Travel to Courmayeur, to arrive in time for the Evening Briefing. Your guide will run through safety routines and kit checks, as well as hand out rental equipment for the week, before we go on to a detailed discussion of everyones ambitions for the week, together with the current weather and mountain conditions and how these affect our planning. We’ll also have maps and guidebooks to show you, so if you’ve any further questions or last minute requests, then this is the ideal time to bring them up before we head on to dinner. PM Overnight in the valley.

Ice climbing the frozen waterfalls at the Crèmerie (Chamonix-Argentière).
Today will be your introduction to technical ice climbing. To do this you will drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel to France to the village of Argentière. The place has some very nice and fairly easy ice climbing routes to start on. PM – Return to Courmayeur. Overnight in the Valley.

Cogne Ice Fall Climbing at the Lillaz route.
The goal today is to climb more ice. To do this you will drive from Courmayeur to the village of Cognes, which is a paradise for ice climbers. There are approximately one hundred routes to choose from! PM – Return to Courmayeur. Overnight in the Valley.

Aiguille de Toula (3534m) north face.
The day starts with a cable car ride from Courmayeur-Entreves up into the Helbronner Peak. From here we cross the glacier and make a face of Aiguille de Toula, in order to get to grips with moving to gether on a wider variety of alpine terrain. In the afternoon we do a crevasse rescue session, covering skills appropriate to your ability and experience before heading to the Courmayeur . Overnight in the Valley.

Aiguille du Marbrée (3535m) South West Couloir
With a short half hour approach is a good training climb close to the Hellbronner Lift on the Italian side of the range. The West couloir is good for practicing leading and moving to gether on snow alpine face terrain. After we return at Torino Hut, for second night in the hut, briefing looks at using alpine huts, alpine weather forecasts and alpine route planning – preparing for the climb on Friday. Overnight in the valley.

Tour Ronde (3792m) Gervasutti Couloir from Torino Hut.
On the final day we put it all together, by climbing a technically interesting route with a variety of challenges to deal with. We encourage you to take the lead as much as possible – finding a route up the glacier, dealing with crevasses and other hazards, climbing the route and then descending safely. Fri PM – Return to Courmayeur, course debrief and advice for the future. Overnight in the Valley. End of program.

After a night of well-deserved rest, departing from Courmayeur for your destination.