. chamonix-meteo.com has everything you need for weather; it looks like it's going to be warm and thundery most of the week with a little break in a couple days.

There is a heatwave here in Cham, Whymper couloir would prob be a bowlingalley at the mo.
The OHM advice people to stay away from mixed routes untill conditions change, there is A LOT of stuff falling down at the moment.

I checked at the OHM, and spoke to people while I was there (2 weeks ago), and the consensus was indeed that the conditions until the fall would preclude pretty much any route on the Verte.
I was wondering about the ratings of the Arête des Grands Montets and the Whymper couloir when the conditions are in. I have seen sources that say that the Grands Montets route is 4b, but then had a guide tell me that he would only do it with one client at a time, and that that client would have to be a solid climber.
Along the same lines, I was told by one source that the Whymper was TD, and by another that it is AD. I'm basically just trying to figure out what the real deal is.

Thanks for all the responses so far!

You can look up route descriptions and difficulties in the binders at OHM.

Whymper is AD, commitmentgrade 4, 45-50 degree snow for 600 m. The high commitmentgrade because you have to be up and down before the couloir gets the sun, if not you would have to wait at the summit untill it refreezes.

Grands Montets ridge is also a serious climb, despite the relative low grade.