Usually, when you are sitting on the terrace of a Chamonix (Haute-Savoie) café, you just have to stretch your index finger to touch the giant of the Alps. But this Sunday morning there, Mont Blanc decided to bundle up in a scarf of clouds. Three months that he let himself be admired under a bright sun during confinement. And now, at a time when mountain races are once again authorized, he is hiding. But we decided to meet him. Our objective? Reach the summit, at 4810 m. Some 20,000 mountaineers attempt to climb the roof of Europe each year, but only 40% succeed.
Not sufficiently trained or victims of the weather, the majority of the candidates give up before even having crossed the symbolic bar of 4000 m. In our team of Parisians, we are all quite confident in our abilities. There is Stephan, the accomplished marathon runner. Julien, sporty and slender. Sébastien, a strong 1.90 m rock climbing enthusiast. Myself, long-distance runner, mountain biker and fan of glacier hikes. And then there is Yann, our photographer, who is one step ahead of us: the high mountains are his favorite playground. Mountaineering, his passion. He is not afraid of the void, like me. It does not have our lack of experience and our apprehensions of neophytes of the summits.
Never mind. We trained for several weeks to meet this colossus of snow and ice which has attracted and fascinated generations of enthusiasts since it was first defeated on August 8, 1786.
To take us under their wings, there are Seb and Julien, members of the Company of the guides of Saint-Gervais, as well as Ulrika, of the company of Chamonix. An essential support for those who have never experienced high altitude racing. This security has a price: 1650 euros per person (for five days accompanied by a guide with the nights and half-board in the refuge). They introduced us the day before to a via ferrata: a route laid out above the void in the heart of a rock wall. You might as well be honest: when you feel dizzy, it's anything but a pleasure. On four sections, I only succeeded in half. "It's a good introduction to verticality," Seb tells me.
A first ascent ... by cable car!
While Mont Blanc is still playing hide and seek with cumulonimbus clouds, we decide to cross the Italian border to reach the Torino refuge, at 3,375 m above sea level. An eagle's nest offering a unique view of the summit of the Alps. Before boarding the Skyway Montebianco, a state-of-the-art cable car, we put on our masks and enter an airlock equipped with an ozone filter. An obligation since the appearance of the Covid. In addition to our bags that weigh around ten kilos, we take our trekking poles, a helmet and an ice ax.
Little by little, the greenery of the mountain pastures gives way to snow-covered slopes. Surrounded by a cottony fog, the gondola finally pierces the cloudy cover and offers us the most beautiful spectacle: the Mont Blanc chain, crowned by a generous sun. The roof of Europe, unconfined, stands before our amazed eyes. We are the first mountaineers of the season to admire it so closely. But Seb showered our enthusiasm. Since the deconfinement, the weather conditions are so bad and unstable that our expedition is like a high risk mission.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
VIDEO. High mountain guides from father to son
“After a very dry and mild winter, we have had heavy rain for ten days, it is very loaded with fresh snow and there is a lot of wind, explains our guardian angel. If you go up, it will be in winter conditions, with much more risk of avalanches. "
"If" we go up. Everyone has understood the meaning of this word. We are a bit dejected. Our chances of achieving our goal seem minimal. The snow is so deep that we will have to use snowshoes that day to move forward. "It's very plastered on the edges," notes Sébastien, pointing to the white rocky peaks.
Gray sky, sleepless night
With our eyes permanently riveted on the weather forecast, our guides hope that a “window” of good weather will allow us to overcome the myth. But we feel that they don't believe it. “Mont Blanc is a great summit, says Seb. But it can also be a real punishment to go there, it's so difficult. You may have a headache, want to vomit because of the altitude. And with this snowfall, it can be war. "
That night, before falling into the closed door of our night dreams, none of us can easily fall asleep. As our dream seems to evaporate, I think back to this Tintin album on its way to rocket in "Objectif Lune". Like him, we could touch our goal from the mainland. But would we set foot there?
Conquer Mont Blanc in 6 episodes
1. Attacking the roof of Europe
2. Winter mode ... in summer!
3. A summit of difficulties
4. Subject to climate change
5. Yes, here it is polluted
6. Her secrets, young and old