The goal is to traverse the "vallée blanche" with a guide -- a real guide -- taking me from the Aiguille du Midi in France to the Pointe Hellbroner in Italy: as the crow flies only 5 or 6km across the glacier.
Looking out the Alpinists' exit at the Aiguille du Midi, two early-morning sportifs returning to the dock...
The toughest part of this particular glacier walk is the outset: leaving the Aiguille du Midi, a razor-sharp ridgeline descends toward the snow-blanketed valley, with a 1000m drop to the left and a 300m drop to the right. In the photo below you can see a dozen or so alpinists negotiating the ridgeline. For my "glacial initiation" I didn't choose the easiest of routes. Though my knees wobbled slightly on the way down, my guide got me through this section without much of a problem...
From the Aiguille du Midi, here is Mont Blanc in all its glory, at 4807m in altitude. Amateur alpinists from all over the world come to tackle this peak. Through a pair of binoculars I could make out at least a dozen people at or near the summit.
From the Aiguille du Midi, a look down at a basecamp, a sprinkling of colourful dots in the snow...
Also taken from the Aiguille du Midi, a look at the surrounding glaciers, with the "vallée blanche" in the foreground. You may just notice a brave rockclimber in the scene...
My guide, Pierre, with a look of curiousity (contempt?) at his Canadian client taking dozens of photographs (I was able to keep up just fine Pierre, thanks). From here we set off into a sea of white and fabulous vistas, away from the crowds of tourists packed at the top of the cable car. I do however, recommend taking the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi, despite the crowds...
Guides are needed because of these: crevasses all along the glacier, requiring a know-how and lots of experience. One should never venture out into these ice fields without a guide unless very experienced. We crossed dozens of these carefully, some of which looked bottomless.
Here I am sneaking the camera out of its holster near one of many crevasses (Pierre had caught me doing the same previously and was not pleased...)
Pierre negotiating an ice-bridge over a crevasse, making sure the grounds are safe for me to cross too...
After 600m of descending we begin our climb towards the Pointe Hellbroner. Though only 300m of altitude gain to complete, I could feel the laboured breathing at this altitude. But the scenery more than made up for the efforts... (You will notice that Pierre is in many of these shots: we were attached by rope and only 10m apart...)
As we head over a small pass the Pointe Hellbroner comes into view (the needle atop the rock in the far background).
And after 3 hours of walking we made it! Inside the Pointe Hellbroner we even cross the border...
Seen from Hellbroner (3400m) and into Italy, with the village of Courmayer below...
From the pointe Hellbroner two mountains are visible: Italy's Mont Rose, the snow-capped mountains to the right of the scene, and Switzerland's Matterhorn, the sharp triangular peak just off-centre to the left, in the far background.
A lone alpinist sets up camp below the Pointe Hellbroner...
more crevasses !!
A cable car links the Aiguille du Midi to Hellbroner over the glacier valleys: you didn't expect me to walk back? This is the most spectacular way to observe the glaciers and see the panoramas if you don't set off by foot. A return ticket from Chamonix, including all the cable cars (up to the Aiguille and across the glacial valley and return) runs at approximately 60€.
And a special birthday wish for Dad...
