I looked at my watch.09.00 h. By far too late to attempt a summit push on Mont Blanc according to my

Living in Sweden makes the planning important as flights, trains and buses needs to be arranged. I had only a long weekend available for my trip, from a Friday until Tuesday. A rather short and limited timeframe considering I live at sea level in Stockholm and require some kind of acclimatization.
I had in vain tried to get a reservation at the refuge du Goûter but without success. I wasn't even able to get through on telephone. Therefore I made a reservation at the refuge de Tête Rousse thrifty car rental international reservations at the bottom of the famous grand couloir. At the refuge de Tête Rousse thrifty car rental international reservations you can even make reservations on-line!
On Thursday morning I took the morning flight from Stockholm to Zürich. After a pleasant train ride to Geneva I found a reasonably cheap taxi ride to Les Houches, the base for my Mont Blanc climb. When I told the taxi driver my intentions to climb Mont Bland by myself he made a grin and said that Mont Blanc had two dead yesterday due to snow blizzards, and told me to be very careful up there…
This was my first trip in the French alps and I was stunned by the beautiful landscape that flew by my window. Soon I saw the big Mont Blanc massive. I had studied the mountain massive on webcams almost every day the past three months and was thus familiar thrifty car rental international reservations with the snow coverage and it's looks. It felt good to be there. Finally!
I arrived in Les Houches in he evening thrifty car rental international reservations at around 18.00 h. As I did not have any accommodation booked I went to the tourist office. There a Swedish guy turned up behind the counter who smiled and gave me some good recommendations of where to spend the next two nights. I revealed my plans regarding Mont Blanc , so Frank, which was his name, made a call to the refuge d u Goûter.
It was my lucky day because surprisingly they had one seat left at the hut. Having a reservation at the refuge du Goûter was a great advantage for me. Like this I did not have to scramble thrifty car rental international reservations up the grand couloir in the middle of the night.
Early morning on Saturday I took the cable up to Bellevue up at 1.800 m. From there I walked through the valley just below the Glacier de Bionnassay up to Le Nid d’Aigle at 2.372 m and from there on towards the foot of the Aiguille du Goûter and the famous Grand Couloir with it’s notorious and well documented rock fall.
into the couloir. Standing at the famous traverse I saw small rocks came shooting by sporadically. One by one people rushed over the ice field. A fixed roped hung across the icefields in which one could clip a safety karabiner in a string to catch a possible slide. However my crampons gave me a good grip and the snow was not too soft so I jetted over the couloir thrifty car rental international reservations as fast as I could, focused to keep a steady line over the deep track made by the people before me. On the other side, in protection of potential rock fall, I took a short break and studied techniques of other climbers who followed me over the exposed section of the route. After this key passage, the couloir is rather easy to follow and becomes wider further up. Some II-parts to scramble through in surprisingly good rock.
I climbed back the same way, crossing the couloir thrifty car rental international reservations in reverse and slided down the now rather wet snowfields towards the Tête Rousse hut. In the cable down from Bellevue to Les Houches I felt a slight headache, else I was feeling very good.
Down in the village I purchased some snacks and water for my upcoming trip and in the evening I had a very good pasta meal in one of the restaurants across the tourist office. On the publication board at the tourist office they had posted the latest weather report for the Mont Blanc area and I carefully studied the sentences thrifty car rental international reservations concerning Monday with great eager. My French thrifty car rental international reservations is not too good and all was not clear to me but I did understand that the weather was suppose to be reasonably well, although thrifty car rental international reservations a short snow blizzard could possibly hit the area sometime during Sunday. That worried me because this could spoil my entire plan. I only had one shot for a possible summit attack. The sky looked very unpredictable so I didn’t really know what exactly to expect.
Early Sunday morning a group of climbers gathered around the Bellevue cable station and the nearby bakery to have a final cup of coffee and croissants before they entered the first cable for the day.
Normally there is a small train called Tram way du Mont Blanc , which takes off from the Bellevue platform up at 1.800 m towards thrifty car rental international reservations the Nid d’Aigle at 2.372 m. The train tracks had recently been hit by rock fall so the train service was temporarily suspended. Only one option: to walk. Alpine style.
I made the very same hike as I had done the day before. Only this time I knew what to expect around the next corner and where I had the steep and strenuous sections. Obviously my backpack was considerably heavier this time I spurted through the Grand couloir than the first time before.
I reached the spot where I turned around before and checked the weather movements from 3.700 m. A thick cloud base was emerging up in the south over Italy , but the sun kept shining and the wind was not too strong.
