Mont Blanc Range Climbing

Considered by many to be the birthplace of modern mountaineering, the Mont Blanc range continues to be "the" destination for alpine climbing in all of Europe. A who's who list of 20th century alpinists all cut their teeth on these famous mountains, from Messner to Bonnigton, Cassin, Rebuffat, to more recent stars such as Andy Parkin, Twight, Profit, Berthaud, Damilano, etc. Rebuffat however takes most of the credit for making this a popular destination, first with his mountaineering movies and then by the publication of "The Mont Blanc Massif: The 100 Finest Routes" in 1973. Part coffee table book, part guide book, this publication has probably done the most to initiate alpine careers and dreams. The routes listed in the book were organized from easiest to hardest and provided a measured introduction into alpine climbing from rock to snow and ice. A modern version of this book is "Mont Blanc: les plus belles courses" by Philippe Batoux, published in 2012. Finally available in English, this modern version follows the same approach of listing routes from easiest to most difficult. Some routes from Rebuffat's list are included, but many are new classics and at times safer outings as some of the old Rebuffat routes are not longer safe due to the ever changing nature of glaciers and seracs in the area.