For someone from the foothills of the Alps, it is sometimes normal to decide in the evening to climb a 3000m peak the next day. Sometimes you pack your rucksack early in the morning before you go by bus, bike or train to your destination and start your planned tour. The ascent of Mont Blanc requires a lot more preparation. The equipment must be carefully selected and should be tested beforehand. For most it is also advisable to entrust yourself to a knowledgeable mountain guide instead of doing the tour on your own. And of course you will have to acclimatise for a few days to cope with the altitude. Overnight stays in the region are already difficult to get even in the “flat country” at short notice. On the mountain huts in the Mont Blanc area, it can sometimes even be impossible in summer. Even emergency camps are then already overcrowded. My friend and I have also entrusted us with a mountain guide, as we do not have extensive knowledge about the ascent of glaciers.
A mountain guide bears an enormous responsibility and the ascent of Mont Blanc over the Cosmiqueroute requires a vertical, 70 meter high ice wall to climb up and down at one point. For this reason, a mountain guide usually tests the abilities of his protégés in advance. So the first two days for Dani and me were the sniffing with the mountain guide and at the same time the first overnight stay at a great height for acclimatization. The ascent took place from Chamonix to the overnight stay at the Trienthütte on the Swiss side. Then we went back to Chamonix with overnight stay and afterwards to the starting point of our tour to the Cosmique hut, where we stayed overnight until the Mont Blanc ascent on the 5th day.
