Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc – the highest peak of France, Italy and Europe (excluding the Caucasus).
The flat snowy summit is the tip of an enormous structure – the Mont Blanc massif – which has no rival in the Alps in terms of size and complexity. It is a massif visible from most of the high peaks of the Western Alps, a mountain on which the history of alpinism was written. The first ascent, on 8 August 1786, was made by the pair Jacques Balmat and Michel Gabriel Paccard. This ascent, together with the first ascent of the Matterhorn, became a symbol of the golden age of mountaineering.
 
The northern – French – side, clearly visible from the Chamonix valley, is a white face largely covered with glaciers that in the past reached all the way down into the valley; the Italian side, formed by the Brouillard, Innominata and Peuterey rock ridges, by gigantic rock faces and by valleys filled with glaciers, is astonishing from any direction. Many routes lead up Mont Blanc – from the historically oldest one on the north side via the Grands Mulets – nowadays done mostly on skis – to extremely hard modern rock climbs on the southern – Italian – side.
 

French normal route – the Goûter route – difficulty PD, 2 days, ascent from the French side via the Tête Rousse and Goûter huts; easy rock terrain in the lower part, and in the upper part a purely snow-and-glacier tour requiring glacier equipment. The route itself starts from the Nid d'Aigle mountain tramway station (2,372 m a.s.l.); along the route there are 2 high-mountain huts, Tête Rousse (3,167 m a.s.l.) and Goûter (3,863 m a.s.l.) – advance bed reservation is mandatory, camping in the area is strictly forbidden, and there is the Vallot bivouac shelter at 4,362 m a.s.l. (for emergency situations). Risks: above the Tête Rousse hut you have to traverse the Grand Couloir, where, at higher temperatures and with a lack of snow, rockfall is frequent here. The rock rib above the couloir is partly secured with steel cables; I strongly recommend using your own protection. Above the Goûter hut the area of glacier crevasses begins, and above the Vallot shelter the route follows the sharp Bosses snow ridge, requiring sure footing on crampons; passing teams coming the other way is occasionally tricky. In poor visibility it is difficult to find your way back to the Goûter hut. The most popular route, often overcrowded.

Traverse of the Three Summits difficulty PD+, 1–2 days, a long route overcoming 1,500 vertical metres (there are sections on the descent) for faster teams, entirely on snow and ice.
The starting point is the Aiguille du Midi cable-car station or the Cosmiques hut (3,613 m a.s.l.). The route traverses below the summit of Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m a.s.l.), Mont Maudit (4,644 m a.s.l.) and via the Col de la Brenva climbs to the very summit of Mont Blanc.
 
Risks: the route is objectively dangerous due to the possible fall of seracs from the slope below  Mont Blanc du Tacul, crevasses, and avalanche danger below Mont Blanc du Tacul after heavier snowfall.

Italian normal route – the Pope's route – PD+, 2 days. Probably the only mountaineering route in the world one of whose first-ascensionists  (Achille Ratti) later became a pope. A classic glacier-and-ridge tour. 
The starting point is the town of Courmayeur, Italy. The route begins in the Val Veny valley, climbing across the Miage glacier to the Gonella hut (3,071 m a.s.l.), continues up the upper part of the Dôme glacier to the summit of Piton des Italiens (4,002 m a.s.l.) and then via the summit of Dôme du Goûter (4,304 m a.s.l.) where it joins the French normal route, and together they continue along the Bosses ridge to the summit.
 
Risks: the Glacier du Dôme – crevasses, seracs, depending on snow cover; cornices on the ridge beyond the Piton des Italiens.
 
I recommend doing this route at the beginning of the summer season, when the glacier is still covered with a sufficient layer of snow and temperatures are below zero at night!

Royal Traverse – AD+, 3 days, one of the most magnificent alpine traverses, with long sections along the ridge at altitudes above 4,000 m with unique "Himalayan-type" views.
 
The starting point is the village of Les Contamines-Montjoie on the western side of the massif; from there a hiking trail leads through the nature reserve of the same name to the Conscrits hut (2,602 m a.s.l.), along the ridge over the Dômes de Miage to the Durier bivouac (3,359 m a.s.l.); the final day is the traverse of the Aiguille de Bionnassay (4,052 m a.s.l.), via the Dôme du Goûter where the route meets the Italian and French normal routes, and together along the Bosses ridge to the summit of Mont Blanc. After reaching the summit you continue the descent via the Three Summits route to the Cosmiques hut, or, for an extra-fast team, all the way to the Aiguille du Midi where the traverse ends.
 
Risks: crevasses, cornices on the ridge, very exposed in some sections, and a difficult retreat if the weather worsens.
 
I recommend doing it only in good snow conditions, with lower air temperatures and a stable weather forecast for 3 days ahead! For teams that are very well prepared both physically and technically!
 

The season for the ascent strongly depends on the chosen route. Ski tours via the Grands Mulets hut – depending on the amount of snow and the quality of the glaciers – are best done in spring up to the beginning of summer. Classic ascents by the normal routes are best in the first half of summer. For the rock and mixed routes you need to catch good conditions – mostly in the first half of the summer season. In winter I do not recommend climbing Mont Blanc because of the high avalanche risk and the low temperatures.
 

For all of the routes listed above you need high, insulated mountaineering boots, a climbing harness, a helmet, carabiners, slings, a climbing rope at least 30 m long, crampons, an ice axe, 2 ice screws + crevasse-rescue equipment,  clothing suitable for cold weather and at the same time resistant  to rain and wind, two pairs of gloves, face protection against the wind, ski goggles and sunglasses, sunscreen, equipment  for emergencies (headlamp, mobile phone, first-aid kit, spare layer, bivouac bag, extra food and a hot drink in a thermos).
 

The starting point and gateway on the French side is the town of CHAMONIX. Good connections by train, car and bus  to Geneva (international airport).  On the Italian side it is the town of Courmayeur, connected by motorway to Milan and Turin (international airports). Both mountain towns are linked by a tunnel beneath Mont Blanc (toll). The area is dotted with numerous cable cars,  and the towns offer a vast range of accommodation in all price categories. More at: https://en.chamonix.com/ and https://www.courmayeurmontblanc.it/en/
 
For the mountaineering ascents, accommodation and meals are taken at the high-mountain huts, where you need to make a reservation in good time.