Mt. Blanc ~ The highest of the Alps

The highest mountain in France (and indeed the Alps) is Mt Blanc at 4807M. The only higher mountains in Europe are found in Russia.
It is climbed frequently and can be as busy as most British peaks on a popular day. However Being such a huge mountain the views make the climb worthwhile.
The ascent usually takes two days, Like most alpine peaks Mt. Blanc can serve up an extreme range of temperature (from 25 Deg C in the valley to -25 Deg C on the summit.)

My favourite route is the classic ascent from Chamonix via the Bosses ridge to the summit. I then follow the traverse ridge down to Col de la Brenva, then over Mt Maudit and Mont Blanc du Tacul down to the Col du Midi in the Vallee Blanche. The final ascent is to Aig du Midi (the ridge forms the border between France and Italy) then catch the cable car down to one of the many bars in Chamonix. (this is the route illustrated below)

	this Memorial Stone in Chamonix is of the first men whom made the first ascent of mt. Blanc back in Aug 1786. They were J. Balmat & M. Paccard. little were they to know what tourism and wealth mt. Blanc was to bring to the region.
	a close up view of the summit ridge from Chamonix, using a telephoto lens. the summit is on the left, the Dome du Gouter in the middle and the Aig. du Gouter on the right this is the final 1000 metres of the Bosses ridge.
	crossing the glacier and moraine towards the Gouter hut the hut is probably the most crowded in all the Alps, it sits alone at the top of the arete at 3817 meters
	the Bosses ridge starts at the hut, this was taken a few hundred metres down from the hut, and consequently a few hundred metres before a big crowd of people.
	high on the bosses ridge near the summit of Dome du Gouter which is just a minor bump at 4304 meters. the large number of people on the mountain can clearly be seen, snaking their way up the final 500metres, it is from here that altitude sickness and cold begin to affect.
	looking back towards the hut (clearly seen about 1/3 from the left of the ridge end) By this altitude the western end of the Chamonix valley becomes clear in the distance
	looking along a spur into Italy, from about 4500 meters a huge build up of snow has created this spectacular but dangerous cornice
	the final metres of the summit ridge, by now we are in full morning sun and can see over 300 hundred miles across into Switzerland and Italy from the summit several landmarks such as Milan, the Matterhorn, the Eiger range are clearly visible
	the summit of Mt. Blanc is 4807 metres and is the highest point in the Alps (I am the one in the red jacket looking directly at the camera) as is quite usual there is an Igloo built on top although its mid morning in the south of France with full sunshine the temperature is minus 20 Deg. C.
	the summit ridge and frontier of France & Italy The mountain in the far left is Aig. du Midi, where I caught the cable car down
	further along the ridge looking back towards Mt. Blanc from the Col de la Brenva 4303 meters having just dropped 500 metres very quickly you feel much better and most of the effects of altitude are already gone, only to return on the next peak which is Mont Maudit
	the final descent to the snow fields of the Vallee Blanche and Col du Midi before the long climb of around 300 metres to the cable car on the Midi.