How Fit Do You Need to be to Climb Mont Blanc?

Our take on the fitness needed to be able to climb the highest peak in Western Europe. Please note this is highly subjective based on our own experience. The level described is based on still being able to summit with a reasonable safety margin in less than optimal circumstances (snow, wind etc.), not the absolute minimum required for perfect conditions.

0:00 Intro
0:51 Fitness is linked to safety
2:26 What sort of fitness?
2:57 How to tell if you're fit enough
5:48 Importance of bodyweight
6:51 Age considerations
7:20 What clients say
9:53 Conclusion

[Calidastas]

I summited Half Dome last summer and I didn’t see a single overweight person at the top. Nothing separates people for endurance climbs like weight. Also, never underestimate acclimatization. Altitude makes a huge difference.

[LeDante]

I feel like you forgot one key aspect when it comes to mountaineering. I have done many summits in Switzerland and from my experience mental readiness (resilience and mind set) is an extremely important factor. What I mean by that is that the alpine environment can be very harsh at times with weather shifts and conditions. I have seen many climbers fail because they were not ready mentally to face hard conditions. Mountaineering is not like hiking for instance, if you want to train for such a climb you should train in none optimal conditions (rain, cold, snow, night, etc.). To be physically ready is very important yes but we can usually push or body much further than we actually think if we are mentally ready. My advice would be to train out of the confort zone because such mountains will very much push out of your confort zone.

[rodc]

Excellent video. I climbed via the Trois Monts route, out and back, generally considered a bit harder than the more commonly used Gouter route, last summer. By good fortune hit a nice weather window between two storms. I found it to be a nice 10 hour hike/climb, with a 300 ft or so semi-ice climb up the second ridge, before going up Mount Blanc proper. Plus a modest leap across a crevasse just to spice it up a little. Type 1 fun. A longish day, but still had enough gas in the tank to go out for a nice dinner with my wife that evening. I was not as trained as I like to be as this was added to my summer plans rather later than I normally like so did not get started in earnest as early as I normally like. That said, I am never out of shape, just not always in mountain shape.

I was 66 at the time. I don't know exactly where I fit in that five step picture as far as being lean goes, but 5'8" and 155 lbs. I am certainly not as lean as when I was 30. To be honest I was nervous about my level of fitness, but it turned out to be rather easier than I feared. That said, this was not my first mountain. I have been rock, ice and mountain climbing for 40 some years, including some semi-technical peaks above 20, 000 ft in my early 60s.

I would also add, I have no physical gifts other than I know how to train and have the discipline to train very consistently. Pay close attention to the training videos and be consistent and this is well within your reach.

Lastly, I think it is good to have a test piece, as noted in this video, to test and measure your training progress. A local mountain even if you need to do laps to get enough vertical is great, but if you do not have that steps in a local college football stadium, office building stairwell, parking garage stairwell, works pretty well too. Also, not bad for training. Do this with your boots and pack for the most accurate test. Work up to something a bit more than Mount Blanc to kind of account for altitude. I used 2000 meters as my test.

Best of luck. The view is spectacular!

[AnthonyJMendoza-fi]

The biggest problem I have found as I age above 60 is balance. A month ago, I did a 500-meter scramble up a rock ridge on a peak near my home for the first time in 20 years. It was easy 20 years ago, but a month ago, I found it quite intimidating. I can still climb, but it is definitely a lot harder than in the past. I unfortunately have passed the time that I can climb peaks like Mt. Blanc. But I have lots of great memories from the past.

[andvil]

Climbed it 2010 in my second year of mountaineering. 36 years of age and 30 in BMI. We did the route from Aiguille du Midi. First scaled Tacul on the way up, then the summit of MB. On the way back my friends made Maudit, but I was a little tired and wanted to save energy for the last ridge up to the cable car down. So I followed some italians down. Back down in Chamonix for lunch before the afternoon thunder storms. Yes it was hard, but manageable.
Its about your mind and be able to work for hours. 10-12 h with small breaks. A good way to know is to do the Vasaloppet on xc skiis. 90 km. It will take most average people 7-12 h to compleet. If you can do that, you can do MB and have the right mindset for endurance.

[diarslm]

Highlights
🏔 Climbing Mont Blanc requires specific levels of fitness.
📊 Aerobic fitness is the key focus, not strength or flexibility.
🎒 Ascend 1300m in 5.5 hours to prepare effectively.
🏃‍♂ Running 10km in under 55 minutes is a good benchmark for city dwellers.
⚖ Body weight significantly impacts climbing success.
🧗‍♂ Age is less critical up to 60, but fitness remains essential.
💬 Client experiences highlight the intense physical and mental challenges of the climb.

[ASPAseethrough]

Beginner mountaineer here and I’m learning one needs to slowly build up in altitude and not just take days to acclimate but rather summit smaller mountains so you really understand how your body is reacting to altitude. To build confidence in trusting your body how it reacts to altitude.

