Hi, i got some nice advices here the last time and I ended up hiking to the Peitlerkofel in the Dolomites.

This time, were a bit more prepared and since we are on a roadtrip we are bringing more equipment for climbing and glacial-travel.

Our plan is to do Mont Blanc via Gouter, but we are also looking for other moderate things to do. We are not into steep multipitch-climbing, but would like to practice rope technique with some climbing or scrambling or glacial-travel. To gain some alpine experience. Doesn't neccessary have to be high alitude either. Since we are not known to the area, fairly easy "path finding" is a plus.

I have been looking at Gran Paradiso which looks like something in our alley.

Any other suggestions?

Aquille de Tour is one of the easier peaks, approx. 3500 m, near Chamonix. Many groups use it for acclimatization before Mt. Blanc. Nice mix of trails, glacier and scrambling in the end. Hut (Albert something I think) is nice too.

Thank you Damgaard - yes this definitely looks like something for us. Doing some more research on "acclimatization" trips for Mt. Blanc I also found Petite Aiguille Verte - have you climbed that one?

As far as hiking is concerned, doing the via ferrata (you can just hike it) from the mer de glace to refuge du couvercle, spend a night, next day hike down to refuge leschaux and back down the glacier, or go down the egralets from couvercle and pop over to refuge du requin for lunch and head back down the mer de glace. jaw dropping scenery, huge crevasses, no snow anywhere on the glacier when we there late august so very easy to navigate

Thanks marving - that seems like a nice trip - I've been looking a bit at mere de glace to practise ice-skills, so an extended hike from here would be nice

Hi Stigja

No, I haven't climbed Petit Aq. Verte, but I climbed this tiny peak next to it:
http://www.summitpost.org/east-face-of- ... ets/433533

Good option if you have half a day with nothing to do. Only takes 2-3 hours, so can be done in an afternoon.
We climbed mid July. It was a bit icy but not too hard. And you'll be the star of many a tourist photo when you climb onto the lift platform

Petite Aiguille Verte is a nice peak, but the normal route is slightly harder as well as much more exposed than Aiguille du Tour (that is, I'm comparing it with the normal route to the Aiguille du Tour south summit, which is what most people do when they go to climb Aiguille du Tour).

Route finding is real easy. There is just a short glacier crossing to get to the ridge, but since this route is so popular, there will be a trail you can follow. Even without it, it wouldn't be hard to find your way. There are crevasses though, so you'll need proper glacier gear. Once you're on the ridge, just follow it to the summit.

For the record, on a nice day summer day you won't be alone. On a busy day, that can slow you down a lot, for it's not all that easy to pass slower climbers. I wouldn't say it was crowded when I climbed it, but there were several other parties.

Another suggestion for the Chamonix area would be Aiguille du Belvédère. It's a fairly quiet peak, with a nice normal route and outstanding views of the Mont Blanc massif. The route to the base of the rocky south ridge crosses an ice field, but there are no crevasses to worry about so no need for glacier gear, not even crampons. The crux is a short section of UIAA grade III on the ridge, the rest is easier. There are some exposed sections, in the same ballpark as Aiguille du Tour but not nearly as much as Petite Aigulle Verte. The ridge is narrow in a few places, but most of it you can just walk on a trail.