Mont Blanc: The Finest Routes

by Philippe Batoux, Paul Henderson (Translator)

Mont Blanc – The Finest Routes is a collection of the 100 must-do climbing routes in the Mont Blanc Massif. Modern alpinism is a multi-faceted activity for which the Mont Blanc Massif is the perfect playground. Classic routes to which every mountaineer can aspire are surrounded by the towering rock faces, huge mixed walls, precipitous ice shields, serrated ridges and narrow gullies that define the massif’s harder climbs. In order to attain these prestigious summits via the most interesting itineraries, this book presents a modern selection of 100 must-do routes, ranging from historic classics to more recent lines, described in order of increasing difficulty. Author and mountain guide Philippe Batoux provides a comprehensive account of each route, outlining its history and atmosphere and giving all the technical information needed to climb it. These written descriptions are complemented by photo diagrams and detailed topos. In addition, every route is illustrated with superbly evocative photos that make best use of the book’s large format. The routes were chosen for the quality of the rock, the reliability of the in-situ gear, the beauty of the surroundings, the prestige of the summit and the enthusiasm the route inspires. Preference has been given to routes in the modern idiom, whether they are gullies that only form in winter, difficult free climbs on high-altitude cliffs, long ridge scrambles or traverses of major summits. There are routes here for all tastes, from famous classics such as the Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi, the American Direct on the Petit Dru, the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte, the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses and the Kuffner Ridge on Mont Maudit to more recent gems such as Je t’ai conquis, Je t’adore on Pointe Lépiney, No Siesta on the Grandes Jorasses and Le Vent du Dragon on the Aiguille du Midi.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2013

Reviews

[darío hereñú · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para aquellos amantes de las ascensiones a las montañas & cerros, et alia, se sentirán a sus anchas.
De por sí, las fotos ya "pagan" el precio.
Pero eso es otro asunto.
El libro, didáctico en toda la extensión de la palabra, está dedicado exclusivamente al Mont Blanc, más aun, describe 100 rutas de aquel macizo "que-todo-escalador-debería-perseguir". El libro no escatima en profusión de fotos; y si vemos yuxtapuestas dichas rutas sobre las fotos de las montañas, se me ocurre que se acerca al libro ideal.
No menor son las datos e informaciones anexas: descripción de la ruta, la estrategia elegida, las horas insumidas y la graduación de dificultad. Incluso la vía de descenso!

Totalmente recomendable!



pd: la naturaleza me susurra que no existen montañas gemelas.