The Goûter Route (also known as the Voie Des Cristalliers and Voie Royale) is one of the two normal mountaineering routes used to reach the summit of

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, ascending to a height of . The route lies on the north side of the mountain, in France. Usually reckoned as the easiest route up Mont Blanc, it is extremely popular with mountaineers, seeing thousands of ascents per year.

History

The first attempt of this route (from the Aiguille du Goûter up to the ''Col du Dôme'', but not further), was completed on 17 September 1784 by Jean Marie Couttet and François Cuidet. This was two years prior to the first successful attempt to reach Mont Blanc's summit in 1786. However, the first complete ascent of the mountain the via the Aiguille du Goûter, the Dôme du Goûter and L'Arête des Bosses (Bosses Ridge) was only accomplished on 18 July 1861, more than seventy years later. The first ascensionists were

Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, mountaineer, and an Ethical Culture, Ethical movement activist. He was also the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell and the ...

and Francis Fox Tuckett with the guides

Melchior Anderegg Melchior Anderegg (28 March 1828 – 8 December 1914), from Zaun, Meiringen, was a Switzerland, Swiss mountain guide and the first ascent, first ascensionist of many prominent mountains in the western Alps during the Golden age of alpinism, golden ...

, Johann-Josef Bennen and Peter Perren.

Increasing popularity and introduction of permit system

Numerous accidents from 2003 onwards have brought to public attention the perceived overuse of the route. Local residents raised concerns about the fragile alpine environment and the "progressive banalisation" and "globalisation" of the mountain to a mere tourist destination. Since 25 May 2019, on the Goûter Route, a regulation is in force with quota-limited climbing permits required for all climbers. The quotas are based on the dates which climbers choose to stay at each of the refuges along the route.

Description

The ascent usually takes 2 days. From

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Saint-Gervais-les-Bains () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region, southeastern France. The village is best known for tourism and has been a po ...

, climbers must first reach the Nid d'Aigle, either via the Mont Blanc Tramway or by foot. From here, climbers hike to and then ascend a

lateral moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris ( regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sh ...

to the Tête Rousse Hut and the Tête Rousse Glacier. After crossing the Tête Rousse glacier, climbers access a short stretch of rock and immediately afterwards reach the infamous Couloir du Goûter or Grand Couloir. The 100 m-long section is protected by a steel cable, intended to be used in avalanche emergencies only.''CLIMBING MONT BLANC – THE ROUTES EXPLAINED – MOUNTAIN TRACKS''
/ref> The unstable rocks in the

couloir A couloir (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. . Geology A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, o ...

have become infamous as more and more climbers attempt Mont Blanc up this route. In the period between 1990 and 2011, 74 people have died and 180 injured in accidents along this section. This is attributed primarily to the fragmented rocks in the area, the rising popularity of the route, and lack of technical and athletic skills. The increasingly infamous reputation of this short section and the scramble above it have also created a positive

feedback Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause and effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handle ...

loop, where climbers to attempt to get through the area as rapidly as possible, in turn exacerbating existing risks. Most accidents occur when climbers slip off of unstable terrain or are hit by rockfall from above. While still risky, the vast majority of climbers make it through the section with no trouble. Beyond the couloir, one scrambles up a crest of rock leads up to the top of the mountain face, soon reaching the former Goûter Hut (an old mountain hut) where the path increases in steepness. This section is equipped with protective steel cables, above which climbers reach the ridge of the Aiguille du Goûter at the altitude of 3817 m. From here, climbers go 200 metres to the south to find the new Goûter Hut, which opened in 2013. Beyond this, the climb continues on straightforward, if sometimes exposed terrain. While the most technically difficult part of the climb has concluded, climbers should be aware of increasingly hazardous weather, a highly strenuous ascent ahead of 1000 m, and the risks they face on descent. The ascent from the summit from the Goûter Hut consists of a continuous progression on snow across the following landmarks: * Aiguille du Goûter (3,863 m) * Dôme du Goûter (4,304 m) * Vallot Hut (emergency cabin, 4,362 m) * Grande Bosse (4,513 m) * Petite Bosse (4,547 m) *

Rocher de la Tournette The Rocher de la Tournette (or, simply, 'La Tournette') is a prominent rocky point on the icy summit ridge of Mont Blanc between the Petite Bosse and the summit. The highest point lies at above sea level, and can be most easily reached on an as ...

(4,677 m) * Summit of Mont Blanc (4,808 m) The final approach typically involves walking (with

crampon A crampon is a traction device attached to footwear to improve mobility on snow and ice during ice climbing. Besides ice climbing, crampons are also used for secure travel on snow and ice, such as crossing glaciers, snowfields and icefields, as ...

s) on the top of an

arête An arête ( ; ) is a narrow ridge of rock that separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...

, ending at a flat spot that is the summit area.

Grade

The route is simple and requires few technical abilities, but is not to be underestimated because of exposure to objective dangers. It is also physically demanding, and may be totally exhausting to those with limited athletic ability. Additionally, there are the risks of

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

and

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...

. Above the Aiguille du Goûter,

altitude sickness Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different wa ...

occurs frequently with climbers regardless of skill and the only remedy is descending to the valley if possible. In the International French adjectival alpine system (IFAS), which evaluates the overall difficulty, this route is generally classified as a "PD" (''peu difficile'') or "PD-/PD+".''Mont Blanc Range - Trelatete, Mont Blanc, Maudit, Tacul, Brenva, ALPINE GUIDE'' by Robin G Collomb, 1st edition 1969, later 1976, and W. H. O'Connor 1991; other guidebooks: ''Mont Blanc 4808m: 5 Routes to the Summit'', Damilano/JME Editions, ''Mont Blanc Massif'', Vol. 1 - Griffin/Alpine Club, ''The Mont Blanc Range'' Laroche & Lelong/Baton Wicks, ''Snow, Ice and Mixed'', Vol.2, Damilano/JME Editions, ''The 4000m Peaks of the Alps'' Moran/Alpine Club

References

External links

''Nouvelles modalités de réservation dans les refuges de la voie normale du Mont Blanc''
(official French text of the 2019 permit system regulations)
''New booking procedures for mountain huts on the Mont Blanc “normal route”''
(official IFMGA communication)

* ttps://www.chamonix.net/english/mountaineering/climb-mont-blanc ''Climbing Mont Blanc Routes - Cosmique Route and Gouter Hut Route''
''FAQ Mont Blanc : les réponses à vos questions pour les ascensions 2019''

''No, Mont Blanc ascent is not easy!''

''Preparing and training - Ascent the Mont Blanc is not hiking but ALPINISM !''

Goûter Route at Rockfax database, including ''Crossing the Grand Couloir Safety Notes''

''How to climb Mont Blanc''
British Mountaineering Council
''Goûter Route *** PD''

''GOUTER ROUTE PD...''

''4000 m Peaks of the Alps. Normal and classic routes''

''topo - 5 voies pour le mont Blanc: voie « normale » du Goûter''

''Vom Adlernest auf Europas Höchsten - Die Besteigung des Mont Blanc über den Normalweg ''

''Auf's Dach der Alpen - Traumziel Mont Blanc - Planung der Tour''

''Mont Blanc, Noir de Monde'' - documentary 2018 (French)
{{coord missing, France 01

Tourist attractions in Haute-Savoie Alpine four-thousanders Seven Summits Mont Blanc massif Climbing routes