Anyone here climb Mt Blanc without stopping overnight? I'm going mid/late August. If so, what time did you start your climb, and how long did it take? I'm fully aware the vast majority do this in two days. In my case, I'm planning on taking the standard route.

Woodie

agree with sergio..

good time for summit day is around 2-3 am so you dont get stuck behind the groups and slower climbers, the cable car opens every day at 6:30 and closes i think at around 5pm so bivying is a must.
unless you think you can climb to the summit form the first cable car(7 am)and make it back to the last(4:30 pm) its hard you will have to climb fast and you will need some luck cuz the route would be jamed with climbers especially on the maudit rappel.

Thanks guys, and Sergio, it's good to hear from you. I also think the 3M route would be much better, but only if I go with a guide since I don't have a partner. I'm thinking about the standard route, because I'm considering a solo outing.

Sergio, I'm glad to hear you're thinking about Ama Dablam- I hope you can put something together. It seems that my own Matterhorn and Eiger aspirations are on hold a little while longer. I originally planned on the Matterhorn and Zinalrothorn, but since we're spending most of two weeks in Switzerland (family) and Italy (sight-seeing in Tuscany), Mt Blanc made more sense to me this time.

Woodie