Great video. I'm glad I put the training in before hand, just a shame the weather beat us when I joined you in June. I'll be back soon though!

Thank you! Training commences in Jan 👍🏻

The curve ball that I encountered on Grand Paradiso was lack of sleep. I must have got 1 hour of sleep in the Victor Emanuel hut. Our guide took us up the ridge via the via ferrata as there were reports of some people falling into crevices on the main glacier - subsequentially our walk took us @ 11 hours. Is sleeping a common problem for walkers in altitude John?

Does mont blanc require technical training at all? Only have access to UK mountains and none require the use of fixed lines or multi pitch climbing so not an easy thing to train in? Done basic courses but at low level. Great advice with training though thanks!

Great video, John. I completely agree. It was a pleasure climbing with you. Thanks for this extra summit footage 😊

Thank you. Very informative! How do you feel about swimming instead of cycling?

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Excellent advice, see you in June 2026! Wish I could do it sooner, can't wait, you are the best!

Thanks! Once again very interesting even though the climbs I am pondering aren't nearly as high, it's certainly applicable and worth thinking about. I problaby won't be fit enough for the big one ever again, but despite mid 50s, I am about the same height as Pogacar and Blumenfeldt and splash dot between them in weight, so I guess it's something to work on but not worry too much about. I was surprised about what looked like Z3 sessions of 90 minutes but remembering the efforts at altitude in the rockies in March, I wonder if it's the oxygen. Besides running a half marathon, I hardly ever stay at Z3 for all of 90 minutes (and the HM ends in Z4 normally), though some long runs are at the edge of Z2/Z3 due to heart-rate drift. I'll clearly look into ways of improving my training and the role of Z3.

Hello , I have scrambled in scotland, few hikes in uk and will be doing winter toubkal (will be my first 4000m) before heading to alps. Will i be able to make it? My half M time is 1:45 , 10k time is 42 mins . Will be doing a 6/5days mont blanc course

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How much does the guide cost

I did in 2024 and I’ve run many marathons in sub 3hr 15min and I found Mont Blanc far harder.

I can do the 1600m (did 2100m from Chamonix to one of the glaciers and back) and run the 10k in less than an hour, but I can only do it once, because my muscles will be quite sore the next day. Is that normal or should I try to do the 1600m a couple of times in a row?

I summited Mt Blanc by the Grand Mulets Routes when I was really mega fit & just 30 years old. I was already acclimatised from hiking the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt & Saas Fee the previous 10 days! No technical issues except the confidence required for La Jonction Crevasses & Summit Arete! Awesome Panoramic Views & Mt Blanc Shadow @ Sunrise!

I was fortunate to climb Mt Blanc some years ago by the Grand Mulets Route which is Awesome in August! Still not climbed Monte Rosa but looks more straight forward & slightly lower than Mt Blanc which has BIG issues with couloir stonefall!

Hey John, I bumped into you ascending the Grand Couloir yesterday with my friend. We summited Mt Blanc unguided and I used this video and many others of yours to make an informed decision on whether we had the skills and experience to do it ourselves. Thanks a lot for all your epic videos and hopefully see you on a mountain again soon.

How is it this year ???

Highlights 🏔 Climbing Mont Blanc requires specific levels of fitness. 📊 Aerobic fitness is the key focus, not strength or flexibility. 🎒 Ascend 1300m in 5.5 hours to prepare effectively. 🏃‍♂ Running 10km in under 55 minutes is a good benchmark for city dwellers. ⚖ Body weight significantly impacts climbing success. 🧗‍♂ Age is less critical up to 60, but fitness remains essential. 💬 Client experiences highlight the intense physical and mental challenges of the climb.

Great video

Brings back great memories from Aug 13th 2009 for me when I summited with you guys , Mark Charlton , Liz and Klemen were the guides that day 👍👍

Bonjour à tous Je vous félicite pour ce merveilleux grand tour de montagne classique. Merci pour ce merveilleux film. Je vous souhaite de bonnes randonnées en montagne. Avec mes salutations alpines Raphael Wellig

Bonjour à tous Je vous félicite pour ce merveilleux grand tour de montagne classique. Merci pour ce merveilleux film. Cela me rappelle de nombreux souvenirs inoubliables de mon Valais natal. Je vous souhaite de bonnes randonnées en montagne. Avec mes salutations alpines Raphael Wellig

Do you think 2 months is enough time to get in shape if I am in a low aerobic shape now?

When the next climb sir? Mk from Poland 🇵🇱

Hi, me and my son have hiked up the big 3 in the uk. Always took the more adventurous routes. We would love to do this together. My boy is 14 would he be able do this if he puts the work in and would you guide us up?

Beginner mountaineer here and I’m learning one needs to slowly build up in altitude and not just take days to acclimate but rather summit smaller mountains so you really understand how your body is reacting to altitude. To build confidence in trusting your body how it reacts to altitude.

What an excellent video

Thank you so much for this video. Great explanation! Clear and direct.

Hi, Thanks for the informative video, really enjoyed it. I would greatly appreciate your help... I suppose to land in Geneva on July 2 at 9:40 am I wanted to know if you think I will be able to get to Les Contamines Montjoie (14km +/- from the starting point) on the same day, or is it better for me to wait the day in Les-Houches and start the trek the day after?

hello ,Ihve 58 year old ,Iam healty and have good andurance .mental prepared from hard efort ,is posibil to enjoi with you in this sumer ?

Is this a 1 day climb?

what if someone has good endurance, can withstand 12 or even 16 hours of hiking in the mountains but overall is slow?