[colincooil]

This is an excellent appraisal of the fitness needs for Mont Blanc. Along with 8 other venture scouts, I summited MB in 1981 with our two guides from International School of Mountaineering (one being the famous Pat Littlejohn!). We did circuit training sessions for approx 2 years prior to our ascent (as well as our regular mountain walking trips etc) to try and be as fit as possible for the challenge. We were successful, we all made the summit, but it was by no means easy. Peter Boardman (RIP) kindly visited us at our campsite the evening before to wish us well. It was worth all that preparation and effort.

[jonslade]

Great video. Friends and I had a crack at Mt Blanc with John and his team in 2022 but after Gran Paradiso the conditions were too bad to attempt the big one (but the plan B option was just brilliant). Highly recommend John and Mt Blanc Guides. They really do know what they're doing and what they're talking about. I'd only add to John's comments on fitness - and the clients alluded to this - is that the advantage of having done some endurance sports isn't just the physical side but the mental robustness of feeling that it all hurts, but keeping going anyway. That's super valuable when you're 4000m+ up in a blizzard with legs and lungs on fire. We'll be back!

[ROZ]

🎒 Ascend 1300m in 5.5 hours to prepare effectively.
🏃‍♂ Running 10km in under 55 minutes is a good benchmark for city dwellers.

Yeah I've done these and they were incredibly hard for me, so after looking at the video, I dont think i'm ready for Mont Blanc, thanks for the reviews at the end from all the different people, ill live to see another day then die on a mountain climb

[kolavalentina]

I summited Mt Blanc by the Grand Mulets Routes when I was really mega fit & just 30 years old. I was already acclimatised from hiking the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt & Saas Fee the previous 10 days! No technical issues except the confidence required for La Jonction Crevasses & Summit Arete! Awesome Panoramic Views & Mt Blanc Shadow @ Sunrise!

[alexandersantala]

very good and important topic! I think people overall underrates the effort it takes to ascent steep mountain wall.

[loganprice]

Great Video John! I booked with MBG in 2021 and the guides were fantastic!
What I would say from my experience is fitness is totally separate from your ability to operate at altitude… that isn’t to take away from what John is saying! You must be fit enough to climb & walk for hours however your ability to deal with altitude is something equally if not more important to consider. ‘The Altitude Centre’ in London offer great consultations to assess your ability to work at altitude (which you often wouldn’t know unless you’ve dealt with altitude before).

[davidgriffiths]

Soloed in 3/9/93. Was fit in those days able to cycle 100 miles+ per day and already 2 months spent in Alps so used to altitude. Climbing a thousand metres vertical per hour at lower altitude was quite routine when eating up easy terrain, and I think not a bad measure of fitness for climbing more slowly at 4 to 6000 m+. Having the capacity to run for hours at altitude over rough ground is a survival asset you will not be able to use when connected to a slow moving column of hikers of varying ability tied onto a rope, which always struck me as dangerous in the event of an avalanche, although a lone climber mightn’t necessarily get out of the way either, and clearly an advantage being on a rope with crevasses nearby/hidden.

At this fitness level mt Blanc was fairly easy, just a steady plod up long snow slopes in the silence above the plunging fractured (Bossons?) glacier at about 7000 feet. Camped in a snow hole on the Grand plateau, then went up to the summit next morning, nice view can see for what seems 150 miles+ passing the top aluminium refuge at about 4300m and descended all the way to Chamonix the next day. It’s a nice walk, scenic, varied, like a desert of snow up there, although some soot visible in places. But some dangerous spots, a cravass or 2 to cross, avalanches possible, and it you got stuck in a blizzard for too long, could get frozen. I seem to remember the death rate is about 1 death in every 200 ascents.

These are the things that are long remembered and temper a persons character.

[ianlewis]

I did Mont blanc last September... Im 56, ive done fitness all my life... This was a lot tougher than I expected !
Summit day took 13 hours from the Tete Rousse Hut ... Starting off with a 2 hour scramble..
It's the hardest mountain I've ever done... But the rewards were great...

[philip]

Looking forward to climb Mont Blanc within the next few years. I've only recently started to get into the more mountaineering in completing winter skills courses, going to plan a trip to Morocco for Mt Toubkal. Great video, thanks!

[otaño-md]

Recommended information for those who want to climb the You hear a lot of comments from people, saying it's an easy But when you upload it... altitude, tiredness, cold, the weather can become a hell, in minutes.s Prospects🍀

[RobinKeck-ib]

Not sure I have seen a better video of its kind. To be honest, it has put me off the idea of climbing Mont Blanc … which is a good thing. I’m 54, slim and have done the Everest Base camp trek, can comfortably walk 20 miles a day on long treks but this looks far, far harder. If I am serious, I will need to train like hell. Thank you very much for an incredibly informative piece.

[RichardRostant]

Thanks for the informative video. Looking forward to climbing MB with you in June.

[simonconroy]

The curve ball that I encountered on Grand Paradiso was lack of sleep. I must have got 1 hour of sleep in the Victor Emanuel hut. Our guide took us up the ridge via the via ferrata as there were reports of some people falling into crevices on the main glacier - subsequentially our walk took us @ 11 hours. Is sleeping a common problem for walkers in altitude John?