In budget conversations everyone counts something different. One person counts only the car, fuel and huts. Another adds every chocolate bar. A third throws in boots, a jacket, a watch, a camera and a new rucksack. Then everyone says “Mont Blanc cost me this much”, but the numbers are not comparable.
That is why I split costs into levels.
Three levels of cost
| Level | What it covers | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| The trip itself | car, fuel, vignettes, accommodation, huts, water, food, insurance | the best number to compare with a commercial trip |
| Essential gear | boots, crampons, ice axe, helmet, harness, clothing, rope, glasses | depends on what you already own, borrow or buy |
| Long-term gear and comfort | watch, camera, extra power banks, a pricier rucksack, extras | should not be added to the cost of one trip without comment |
Shared costs
In our accounts the shared costs were mainly the car, fuel, vignettes, road tolls, tunnels, parking and some of the accommodation. According to our spreadsheet that came to about PLN 1,604.80 per person for five people.
This is where a five-person team pays off: transport costs spread sensibly. The same van for three people would be much more expensive per head. For six it would be cheaper, but with six you get more gear and more logistical chaos.
Huts
The high mountain huts were a separate, large cost. In our accounts we counted:
- Tête Rousse
- The Goûter
- Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II
For our trip we assumed roughly €496 per person for the high huts, counting Tête Rousse, two nights at the Goûter and Vittorio. That is the figure for our trip. How it splits into deposits and payments on site is shown in the article on hut bookings.
With huts it is easy to count something twice. You pay the deposit in advance, then get a receipt on site, and on top of that come meals, water and drinks. If you do not separate these, it is easy to overstate or understate the cost.
Insurance
Then add insurance. We assumed about PLN 350 per person for Alpenverein membership or insurance. Check this before your own trip, because terms, premiums, limits and cover can change.
I would not treat insurance as a place to save money. On a high mountain trip it is about more than treating a minor injury: it covers rescue, transport and situations where an ordinary EHIC card is not enough.
Approximate total
So roughly, the picture looks like this:
| Category | Approximate amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shared costs | about PLN 1,604.80 | car, fuel, tolls, shared accommodation according to our spreadsheet |
| High mountain huts | about €496 | Tête Rousse, Goûter, Vittorio in our accounts |
| Insurance | about PLN 350 | check before your own trip |
| Approximate total | about PLN 4,100 | without big long-term gear purchases |
That is what it cost us: with this team, this vehicle, these huts and the euro rate at the time. For someone else it may be cheaper or much more expensive.
How to read the budget
It is best to split the budget into separate parts:
- Shared costs
- Huts
- Insurance
- Food and water
- Gear purchases
- What is a one-off cost
- What stays with you for years
Someone may already own part of the gear. For one person the biggest cost will be the trip and the huts. For another it will be boots, crampons, an ice axe, a jacket, a rucksack and glasses.