I feel like you forgot one key aspect when it comes to mountaineering. I have done many summits in Switzerland and from my experience mental readiness (resilience and mind set) is an extremely important factor. What I mean by that is that the alpine environment can be very harsh at times with weather shifts and conditions. I have seen many climbers fail because they were not ready mentally to face hard conditions. Mountaineering is not like hiking for instance, if you want to train for such a climb you should train in none optimal conditions (rain, cold, snow, night, etc.). To be physically ready is very important yes but we can usually push or body much further than we actually think if we are mentally ready. My advice would be to train out of the confort zone because such mountains will very much push out of your confort zone.

I've watch a couple of your videos and it seems like you have mostly male clients, would that be an accurate assessment?

I summited Half Dome last summer and I didn’t see a single overweight person at the top. Nothing separates people for endurance climbs like weight. Also, never underestimate acclimatization. Altitude makes a huge difference.

Looking forward to climb Mont Blanc within the next few years. I've only recently started to get into the more mountaineering in completing winter skills courses, going to plan a trip to Morocco for Mt Toubkal. Great video, thanks!

The biggest problem I have found as I age above 60 is balance. A month ago, I did a 500-meter scramble up a rock ridge on a peak near my home for the first time in 20 years. It was easy 20 years ago, but a month ago, I found it quite intimidating. I can still climb, but it is definitely a lot harder than in the past. I unfortunately have passed the time that I can climb peaks like Mt. Blanc. But I have lots of great memories from the past.

Appreciate the honestly. Very important.

Excellent video. I climbed via the Trois Monts route, out and back, generally considered a bit harder than the more commonly used Gouter route, last summer. By good fortune hit a nice weather window between two storms. I found it to be a nice 10 hour hike/climb, with a 300 ft or so semi-ice climb up the second ridge, before going up Mount Blanc proper. Plus a modest leap across a crevasse just to spice it up a little. Type 1 fun. A longish day, but still had enough gas in the tank to go out for a nice dinner with my wife that evening. I was not as trained as I like to be as this was added to my summer plans rather later than I normally like so did not get started in earnest as early as I normally like. That said, I am never out of shape, just not always in mountain shape. I was 66 at the time. I don't know exactly where I fit in that five step picture as far as being lean goes, but 5'8" and 155 lbs. I am certainly not as lean as when I was 30. To be honest I was nervous about my level of fitness, but it turned out to be rather easier than I feared. That said, this was not my first mountain. I have been rock, ice and mountain climbing for 40 some years, including some semi-technical peaks above 20,000 ft in my early 60s. I would also add, I have no physical gifts other than I know how to train and have the discipline to train very consistently. Pay close attention to the training videos and be consistent and this is well within your reach. Lastly, I think it is good to have a test piece, as noted in this video, to test and measure your training progress. A local mountain even if you need to do laps to get enough vertical is great, but if you do not have that steps in a local college football stadium, office building stairwell, parking garage stairwell, works pretty well too. Also, not bad for training. Do this with your boots and pack for the most accurate test. Work up to something a bit more than Mount Blanc to kind of account for altitude. I used 2000 meters as my test. Best of luck. The view is spectacular!

See why would I climb a mountain name kill a man and Jarroe! Poor Jarroe already diead, God alone knows how many man got kill.

0 fit - VR tech, sitting on rhe sofa and summitting!

Would be interested in a how to train video

Climbed it 2010 in my second year of mountaineering. 36 years of age and 30 in BMI. We did the route from Aiguille du Midi. First scaled Tacul on the way up, then the summit of MB. On the way back my friends made Maudit, but I was a little tired and wanted to save energy for the last ridge up to the cable car down. So I followed some italians down. Back down in Chamonix for lunch before the afternoon thunder storms. Yes it was hard, but manageable. Its about your mind and be able to work for hours. 10-12 h with small breaks. A good way to know is to do the Vasaloppet on xc skiis. 90 km. It will take most average people 7-12 h to compleet. If you can do that, you can do MB and have the right mindset for endurance.

Mont Blanc is cooler, who cares in Instagram if you climb Rosablanche, Pigne d’Arolla…?

The question is: Why would you even want to climb Mont Blanc if you’ve never climbed another mountain? There are easier peaks that are even more beautiful. The only reason that I can imagine is Instagram bragging rights. And if that’s your motivation then you’re very much in it for all the wrong reasons.

lol 1300m is for an hour and a half, not 4 hours…

Question here. I have done "Skåla", highest constant uphill in Norway (appr 1800m), on foot and ski (you have to carry the skis and boots on your backpack the first 600 meters, then put on skis and climbing skins). Star is at 50 m MSL. I have done 3 times and it use to take just under 4 hours. I have also done several, much longer randonee tours, but not so much elevation, usually 900-1200 meters (but up to 10km one way). No problem. Cycling: 90km MTB in just under 5 hours (Cykelvasan, Sweden. It is not flat...). Not superfast, but OK. But running: I cant run even 200 meters. When I am totaly exhausted. How about that? I can't run, but I think I can push on quite OK in other diciplines. If I am trying MtBlanc, I will train a lot anyway...

very interesting and educational video! Now when I see the footage I am confident I could even do the summit without a guide regarding terrain difficulty but hell I would be lost as a blind seagull if the weather changes and i couldnt find the path.

Great video. Friends and I had a crack at Mt Blanc with John and his team in 2022 but after Gran Paradiso the conditions were too bad to attempt the big one (but the plan B option was just brilliant). Highly recommend John and Mt Blanc Guides. They really do know what they're doing and what they're talking about. I'd only add to John's comments on fitness - and the clients alluded to this - is that the advantage of having done some endurance sports isn't just the physical side but the mental robustness of feeling that it all hurts, but keeping going anyway. That's super valuable when you're 4000m+ up in a blizzard with legs and lungs on fire. We'll be back!