A collection of the 100 must-do climbs in the Mont Blanc Massif - Rebuffat for the modern age!
Modern alpinism is a multi-faceted activity for which the Mont Blanc Massif is the perfect playground. Classic routes to which every mountaineer can aspire are surrounded by the towering rock faces, huge mixed walls, precipitous ice shields, serrated ridges and narrow gullies that define the massif's harder climbs.
In order to attain these prestigious summits via the most interesting itineraries, this book presents a modern selection of 100 must-do routes, ranging from historic classics to more recent lines, described in order of increasing difficulty.
Author and mountain guide Philippe Batoux provides a comprehensive account of each route, outlining its history and atmosphere and giving all the technical information needed to climb it. These written descriptions are complemented by photo diagrams and detailed topos. In addition, every route is illustrated with superbly evocative photos that make best use of the book's large format.
The routes were chosen for the quality of the rock, the reliability of the in-situ gear, the beauty of the surroundings, the prestige of the summit and the enthusiasm the route inspires.
Preference has been given to routes in the modern idiom, whether they are gullies that only form in winter, difficult free climbs on high-altitude cliffs, long ridge scrambles or traverses of major summits. There are routes here for all tastes, from famous classics such as the Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi, the American Direct on the Petit Dru, the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte, the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses and the Kuffner Ridge on Mont Maudit to more recent gems such as Je t'ai conquis, Je t'adore on Pointe Lepiney, No Siesta on the Grandes Jorasses and Le Vent du Dragon on the Aiguille du Midi.
