UKH

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62436466

Wowza

Peillex hasn't put this deposit requirement in place, it's most likely a headline-grabbing statement designed to attract attention (not the first time he's made such proclamations). It's debatable whether he does have the power to do this as he claims. 

The concrete action he has taken is to close the Gouter and Tete Rousse huts from today until further notice. This useful information is mentioned in the article but buried after the more dramatic headline.

Given the levels of rockfall seen recently (https://twitter.com/KrisAnnapurna/status/1549859456598540289?t=NWoK6sALXZ0n...), and that guides have already decided to stop using that route since mid-July (https://mobile.twitter.com/guidemark/status/1547585921691684864 - "Mt Blanc closed until further notice, unless you have a death wish"), I don't think the decision is an over reaction.

There's more active discussion of this in https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/expedition+alpine/guides_shutting_down_cl...

The Guardian also has an article, in which it refers to the "path" to the summit of the Matterhorn.

Must have been a pretty major rockfall.

Mr Peillex confirmed to me yesterday that this is more of a stunt to get people to think twice about trying to climb it. It won't be legally enforced. I'll get a news report up on Monday with his comments, hopefully.

Grande Couloir perhaps best avoided just now https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cg3sLaiD9SO/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

There are probably good reasons why not, but why not just build a new route entirely up the right side of the couloir?

The AC mont blanc guide has the Payot ridge  variation missing out the couloir but potentially causing rockfall in the couloir.

PD/PD+ rather than PD-/PD.

About 20 year old guidebook though, could be a nightmare nowadays.

If that’s the deposit, how much to buy the whole thing?

The couloir continues on down a fair way, you'd have to start potentially somewhere beyond the Bionassay glacier, and or cross it at some point. Not sure how safe or easily crossed its upper reaches are. It wouldn't be hard to swing up from the valley bottom to the right of the glacier though as there are masses of trails, it just getting back on route might not be easy. Better to climb Bionassay before MB.

Better still is perhaps to either cut loses and close the hut entirely (remove it), or close in July to Sept. Logistically hard to close a route, but removing the hut would drastically reduce numbers. 

That's the left (true right) side isn't it? Was Robert suggesting the right (true left)!?

Doesn't it mention another route up the left skyline to the Gouter too, starting somewhere else.

I have often heard of talk of a scramble up the nose or spur more direct from chamonix, on the left as you look uphill, but I've never known anyone who has done it. I suspect if remotely viable, with fit clients, the guides would be using it already. 

The older 76? blue AC guide says to climb up any rib to the hut. Then suggests that crossing the couloir to climb the rib to its right as the easiest way. Some parties even climbed the couloir itself ,at night, but not recommended , even in those snowier times.

It may be the ribs on the left are now rubble fests without binding ice.

I was meaning the true left.