Mont Blanc Guide Recommendation?

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ChrisP 14 Mar 2017
Good morning all,

Can anyone recommend a good guide for Mont Blanc this summer? I'll either be by myself or accompanied by a friend.

I noticed online that most guides run a 6-7 day program which includes training and acclimatization. I'm only really looking for a guide for the climb itself. The acclimatization i'll do myself.

Does anyone know what a guide would charge for accent only?

Many thanks
Chris
 Lamb 14 Mar 2017
In reply to ChrisP:

John McCune would be a good guy to get in touch with. He's based out in Chamonix over the Summer.
 maxsmith 14 Mar 2017
In reply to ChrisP:

for accent you probably want a French teacher
 erph 16 Mar 2017
In reply to ChrisP:

The campagnie des guides de Chamonix has a pricelist online: http://www.chamonix-guides.com/include/viewFile.php?idtf=1148&path=81%2...
 ROB W 06 Apr 2017
In reply to ChrisP:

Try the British Mountain Guides web site where you can put in a request for a guide, and it's get sent throughout the whole of the BMG membership. There shouldnt be a problem with you doing your own thing first, might be worth letting the guide know what you have planed to get acclimatised as he or she may have some tips and ideas for you.
Cost's up to £300 per day,split between you and your friend, that may not include the guides expenses, hut fee,lifts cost,even though guides get a discount on the lifts, you'd have to have a chat with the guide about that, and also what route you'd like to take,hut bookings can be a pain during busy times.As a guide myself I would also like some info on your past experience which would be very helpfull.Also some companies do run a 3 day Mont Blanc exstension to there trips, so it might be worth a call, to see if you can get on one of those,haveing already done your own acclimatisation.Avoid August if you can,very very busy,and get as fit as you can before hand,Good luck and all the best.Might see you up there.
 smithaldo 06 Apr 2017
In reply to ChrisP:
Don't all guides in Cham have to charge the agreed prices for a particular route to bowed to operate? It will cost you 990 euros if so.
 Simon4 06 Apr 2017
In reply to smithaldo:

> Don't all guides in Cham have to charge the agreed prices for a particular route to bowed to operate?

Possibly French guides, I doubt that the same rule would apply to UK and other guides, though probably Rob above would be able to comment on that. I take from the OPs post, that that is what he wants to avoid, as he feels he can get fitness and acclimitisation himself, though a guide may well want some evidence of this.

 smithaldo 07 Apr 2017
In reply to Simon4: I'm sure a BMG told me their hands were tied when I asked about the cost of a certain route.

 Simon4 07 Apr 2017
In reply to smithaldo:

Then your information may be more accurate than my assumption.

Perhaps a guide can clarify?
 nb 08 Apr 2017
In reply to Simon4:

It's ilegal to fix prices in France. Guides can charge what they want.
 smithaldo 09 Apr 2017
In reply to nb: I quote directly from an email received from a BMG not in the Cham guides company (in 2011 so admittedly a while ago), 'The guiding fees (as set by the Bureau des Guides) are 915 euros to the end of the ice and rappelling, or 1650 euros to the summit of the Tacul.'

Might be a gentlemans agreement type thing but who knows.
 Simon4 09 Apr 2017
In reply to nb:

Quite a lot of things in France are illegal, but are still done.
 veteye 09 Apr 2017
In reply to ChrisP:

If you want a guide with an accent, then I can recommend Fred(despite the name, he is French. Yet he sports dreadlocks) from the Bureau in Chamonix. I must admit, I only used him for one day, when I was near to the end of my holiday and I did not have anyone else to climb with.

Rob
 nb 10 Apr 2017
In reply to Simon4:

> Quite a lot of things in France are illegal, but are still done.

It's not illegal for guides' bureaus to publish a price for clients booking through them. It is illegal, however, for competing guides to get together and agree on a price. The French guides' syndicate used to publish a recommended day rate until they got their knuckles rapped by the authorities. Freelance guides (ie almost all guides) are free to charge what they want, whether or not they are members of a bureau.

However, guides often use the local bureau's rates as a guideline (unintended pun!).

I'm pretty sure price-fixing is also illegal in the UK, and I'm also pretty sure that people from the same trade discuss how much they charge for different kinds of job.
 nb 10 Apr 2017
In reply to veteye:

You don't get any more French then 'Fred'!!

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