Further up in the last part of the Grand couloir it became steeper again. The hut, refuge du Goûter, was clearly visible and felt within easy reach. However, the last couple of hundred meters again required some II scrambling over fixed steel ropes. I clipped in a safety karabiner now and then to feel extra safe. I passed some guided Danish climbers along the ride and together we watched a huge icefall opposite of the valley along the steep slopes of the Aiguille de Bionnassay, 4.052 m. Big chunks of ice tumbled down in a tremendous and violent thunder followed by an enormous big white cloud of snow dust.
The refuge du Goûter is a spectacular aluminium building attached on the ride of Aiguille de Goûter. Everything was covered by ice crystals and no water was available. As everyday during peak season the hut was packed and the stories I’ve read about people sleeping under and on the restaurant tables all became clear and obvious to me.
Fortunately I had my assigned place to sleep. After a good meal which included some hot soup, French cheese and meat, I watched the sunset out on the ice cold balcony. The sunlight painted thrifty car rental international reservations the glacier on Aiguille de Bionnassay in a wonderful pink colour. Below the clouds became more and more intense and I was uncertain how this was suppose to develop during thrifty car rental international reservations the night.
Packed as sardines thrifty car rental international reservations I tried to get to sleep in the lower rows of the sleeping room. The aisles were full of gear and climbing stuff. I set my alarm on 01.30 h. I prepared for a very chaotic morning and a very long day. I prayed for good weather, to wake up and to step out in the ice cold night with a black sky above me showing uncountable glimmering stars. thrifty car rental international reservations Those moments I think are breathtaking and are moments which makes life worth living.
After a rather bad nights sleep I woke up before 01.30 h. I could hear the wind outside and from the sound I heard I did not feel too comfortable. No one else were moving. Some people were snoring heavily as my watch showed 02:00 h, the time which would be the wake up call for the summit attempt.
With great disappointment I understood what happend. The snow blizzard came and the winds were too strong thrifty car rental international reservations so it was decided to abort any climbing. The call was off and it was only to face the fact and try to get back to sleep.
I heard alarms go off around me and I could hear people sigh and whispering to each other. I was already beginning to calculate my chances of staying another night and what were the steps I had to make to arrange that. Well, there was not really much to do but to await the morning, try to get hold of the next weather report and to take a decision what to do. After five long hours people were getting ready for breakfast and climbed thrifty car rental international reservations down from their beds. With some hot coffee, bread and cereals I watched thrifty car rental international reservations all the disappointed faces of my fellow climbers. The Danish group sat in one corner and sighed. Some Italians discussed the situation lively. On my way out to the frozen toilet I was surprised by the blue sky and the sun. It looked like a beautiful winter day back home. The metal fence was full of ice and snow crystals and numerous ice taps where hanging down from the roof. The neighbouring Aiguille de Bionnassay was glimmering in the morning light.
To my surprise thrifty car rental international reservations I saw the Italians putting on their boots and some other people were also getting ready as it looked like. I asked the Italians if they were going to give it a try and yes, they were determined to give it a shot.
I looked at my watch.09.00 h. By far too late to attempt a summit push on Mont Blanc according to my plans and my way of thinking. I was suppose to have been on the summit at 09.00 h. Not leaving the hut at that hour.
On the other hand; the weather seemed stable, at least three four parties were departing and I was feeling good, had all my gear gathered, my bottles filled up and eager to explore what was above and beyond the hut.
There a couple of tents stood and a narrow track passed by and followed the slopes towards Dôme de Goûter, the bonus-4’000-er to pass when doing the normal route. In front of me there were two climbing parties, roped up and already on their way to the highest mountain of the Alps . The warm sunrays thrifty car rental international reservations hit me and it seemed that a beautiful day was unfolding before me. The tracks were deep and distinct and I could see clear marks from the crampons thrifty car rental international reservations made by the parties in front of me. The cold snow made a cracking sound. My watch showed 09.00 h. Soon I was passing the the parties ahead of me. Going by yourself you usually go much faster. The wind was not too bad. The slopes along the west side of Dôme de Goûter felt rather steep but offered no problems. Up on top the “Dôme” was flat and stretched out. Suddenly thrifty car rental international reservations the huge well known silhouette of Mont Blanc turn up against me entirely untouched covered with a thin layer of fresh powder snow. A magnificent thrifty car rental international reservations view.
I’ve studied hundreds of pictures of the Goûter route show