The first weeks of this Alpine summer season have been our most successful ever, with 100% success on Mont Blanc each week. The weather has been very stable, and the conditions on the mountain are exceptional at present. The crossing of the Gouter Couloir is objectively safe, with a good track in the snow across it, and very little rockfall. We extend a huge congratulations to all our clients who have been out, for all your efforts, and for reaching the summit.

To help make the summit day as manageable as possible, all our teams stay in the new Gouter hut, the highest on the mountain, in order to make the summit climb shorter. There is also a safety consideration with this hut choice, in that climbers return earlier to the Gouter couloir, to be able to cross it, whilst it is still in shade and the snow is better frozen. Getting the spaces in the Gouter hut is no easy task, but we consider it the key to making the summit more guaranteed and safe.

Also, we need to thank all the guides who have worked so hard on Mont Blanc these past weeks. All the photos on this blog (apart from the last one) were taken by them, and whilst it’s hard to feel too sorry for them with their ‘office’ views, their efforts have kept all our groups safe on Mont Blanc, and they have helped make the dreams of so many guests become a reality. To read more about our guiding team, and to learn more about their qualifications, please click here.

Anyway, enough of our report. We’ll leave the last word to Tony from last weeks group. He sent us this summit photo below, and an e-mail which simply said “A big thanks to you all at Icicle. Mission accomplished“.

For more details on our Mont Blanc trips this summer, click here.