UKC

Hi, looking for a bit of advice here. I'm doing the Tour du Mont Blanc this August, with my husband and 2 kids. We are all good walkers and used to long days in the mountains (mainly Lakes but doing some things this May in the Glencoe area). After our 7 day trip, I'm very keen to take my 11-year-old daughter and my 14-year-old son, to do some glacier traverse...ideally the Valle Blanche...and would like some advice, please!

Is it possible to do that with them?

Can I take the cable car up to Aig du Midi and then traverse to Point Herbonne and take the cable car back to Chamonix? If so, how long would it take to do the traverse?

I would, of course, hire a guide for the day...any recommendations?

Thank you!!

In reply to moreno:

My feeling when I was up there was, that with the steep snow and ice, hidden (and not so hidden) crevasses and altitude, it was actually quite a serious outing that shouldn’t be taken lightly. A lower level walk on the dry glaciers, perhaps into a hut, will be just as spectacular but safer.

Off the top of my head, I can’t remember which routes would avoid the long ladders down to the glaciers which may be problematic to your family group.

In reply to JLS:

Thank you. The ladders are down from Aig duMidi...again, not too worry as kids are both good climbers/not phased by them...unless you would need to climb them down with crampons on. And that's another question...would you walk across with crampons or could you do with microspikes??

Any suggestions re walking the dry glaciers, where I could give them a similar experience?

In reply to moreno:

straight out from chamonix side down the ridge is a baptism of fire, more ascent overall but better to finish there. As said above it can be serious, sometimes the route has narrow thin bridges, or big leaps, your guide will know if it's suitable that season, if not just a trip up the dry glacier from montenvers (down ladders) will still feel like an adventure. Trip to mountain hut elsewhere, overnight then walk back down etc.. there are plenty other great areas very near there.

In reply to moreno:

No, the ladders are down to the dry glaciers near the snouts of the Mer de glace and the Argentier glaciers.

Coming out the Midi, the arete, is very steep and icy with terrifying drops either side. You definitely need  axe and crampons.

Edit: The ladders are huge so the exposure is massive. I doubt you’d be comfortable with the kids “soloing” the ladders. I think you’d need to belay them down and back up.

In reply to moreno: the valley Blanche traverse is a well know excursion for people with a (very) little glacier experience. Google and you’ll see guiding companies offering such  They may require a pre-excursion though if you have kids to show they can use them and will be regular (walking) crampons rather than micropikes as the decent to the glacier is vaguely steep. I’d contact the comp. des guides de cham. and ask, some may be happy too and if not will suggest a route. Young teens regularly trot up the Blanc so quite sure they have lots to offer.
As an aside the bottom of the Mer de Glacé off the train used to be the training walk for 11 year old newbies like me back in my day …which was way too long ago .. cough cough 40 years… so better check it still is … may well melted by now. 
 

ah  I see I over lapped with last poster …

In reply to moreno:

Can't give you any information about how long it would take but a few years ago I shared the cable car down from the Midi with a family who had done just that trip with a guide.

I would guess the youngest child can't have been much more than 10. They were saying it had been a fantastic day out.

In reply to moreno:

The Midi arete to the glacier is pretty bold with high consequences if there’s a slip. It can be quite an unnerving experience, particularly if it’s busy. 

Everyone has their own capacity for accepting risk but for me I wouldn’t take children down it. 
 

I think it would be safer to do that route in reverse (having never done the traverse) and finish up the arete. 

In reply to moreno:

Yes, it is possible. ( With the caveat that I obviously don't know you and your children and your capabilities ). 

   As others have suggested you would be better off walking from the Torino side back to the Midi as the narrow ridge at the Midi end is less scary for most in ascent than descent. It will probably take in the region of 4-5 hours.

   It will require stamina, a good head for heights and some acclimatisation to ensure it is enjoyable rather than a lung heaving experience. Roughly half the journey is downhill, the second half back up is a long and continuous slope.

 As others have suggested a trip down the ladders ( easy to protect with ropes if required ) to the Mer de Glace would be a great way to experience a dry glacier, get used to walking in crampons and some scrambling about on spectacular ice features.

