gabriele wrote:I agree
further problems are that, after the first snowfalls, you can hardly find tracks and crevasses could be covered by thin snow, and that in those days the moon will not help enough at night
all I can say is that if the weather will remain absolutely fine you only have to do a big effort that could be very worth

I agree. And you´ll need to be very fit!!
Cheers
Charles

Mihai Tanase wrote:Moni and hansw are right, the route is more on the left side of the Dôme.

For sure - more to the left in the upper part.

I went up there last year in late September. It was exceptionally good weather and made a fast ascent (too fast? Was up before sunrise and went down due to the cold before I could enjoy the view from the summit!). The huts were then open.

It is doable with huts closed - no doubt - but I hope you are prepared for the cold. The daytrip I made up Izta to 4 200 m was pleasant (could have been done in shorts!). I might guess that temperature on Pico de Orizaba at 5 700 m would be comparable with Mont Blanc summit in October (or maybe MB would be even colder?). More oxygene though!

Next: I think the Tete Rousse-Goûter hut part will be the problem. Hopefully not "black ice" on the rocks. Advantage: less risk of a stone fall with less climbers around and if there is a little fresh snow.
The last ascent from Goûter is not bad but a long plod. No bad crevasses when I was there (2? 3? with good snow bridges or "step over") - if acklimatized the Bosses ridge is not difficult either.

I will have a try on MB from the Italian Normal route this weekend - my rucksack will be 25+ kgs (tent, shovel, kitchen, arctic sleeping bag...). See you at the summit?

IslandTraveller wrote:

Mihai Tanase wrote:Moni and hansw are right, the route is more on the left side of the Dôme.

I will have a try on MB from the Italian Normal route this weekend - my rucksack will be 25+ kgs (tent, shovel, kitchen, arctic sleeping bag...). See you at the summit?

Are you alone on the Italian route ? Bad weather is coming this week with falling snow at 1500m

Mihai Tanase wrote:Are you alone on the Italian route ? Bad weather is coming this week with falling snow at 1500m

Nope! Not alone (I find the glacier above Gonella too scary for that!) - have one partner. Thanks for the warning anyway! I saw Friday looked awful. We will not reach MB summit at "all costs" - that is for sure!

Short trip report:
There was some snowfall on Friday/Saturday (3-4:th Oct) but only a small amounth at 1 800 m. Still in Lago della Marmotta this was no problem and some running water, things turned worse when starting to ascend the Miage glacier. At 2 800m the snow was 50 cm in places and we decided to abort the attempt - it was extremely hot on the glacier but only a little water from snow melt on the rocks. Melting snow on kitchen is indeed time consuming!
Saw a lot of green coloured debris from plane crash on the way back ("Kangchenjunga" or "Malabar Princess"?). Went to the Dolomites instead where there were less snow and excellent weather.

Been there.... Mont Blanc is FANTASTIC!, as traveler said before, there was a snow on Oct 4, at cosmiques it was 70 cm, so I had to be grateful just to walk on the Valle Blanc to the foot of Du Tacul... but the weather was awesome... the ridge... oh my... Scary!!!

But it was an excelent experience, thank you all for your advices.

Maybe in another time.

Bringass wrote:Been there.... Mont Blanc is FANTASTIC!, as traveler said before, there was a snow on Oct 4, at cosmiques it was 70 cm, so I had to be grateful just to walk on the Valle Blanc to the foot of Du Tacul... but the weather was awesome... the ridge... oh my... Scary!!!

But it was an excelent experience, thank you all for your advices.

Maybe in another time.

Glad you enjoyed it - yes it is wonderful there!

IslandTraveller wrote:Short trip report:

Saw a lot of green coloured debris from plane crash on the way back ("Kangchenjunga" or "Malabar Princess"?). Went to the Dolomites instead where there were less snow and excellent weather.

http://www.ledauphine.com/decouverte-un ... icle=59565

http://www.ledauphine.com/__cache__/ima ... x-1%5D.JPG

Mihai Tanase wrote:http://www.ledauphine.com/decouverte-un ... icle=59565

Thanks for the info - most likely the Malabar Princess. Would be happy to carry down the 5 pieces we saw (aluminium is not that heavy) but did not know what to do with them. Did not have the heart to "throw it" - after all this is a memory of a disaster which claimed lives.

IslandTraveller wrote:

Mihai Tanase wrote:http://www.ledauphine.com/decouverte-un ... icle=59565

Thanks for the info - most likely the Malabar Princess.

Some links about Malabar Princess ( in french )

http://www.montblanc.to/fr/glacier/texte4.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/reportage/200701 ... ncess.html

Ok so I am posting this in 2013, just in case anyone is stupid/awesome enough to try to bag Le Dame Blanche in October. Me and my boy attempted just such a feat back in 2012 on Oct 10. Gouter Route. So I see these people talking about taking jeeps to gouter hut and all this. Not gonna happen. What you do is, you get to Chamonix, you look for the big mountain, you leave the hotel and start walkin towards it.

About 4-5 hours later you will be at the end of the train tracks, there is a hut there you can sleep in and dry off your stuff cause youve been in cold rain all day. There will be no heat or running water/toilets. The hut is effectively closed but the doors are still open. All of the huts are unlocked, but they are not operating at normal capacity because the season is now over. No hot water, no toilets, not mint on your fucking pillow. Now Aiguile Gouter is a pretty bad mofo in Oct. Its a bunch of iced up choss and the snow will be super deep. Watch out for avalanches in grand couloir. Rock fall is less of a worry cause everything is frozen. Know that when the storms hit in Oct your are in for some serious shit. Be prepared for emergency bivy if you cant hit the huts on time.

Going up the gouter dome is no big deal in good weather. When we were there it was ultra windy and we got into a complete whiteout. On top of gouter dome there are no rocks so it is completely white, up down left right 360 pure white. There are wooden posts that will guide you along the route. The vallot hut is a good place to stop if the visibility sucks or wind is too high. We never made it past bosses ridge because the wind was way to strong, 50-60 mph.

Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXnpqchWnXU

Thanks rlwing3, a very informative post, as I am another stupid/awesome person planning to attempt the mountain in October (1st-10th). I already knew it would be 2 days of walking from the valley, which is what I want anyway. This is proper mountaineering, the old-fashioned way, taking a train ride always seems to me to defeat the object. Plenty of warm gear, yes, down jacket, balaclava+headband (2 bivvie bags no less). Carrying food and drink will be pain in the butt but necessary. I'm taking snow shoes (in addition to crampons of course) for the fresh snow I expect. The main part that worries me is the climb to the Gouter, which sounds like it will be combo of ice, snow and rock. More worrying still, descending it when knackered. I have some serious thinking to do. I've contemplated coming down vis Grand Mulets, but the last stage of that (jonction to cote de Montagne) sounds terrifying and possibly even impassible. A good imitation of the Kumbu Ice fall on Everest by the sound of it.
It sounds like you had bad weather, but there can be windows late in the season. I'm not even going to try unless I have 3 clear days forecast.
By the way, your video is private, could I please get access to it?