7–8 June
Katowice and the drive to Italy
“Still a civilian stage, but the expedition is already starting.”
A day on the road, no GPS track.
The normal route via the Goûter. An ebook by Marcin Wnuk
Mont Blanc
The summit is the goal.
But a safe return matters more.
I have been through it. I will show you what I did right, what I did wrong and what I would do differently today.
Summit, 4,808 m, 13 June 2026
160 pages about everything that happens before the summit photo and after it. From a Facebook post and looking for a team, through hut bookings, a glacier course and acclimatisation on Gran Paradiso, to a night at the Goûter, waiting out the wind at the Vallot and the descent to the valley.
Who this ebook is for
For someone thinking about an independent trip to Mont Blanc who wants to understand the whole process: team, bookings, transport, budget, gear, acclimatisation, huts, summit day and the descent. For someone interested in all the small decisions that lead to the summit photo.
Who it is not for
If you are looking for a detailed topo describing every metre of the route, you will not find it here. This book will not replace a glacier course either, and it should not be the basis for deciding to climb without experience, gear and preparation. Mont Blanc is popular, but it is still a high and serious mountain.
Nine days on the trip, six in the mountains
Mont Blanc by the normal route via the Goûter, with acclimatisation on Gran Paradiso. The elevation profile from my watch, from Pont to the descent to Bellevue. Scroll to walk the whole route.
1958On the roadm above sea level9 June
0 km60 km on foot
9 June
Pont → Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II
“After a long journey the body gets its first effort, the rucksack starts to feel heavy and the group starts working together in the terrain.”
- Distance
- 5.8 km
- Up
- 764 m
- Down
- 2 m
- Highest
- 2720 m
10 June
Gran Paradiso
“Gran Paradiso was meant to be acclimatisation, but it is a proper four-thousander and a very good test.”
- Distance
- 16.6 km
- Up
- 1374 m
- Down
- 2134 m
- Highest
- 4061 m
11 June
Bellevue → Tête Rousse
“We had to watch the terrain, the tracks and other people.”
- Distance
- 8.0 km
- Up
- 1399 m
- Down
- 36 m
- Highest
- 3167 m
12 June
Tête Rousse → Goûter
“In a place like that, every team should have the space and calm to cross safely.”
- Distance
- 3.2 km
- Up
- 707 m
- Down
- 66 m
- Highest
- 3835 m
13 June
Summit day and back to the Goûter
“But the summit is not the end of the route.”
- Distance
- 15.8 km
- Up
- 1722 m
- Down
- 1711 m
- Highest
- 4807 m
14 June
Goûter → Bellevue
“It was no formality after the summit, but a long and important day.”
- Distance
- 10.4 km
- Up
- 65 m
- Down
- 2089 m
- Highest
- 3835 m
15 June
The drive home
“The expedition is the whole thing.”
A day on the road, no GPS track.
Look inside the ebook
Laid out like a mountain magazine: large photos, maps from real GPS tracks, tables and tick-off cards. Every checklist starts on a new page, so it is easy to print. The pages below come from the Polish edition; the English edition is in preparation.
In the book
- a day-by-day plan with maps and GPS tracks from my watch
- booking Tête Rousse and the Goûter step by step
- the trip budget without big gear purchases: about PLN 4,100 per person
- gear, food and water: what worked and what was too much
- eleven mistakes I would not make today
- ten printable checklists
Contents
- 0From the author: my road to Mont BlancSport, injuries, cardiac arrest and a return to the mountains. Where the idea of Mont Blanc came from.
- 1IntroductionWho this book is for and what it does not promise.
- 2Mont Blanc in practiceRoutes to the summit, timing, altitude and what to sort out before deciding.
- 3Finding a teamFacebook, first contact, a group from different cities, a test trip to Slovakia and an ascent of Vysoká.
- 4Team organisation and communicationHow we made decisions without a formal leader or a rigid split of roles.
- 5Hut bookingsTête Rousse, the Goûter, Vittorio Emanuele II, deposits, vouchers, the 17:00 rule, checks and documents.
- 6Transport from PolandThe van, vignettes, the route to Pont, the drive to Les Houches and back to Poland.
- 7Trip budgetWhat the trip itself cost without big gear purchases: about PLN 4,100.
- 8Insurance and paperworkInsurance, the EHIC card, offline documents, emergency numbers and keeping in touch with family.
- 9Physical and technical preparationTraining, a glacier course, testing the team, acclimatisation on Gran Paradiso and altitude sickness.
- 10GearWhat I had, what I bought, what worked and what was too much.
- 11Food, water and hutsWhat to carry, what not to carry, hut food, water at €7.
- 12Day by dayPoland → Pont → Vittorio → Gran Paradiso → Tête Rousse → Goûter → Mont Blanc → descent.
- 13Summit dayThe Goûter, the night start, the Vallot, wind, the Bosses ridge, the summit, the descent.
- 14Biggest mistakes and lessonsEleven mistakes, from rucksack weight to not seeing a cardiologist. Plus a plan B.
- 15ChecklistsTen printable lists: documents, bookings, gear, clothing, food, electronics, the morning at the Goûter, the descent, first aid and costs.
- 16Links, QR codes and updatesOfficial sources, the updates page, GPX files, printable checklists and altitudes.
- AfterwordThe summit is not the end.
Guide: Mont Blanc via the Goûter route
Six excerpts from the ebook to read for free: hut bookings, trip cost, a day-by-day account, acclimatisation, gear and mistakes.
- How to book the Goûter and Tête Rousse hutsHow we booked the Goûter, Tête Rousse and Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II: booking order, the FFCAM system, deposits, balances paid on site, the 17:00 rule and document checks.
- How much does Mont Blanc cost without a guideThe budget of an independent trip to Mont Blanc by the normal route: shared costs, the Tête Rousse and Goûter huts, insurance. For us about PLN 4,100 per person without big gear purchases.
- Mont Blanc via the Goûter route: day by dayNine days, six of them in the mountains: Gran Paradiso for acclimatisation, Bellevue, Tête Rousse, the Grand Couloir, the Goûter, the night start, the Vallot, the Bosses ridge, the summit and the descent. Times and data from GPS.
- Acclimatising for Mont Blanc: Gran Paradiso and altitude sicknessWhy we chose Gran Paradiso (4,061 m) for acclimatisation, what the other options are and which altitude sickness symptoms you need to know before climbing Mont Blanc.
- Mont Blanc gear: what worked and what was too muchA Mont Blanc normal route gear list from our June 2026 trip: a 20 kg rucksack and how I cut it down, personal and team gear, clothing layers, boots and crampons, and what was too much.
- The biggest mistakes on Mont Blanc and a plan BA rucksack that was too heavy, too much food and electronics, faith in an app, summit pressure. The mistakes from our Mont Blanc trip, what I would do differently and how to prepare a plan B.
The summit is the goal. But a safe return matters more.
The “Mont Blanc” ebook
PDF, 160 pages, 17 chapters, ten printable checklists. The normal route via the Goûter, June 2026. The English edition is in preparation.
After purchase you get access to a page with updates, GPS tracks and downloads: mb.marcinwnuk.pl.