Xavier and I meet our guide, Martin, downtown St-Gervais. It is still pitch dark. We drop by the rental shop and hire heavy winter mountaineering boots (Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro Gtx), harnesses, crampons, ice axes, poles and helmets. We throw our bags in Martin’s Mitsubishi pick-up truck and we are off.

We cross the Mont Blanc tunnel, 11km of tunnel under the Massif du Mont Blanc, arrive at Courmayeur in Italy and hop on the cable car that takes us to 3400 meter at the Pointe Helbronner. We cross the final tunnel by foot that will take us to the edge of the mountain, it iss ‘James bond’ like with ‘Extreme Danger’ and ‘do not cross’ signs on the wall. Crampons on, roped in and off we go on the glacier du Geant.

We reach les ‘Aiguilles Marbrées’, behind us is the Mont Blanc towering over this magnificient mountain range. As we start the climb, which turns out to be the most technical I have ever done, we see beautiful Matterhorn in the distance – Mont Cervin in French and Cervino in Italian.

Xavier is agile on this ridge, and I am amazed to see him hanging comfortably on his arms while placing his crampons on tiny cracks to get the required purchase for the next push. His indoor climbing is paying off greatly.

A few hours of climbing later, we reach the fixed rappel point that will take off 30 meters down to the snow. Across the glacier and back to the Refuge at the top of the cable car. All together, a nice technical mixed climb in rock and snow on the ridge that separates France and Italy. Heavily recommended climb! and great training for Denali 2019.