Glacier Adventure - Mont Blanc
Imagine fitting your crampons onto your hiking boots and, after securing your helmet, heading out onto a glacier!! It took a little while to get use to, but in no time we had our technique down pat.
As if that wasn’t cool enough…. our guides stopped at the edge of the glacier, and began drilling into the ice and securing ropes. Unbeknown to us, we were being prepared for an abseil down and return climb using ice picks.
Unexpected and exhilarating - that was one of those wow moments.
A picnic lunch on the Glacier - it keeps getting better.
And when we had finished walking on top of the glacier, we walked through it.
Our guides were waiting inside at an ice bar, with a celebration drink.
Good to Know
The Glacier is The Mer de Glace.
You can walk through it without a guide. Tickets are available on site.
To get there - take the historic Red Montenvers Mer de Glace cog railway from Chamonix. Then ride the local gondola down toward the foot of the glacier.
The glacier hike and abseiling/ice pick experience was a part of our Tour du Mont Blanc walk with Backroads Travel Company. However, there are companies that offer this adventure. They are based in Chamonix.
You cannot climb the glacier without an experienced guide.