Full List of Routes Described
01 Mer de Glace: Introduction to ice climbing.
02 Clocher de Planpraz - Cocher-Cochon: Traverse of the Clochers and Clochetons de Planpraz.
03 Pointe Lachenal: Traverse of the Ridge.
04 Aiguille d’Entrèves: South-west - North-west Traverse.
05 Aiguille du Midi: Cosmiques Ridge.
06 Dômes de Miage: West-East Traverse.
07 The Écandies: Traverse.
08 Aiguille Croux: Ottoz Route.
09 Gendarme 3009m of the Peigne: Papillons Ridge.
10 Aiguille du Genépi: Mort de Rire.
11 Tour Verte: Le Piège - Retour à la Montagne.
12 Argentière Glacier, Right Bank: Le Grand Bleu - Shiva Lingam.
13 Aiguille Du Midi: Baquet-Rébuffat Route.
14 Tour Ronde: North Face.
15 Mont Blanc du Tacul: Chéré Couloir.
16 Mont Blanc: Normal Route via the Bosses Ridge and Traverse of the Three Mont Blancs.
17 Tour Rouge: Le Marchand de Sable.
18 Mont Blanc Du Tacul: Contamine Routes (North Face of the Triangle du Tacul).
19 Aiguille du Midi/Aiguille du Plan: Midi-Plan Traverse.
20 Aiguille d’Argentière: Flèche Rousse Ridge.
21 Gros Rognon: Pas d’Agonie Gullies.
22 Première Pointe des Nantillons: Bienvenue au George V.
23 Aiguille Verte: Whymper Couloir.
24 Mont Blanc du Tacul: Albinoni–Gabarrou and Modica–Noury Gullies (East Face).
25 Pointe Lachenal: M6 Solar - Pellissier Route.
26 Pointe du Domino - Petit Viking.
27 Rognon du Plan: Le Fil à Plomb.
28 Gendarme 3078m Of The Peigne: Contamine–Vaucher Route.
29 Tour Ronde: Rébuffat Gully.
30 Mont Blanc: Royal Traverse: Dômes de Miage, Aiguille de Bionnassay and Mont Blanc.
31 Mont Maudit: Kuffner Ridge - South-East Ridge.
32 Aiguille du Chardonnet: Migot Spur.
33 Pointe Lachenal: Contamine Route.
34 Monts Rouges de Triolet: Mal Partiti.
35 Aiguille du Midi: Vent du Dragon.
36 Aiguilles Dorées: East-West Traverse.
37 The Courtes: West-East Traverse.
38 The Ciseaux: Troussier Route - Le Festin de Babeth.
39 The Minaret: South-East Spur - Versant Satanique.
40 Aiguille du Plan: East Ridge or Ryan Ridge.
41 Notch between Pointe Farrar and the Aiguille Carrée: Ravanel-Frendo Gully (North Face of the Grands Montets Ridge).
42 Aiguille du Midi: Super Dupont.
43 Mont Blanc: Tournette Spur.
44 Pointe 3038m of the Trélaporte: California Dreams.
45 Grépon: Grépon-Mer de Glace.
46 Yellow Tower of the Aiguille de Blaitière: Fidel Fiasco.
47 Argentière Glacier, Left Bank: Nuit Blanche - Tequila Stuntman.
48 Pointe Adolphe Rey: Le Corsaire.
49 Aiguille Du Midi: Frendo Spur.
50 Pointe Lépiney: J’t’ai Conquis, J’t’Adore.
51 Argentière Glacier, Left Bank: Bringing Home the Bacon.
52 The Droites: East-West Traverse.
53 Grandes Jorasses: Rochefort-Jorasses Traverse.
54 Première Pointe des Nantillons: Au Nom de la Rose.
55 The Courtes: Swiss Route.
56 Aiguille du Midi: Eugster Couloir Direct.
57 Chandelle Du Tacul: Bonatti-Gallieni Route - Tabou.
58 Mont Blanc du Tacul - Traverse of the Aiguilles du Diable.
59 Grand Capucin: Bonatti-Ghigo - Capucines Direct (East Face) .
60 Lower Buttresses of Mont Maudit: Lacrima degli Angeli - Fantasia per Ghiacciatore (South-East Face) .
61 West Notch of the Tour du Col du Requin: Ice is Nice.
62 Petit Dru: South Couloir.
63 Mont Blanc du Tacul: Macho Couloir Direct.
64 Aiguille Noire de Peuterey: South Ridge.
65 Gendarme 3190m of the Moine: Sale Athée.
66 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Walker: Hirondelles Ridge.
67 Mont Blanc du Tacul: Supercouloir.
68 Grand Capucin: Voyage Selon Gulliver.
69 Mont Blanc: Innominata Ridge.
70 Triangle of the Aiguille Verte: Frendo-Ravanel Route - Gérald Durand Route.
71 Aiguille du Midi/Aiguille de Blaitière: Traverse of the Chamonix Aiguilles.
72 Gendarme Vert of the Aiguille De Roc: Ice in the Sky.
73 Trident du Tacul: Les Intouchables.
74 Pointe Gugliermina: Boccalatte-Gervasutti Route.
75 Grande Rocheuse: Too Late to Say I’m Sorry.
76 Petit Dru: Allain-Leininger Route (North Face) .
77 Aiguille Noire de Peuterey: Ratti Direct.
78 Petit Dru: American Direct and North Face Finish.
79 Aiguille du Tacul: Stupenda.
80 Petit Clocher du Portalet: État de Choc - Ave Caesar.
81 Aiguille du Fou: American Route.
82 Grandes Jorasses, South Face of Pointe Walker: Hypercouloir.
83 Grands Charmoz: Merkl-Welzenbach Route.
84 Col des Pèlerins: Rébuffat-Terray Route.
85 The Droites: North Face Routes.
86 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Hélène: La Belle Hélène.
87 Petites Jorasses: Omega.
88 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Croz: Croz Spur - Slovenian Route.
89 Petit Dru: North Couloir.
90 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Walker: Walker Spur.
91 Mont Blanc: Hypercouloir of the Brouillard.
92 Mont Blanc: Peuterey Integral.
93 Mont Blanc: Central Pillar of Frêney.
94 Mont Blanc: Red Pillar of the Brouillard Superdirect, Gabarrou-Long Route.
95 Aiguille des Pèlerins: Beyond Good and Evil.
96 Aiguille Sans Nom: Gabarrou-Silvy Route.
97 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Croz: No Siesta.
98 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Walker: Serge Gousseault Route (North Face) .
99 Grand Pilier d’Angle: Divine Providence.
100 Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Walker: Little Big Men.
The 101st: Lafaille Route on the Petit Dru
The author Philippe Batoux is a mountain guide and instructor at France's national ski and mountaineering school in Chamonix. He has climbed all the routes described in this book, often in the company of today's most talented mountain photographers.
Hardback, 28.5cm x 26cm, 216 pages.
Published 2013.
ISBN: 978-1-906148-64-5.