Alpine Basics

Five days on the glaciers above Chamonix. Crampons, ice axe, rope work and a first summit on the Aiguille du Tour.

From, per person

€690

Guide fees, group equipment and planning included. Dates on request.

Enquire about dates

Duration

5 days

Difficulty

Easy

Season

June to September

Group size

Max 4 guests per guide

Price from

€690

Meeting point

Aventura office, Place de l'Église, Chamonix

Overview

What to expect.

Alpine Basics is where most of our guests start. Over five days you learn the skills that make glacier travel safe and enjoyable: walking in crampons, using an ice axe, moving together on a rope and stopping a fall. Each day builds on the one before, and the course ends on a real summit.

We base the week in Chamonix and on the Albert 1er hut, so you sleep one night at altitude before the summit day. No previous mountaineering is needed. If you can walk six hours in the hills with a light pack, you are ready.

Itinerary

Day by day.

Plans follow the weather and the group. Your guide confirms each day the evening before and adapts the route when conditions call for it.

Day 1. Crampons and ice axe

Kit check at the office, then up to the Mer de Glace. A full day of footwork on flat and steep ice, self-arrest practice and an introduction to the rope.

Day 2. Rope work on rock

Knots, belays and short-roping on the easy granite ridges of the Aiguilles Rouges, with the whole Mont Blanc range in view.

Day 3. Glacier travel and crevasse rescue

Moving as a rope team on the Bossons glacier. You build a snow anchor and set up a simple pulley system to haul a partner out of a crevasse.

Day 4. Up to the Albert 1er hut

Lift to Charamillon and a steady walk to the hut at 2,702 m. Afternoon practice on the Le Tour glacier and an early night.

Day 5. Aiguille du Tour, 3,540 m

Head torch start, sunrise on the glacier and a short scramble to the summit with views into Switzerland. Descent to the valley and a debrief over coffee.

Practical

What is included, what to bring.

Included in the price

IFMGA guide for the full five days
One night half board at the Albert 1er hut
Lift passes for the course days
Group equipment: ropes, anchors, rescue kit
Harness and helmet if you need them

What to bring

Stiff mountaineering boots that take crampons
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Warm layers, gloves and a hat
Sunglasses (category 3 or 4) and sun cream
30 to 40 litre pack and a head torch

Your guides

Who leads this tour.

Every departure is led by an IFMGA mountain guide who knows the route well. Open a profile to read about their background.

Julien Rousset

Head guide and co-founder

Léa Fontaine

Mountain guide

Enquire

Ask about dates for this tour.

Send us your preferred dates and a line about your experience. A guide replies within one working day with availability, a kit list and anything you should train for.

Phone

+33 4 50 00 00 00

hello@aventura.example