 Another option may be to go to Zermatt where there are some good high walks to get some acclimatisation and then consider a trip up the Breithorn. This is a short, easy 4,000m peak with spectacular glacier scenery.

In the Chamonix area another acclimatisation option on a spectacular glacier with a small peak might be to go up to the Albert Premier hut for the night then next day follow the glacier to the Tete Blanche. Have fun...

In reply to moreno:

I'd reccomend going in the opposite direction. Climbing up the midi arete is easier than descending it, and you will have practiced crampon skills on the way.

If you are all fit enough to do the tmb then the traverse of the VB will be fine in terms of exertion, It would take maybe 4 hours.

Of course there is an element of risk when walking on a glacier, which should be understood.

I regularly guide clients up and down the midi ridge and to me this is the safer part of the trip- good crampon skills combined with a tight rope from your guide makes this fine. I think this is one of those places where it looks super alarming, with obviously serious consequences,  but where steps can be taken to make it pretty safe.

Whatever you decide to do, your guide will spend some time explaining what's involved and find the right glacier journey for you, whether that's the VB traverse or something similar.

In reply to moreno:

I guy I know was talking with a very nice father and (12YO) son in the Plan - Midi cable car in the early 90s, they planned to climb the Cosmiques ridge. They lobbed off the ridge coming out of the ice cave.

It certainly coloured my thinking when it came time to take my kids for their 1st alpine climbing experiences.

In reply to JLS:

If you take a rope you can belay your children down the ladders. Alternatively, if they have a climbing harness and a couple of slings they can self belay.  In 2011 I took my children onto the Mer de Glace and just before we began the descent party one adult and half a dozen or so children all roped together climbed down the ladders. Adult at the top of the chain and no attempt to belay the children on the descent. If one of them had fallen off there would have been a nasty accident.

In reply to summo:

Agree with most of that. However, ISTR that starting from the Italian side it's mostly uphill, so it's probably harder if you aren't well acclimitized.

In reply to moreno:

Bear in mind that by August it might not actually be feasible to cross between the Midi and Helbronner. In a warm dry year the snow cover needed to fill/bridge the crevasses will have melted by then leaving a maze of widly crevassed terrain.

Last time I was there (4 years ago?) the area around the Maudit Cirque entrance was so badly crevassed that people were turning back back because they couldn't find a way through.

In reply to moreno:

If it’s just to play around on safe ice, practice crampon/axe, even top roping, take the Montenvers train up to the ice school - or speak to the  compagnie des guides In Cham, they are bound to organise trips.

In reply to moreno:

Thank you all for the advice - that's exactly why I wrote here in the first place...quite a bit to think and decide. Really appreciate it and will take all that into account!

@Will_he_fall - I would contact you separately...

In reply to moreno:

I think you'd be best to talk to Ben at https://verticalfrontiers.com/ they are Chamonix based. He's very experienced and has kids himself, he'd be ideal

As others have suggested, with young ones the scope of what is intended needs to be planned carefully I think

Also this is the book you need if you don't already have  a copy (note that some routes in the book are definitely in guide territory with 11 years olds)
https://www.cicerone.co.uk/chamonix-mountain-adventures

Best regards,

Peter

In reply to JLS:

Telepherique from Montenvers down to icefall (400 steps though) and walk onto glacier along with dozens of trainer shod tourists.

In reply to moreno:

With a guide the traverse of the Vallee Blanche is an easy walk. However, as pointed out, the arête down from the Midi is very exposed and scary and much easier in ascent. Walking up from Montenvers will take forever. It’s a long way. On balance take the Helbronner eggs to the Torino and walk back. Your party may be too large for one guide, so very expensive. I took my kids across the V.B. when the youngest was 10 and they’ve also skied it, but the most enjoyable summer trips for them have been walks to the Envers and Couvercle huts, but the ladders both up and down call for rope work.

In reply to moreno:

On another note - 7 days isn't very long for the TdMB, especially with children?