Hi Nicoletta,

I am in the same boat. I am due to climb Mont Blanc in August but have next to no climbing experience.

There are excellent climbing opportunities in Chamonix however I have struggled to find a course that would allow me to go weekly, they are all intense courses aimed at tourists.

I haven't been, but there is supposed to be a very good climbing wall at VitamParc. Their website is very good so should advise if you can join a group there.

Please let me know how you get on as I would be up for joining you. I shall also let you know if I find out anything else.

Lucy

Hi Nicoletta, I'm not quite sure what you mean by climbing, maybe due to a British vs. American English difference. For Kilimanjaro, you don't need to do any climbing as in vertical walls, using a rope etc. It's mainly just walking uphill - but a lot of that, so you need to be very fit. Technical skills are not required, though. So don't bother with books, find a hiking group in Geneva to do walks with on the weekends to get a feeling for the shoes and the thinner air, and other than that just train.

Lucy, maybe you talked about with this with a guide or other experienced people, but climbing Mont Blanc without any prior experience is not recommended. I haven't done it, but several other high mountains like Jungfrau. This is *not* just walking uphill like Kilimanjaro. There are glaciers, snow fields, some ice, etc. Even with a guide it's much safer to have done this before. It's long, so to be back in time you mustn't be too slow.

Hi Thomas,

Don't worry, I'm not going into this without realising the enormity of the challenge.I have a strict training programme in place, a couple of walks up Snowdon planned and will be walking up the Saleve at least twice a month. We have a guide taking us as well so really I am just looking for some additional rock climbing practise to aid agility and increase my upper body strength.