I intend to acent Mt.Blanc this summer in late August and I am considering to do it via Arrete du Bionnassay. All kind of information will have my interest. My companion and I have some experience on snow and some on very short rockfaces in Denmark and Sweden. Will this route be too though!?

-- Fyr Mejlvang (Fyr_Mejlvang@yahoo.com), April 16, 1999

Answers

This would be a very significant step above everything you've done. The route is technically not that difficult, but i crosses some very exposed terrain which does not leave room for a mistake, is pretty long, and at high altitude. Like the previous person, I recommend that you at least practice before on other shorter ridges of the same difficulty in the range.

-- Quang-Tuan Luong (luong@ai.sri.com), April 21, 1999.

I must recommend the Bionnassay ridge as a route for Mont-blanc. On my opinion, the best route begins at Les Contamines-Montjoie, first night at Les Conscrits hut (newly re-opened two years ago), 5 very easy hours walk via Tri-la Tjte hut. Second day from the Conscrits hut : La Biranghre, Dtmes de Miage and Durier hut (do not forget the reservations the Durier hut is very small but guarded in sommer). This is a pretty good run, you will have the time to admire the Bionnassay ridge all the run long !! It will also be a good training phase for snow ridge walking which wiil be useful for the day after. Third day Mont-blanc via the Bionnassay ridge. Attention this is not a small run (some 10 hours to the summit and you have to go back to The Nid d'Aigle to catch the train back to the valley or to the Aiguille du Go{ter hut). The ridge is very narrow and you may have to sit on it, a leg in France, the other in Italy (funny but hot !). Go there only with guaranteed good weather and let me say, if you are not trained in that kind of run, hire a mountain guide (some 600

-- Pierre BOURGOGNE (pbourgogne@casimir.org), April 21, 1999.