UKH

Hi all,

Looking for some advice/recommendations…

About to plan a trip to the alps to climb Mt Blanc, The Matterhorn & The Eiger next year - I’ve seen a few companies in Chamonix that offer all 3 during the 1 trip. Is there any companies that folk in here would recommend or companies that should be avoided?

Thanks in Advance

hi Jay, 

Frost guiding have a good reputation.

you could also look at hiring a guide privately rather than going through a company. It depends to what extend you want everything (accommodation etc.) taken care of.

Hi mate,

Thanks for your reply. Ideally guiding, huts and transport between the 3 mountains is all I need. I’ve booked flights, transfers and apartment in cham. I’ve been quoted 5995€ from chamonix experience. Icicle mountaineering has been mentioned somewhere and I checked there website and they are a similar price of £5500. I’m just unsure of whether these prices are the going rate.
 

I´d have a look at how long the various packages last. Some try to cram all three summits into a single week (you´d have to be very lucky with the weather for that to work); others (Icicle for instance) offer the same in 2 weeks, including an acclimatisation ascent of Gran Paradiso, which sounds much more realistic and relaxed.

The prices seem to be ok, considering that the going rates for the 3 routes are all around 1300-1400 Euros or CHF. Cable cars and hut fees in Switzerland however are going to be damned expensive, and if you use independent guides you´d be paying these for them as well.

That sounds pretty cheap. I'd be quoting £750 per day (albeit with everything included, except your travel to/from Chamonix and your uplift costs and lunches). So for e.g. 12 days that would be £9K.

I think the going rate for a private IFMGA guide is £350-£400 per day, which tallies with the price you've been quoted (assuming it's a 2 week itinerary). although you would also pay for your guide's uplift and hut costs.

if you want to save money, you could acclimatise on your own (i.e. cut down days required with a guide) and/or try and do some jiggery pokery for mont blanc as the guide ratio will be 1:1 for eiger and matterhorn but could be 1:3 for MB. probably logistically difficult to orchestrate though.

TLDR: the price you've been quoted is probably fair and i would be surprised if you could do it much cheaper

1:1 for the Eiger? I'm assuming the guided route is the west ridge, and I'd be surprised if that necessitates a 1:1 ratio. 

You’ll be looking at a bit more than that these days.

The ratio for Mont Blanc is 1:2. Most guides aren’t the keen on climbing big routes with people totally unknown to them. 

I’d probably run the trip like this.

Day 1: warm up day - Peigne Normal Route or Perrons Traverse 

Day 2: Drive round to Grinlewald approach Mittleggi Hut

Day 3: Traverse Eiger - descend from Jungfraujoch Train. Stay in Grindlewald.

Day 4 drive round to Tasch, get train to Zermatt, walk in to Hornli Hut.

Day 5 climb Matterhorn descend to Zermatt. 

Day 6 drive to courmayeur (rest day). Eat pizza. 

Day 7 walk in to Monzio Hut

Day 8 walk in to Eccles Hut

Day 9 climb Innominatia Ridge. ( you could climb the Gouter, but this would be  more fitting of your challenge) Descend to Gouter Hut. 

Day 10 descend back to Les Houches. 

Day 11 collapse/recover car from Val Veny. 

The Mittleggi is the normal route in the summer. It’s hard enough guiding it with 1, let alone 2!’

Perhaps more emphasis needed on the word "collapse"? Possibly earlier than day 11 for many people?!

I dunno - Seems reasonable to me. There are quite a few short/hut approach days in there.

But you'd probably not want to guide the Innominata at 1:2 even though its Mont Blanc??(!)

Yep - I was meaning the Gouter.

There is probably an Italian law that decrees the Inominata as 1:1.

I have heard a strong rumour that the Eccles has major damage (again).