Mont Blanc 15,774' - France's High Point (and highest in the Alps)                                                                         
August 5, 2018

Ricardo and Ulyana traveled to Mont Blanc in the summer of 2018, to guide a group of Mexicans on the peak. There were no successful summits from the group and, a few days later, Ricardo and Ulyana went for another attempt on the Trois Monts (mountaineers) route. This entailed taking a gondola from Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi first, then climbing down a ridge to a hut, where they spent the night. Around midnight the next night, they started their ascent, first climbing Tacul, then Maudit (which had fixed lines on the 60-degree icy slope) and finally Mont Blanc at 15,774 feet. Ricardo surprised Ulyana with a proposal at the top of the peak!

They descended the standard route and spent the night at the Gouter hut on the way down. The next morning, they hiked all the way back down to town and showed up at their hotel, drenched from the rain, but incredibly happy!

Country highpoint

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SUMMITS: Mont Blanc Photos

SCIENCE: "French Heat Wave"

This episode covers the changing glaciers of Mont Blanc, France's highpoint and the highest peak in the Alps (Europe).