5-day Monte Rosa mountaineering course
Join our IFMGA certified guides, on this Monte Rosa mountaineering program to learn new skills and climb many peaks above 4000 m in the Monte Rosa massif!
5 Days
Jun - Sep
High
Beginner
Description
This 5-day Monte Rosa mountaineering summer program will take your breath away while you enjoy an amazing scenery!
During 5 intense days you will acquire a whole new set of mountaineering skills, and also climb many peaks above 4000 m in the Monte Rosa massif: Western Breithorn, Piramide Vincent, Balmenhorn, Punta Gnifetti and sleeping in Capanna Margherita.
The course lasts 5 days and you will progressively learn the basic techniques of forming a roped party and progression in a glacial environment. You will learn to use an ice axe and crampons and how to coordinate with your climbing partners.
No technical mountaineering or glacier skills are required.
Check below the detailed itinerary, but keep in mind the program may be subject to change at the sole discretion of the instructor due to weather reasons or safety conditions on the glacier.
So please let me know if you’re interested in this 5-day Monte Rosa mountaineering summer course. You are welcome to join one of our scheduled groups, or book a private guide for you.
If you are looking for a shorter trip, please take a look at my Regina Margherita Hut 2 Day Guided Ascent or the 2-day Gran Paradiso summit from Valsavarenche.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
- Price quoted is to join a group.
- The price includes:
- Mountain Guide Instructor for 5 days;
- Accommodation for the mountain guide half board included;
- 1 night in Gressoney in a hotel (in a double/triple room, overnight stay and breakfast included in the price!)
- Common equipment (ropes, carabiners, quickdraws)
- The price does not include:
- • All overnight stays in the refuges (except the Gressoney hotel included);
- • Mountain guide lunches (to be divided among the participants of the group)
- • Guide cable car expenses (to be divided among the participants of the group)
- • Personal travel expenses;
- • Snacks and any packed lunches or lunches in the refuge;
- • Monte Rosa cable car (StafalIndren approximately €40);
- • Cervinia cable car (€41, mountain guides €21):
- • Ice axe, crampons, boots and harness (can be rented)
- • Everything that is not listed in the “the price includes” section
Itinerary
Day 1: Rifugio Teodulo
Meeting in Cervinia at around 11am, introduction and ascent to the Rifugio Teodulo.
Afternoon on the glacier where we will review the rope maneuvers and the progression technique on the glacier.
Overnight stay at the refuge and dinner.
Day 2: Western Breithorn
Wake up early. Formation of the rope teams and ascent to the first 4000m peak, the Western Breithorn (4159m).
Descent to Cervinia and independent departure by car towards Gressoney.
Free dinner, overnight stay and breakfast in a hotel in Gressoney (included in the price, double/triple rooms, check in from 3pm to 9pm, late check in can be agreed upon).
Day 3: Gnifetti refuge
Meeting at around 11am in Stafal to take the lifts towards the Citta di Mantova or Gnifetti refuge.
Theoretical-practical lesson on glacial terrain, crevasse recovery maneuvers.
Dinner and overnight stay at the refuge.
Day 4: Capanna Margherita
Climb to the Capanna Margherita (4554m), the highest refuge in Europe.
Dinner and overnight stay.
On this day, we there's also the possibility of reaching Punta Zumstein from Capanna Margherita. The guide will establish the suitability for the climb of each individual participant. Those who do not participate will wait in Capanna Margherita, as per the original program. The cost is €150 total (to be divided) to be paid directly to the guide on site.
Day 5: Balmenhorn bivouac
Today the objective will be no less: During the descent we will visit the Balmenhorn bivouac with a snack break.
Possible Vincent Pyramid based on group conditions. We will continue to descend, happy to be able to bring home climbs worthy of their name.
FAQs
What experience and how fit do I need to be to climb this mountain? Is this program suitable for children or older people?
Good physical condition is required to join this trip. You need to be a trained person who practices sports even at a non-competitive level. Ability to tackle summer trekking with around 1300/1500 m of altitude difference without too much effort. No technical mountaineering or glacier skills are required.
Will I need to bring any technical equipment of my own? Is it possible to rent equipment, and if so, what would be the approximate cost of that?
Yes, you need to bring Harness, ice axe, crampons and helmet.
In case you don't have them, we offer rental service.
The request for rental equipment must be communicated in good time, at least one week before the start of the event.
However, we recommend communicating this when purchasing the event. The guide will bring all the equipment directly to the event.
Single prices per day
Ice axe: €10
Universal crampons: €10
Harness: €5
Helmet: €5
Please note that we We do not provide boot rental.
Boots can be rented at the Monturastore AlpStation shop in Aosta (you have to arrange the rental yourself, the shop is located in Saint-christophe, Aosta, tel. 0165 267898).
How can I get to the meeting point (Cervinia)?
It is possible to organize car sharing from Milan, Turin or the main urban centers and share travel costs, also for those arriving by public transport in Aosta. The organization of transports is personal. It can be organized among participants on a WhatsApp group created by us to share cars.
Meeting in Cervinia on the first day between 11:00 and lunch time. (time and location will be communicated on the WhatsApp group).
The WhatsApp group will be created about a week before the event!
The cars will be left in Cervinia and picked up on the second day to move to Gressoney. From day 3 to day 5 the cars will be left in the car park of the Staffal, Gressoney cable cars.
What clothes and equipment should I bring for the course?
Winter mountain clothing (“onion” clothing recommended, i.e. with various layers to be adjusted based on the temperature:
● thermal underwear
● fleece or soft shell type layer
● waterproof jacket in GoreTex membrane or similar
● warm down jacket or similar
● Semi-waterproof trousers in soft-shell membrane or similar
● Waterproof trousers in Gore-Tex or similar (not essential)
● Hat or headband
● two pairs of snow gloves (one lighter and one heavier)
● ski mask with clear lenses (fog) + sunglasses (at least cat.3)
● UV protection cream
● RIGID high-ankle waterproof mountain boots (high-ankle trekking boots for universal crampons are also suitable, therefore without inserts for semi- or automatic crampons).
● telescopic trekking poles (not essential)
● gaiters (not essential)
● Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (active ingredient of aspirin) for possible altitude sickness
● Front light
● 30/40 LT backpack
● Sheet bag
● thermos
● bars/dried fruit/gel for climbs
● Harness, ice axe, crampons and helmet
Common equipment such as ropes, webbing, carabiners etc. are provided by the mountain guide.
Can I join a group? Which is the group size?
Yes, we organize several group dates every seasons. Groups are of Maximum 5 people per guide, Minimum 3 people per guide.
About the guide
Jacopo
5.0
(1)
Mountain Guide
Born in 1983, grown in Brusson, I ran for the Aosta Valley regional team of Biathlon until the age of 19.
In 2002 I left home to continue my studies in France and later in Belgium, during this time I was offered for a job in Milan.
This way started a journey inside television channels and post-production companies, where I get skilled and specialize in 2D and 3D animation, editing and compositing.
2010 is the year of change: sick of the hectic life and the work system of big companies, I take the decision to come back to Aosta Valley. During that time I also started to approach asana practice and a personal study in Vedantic Philosophy. My personal challenge was to turn my passion for the sports and the mountains into a new job and I started to realize this life plan. In 2016 I achieve the title of Aspirant Mountain Guide and in 2019 I can finally fulfill my dream, becoming an IFMGA Mountain Guide and qualified Yoga teacher in the really traditional Sivananda Yoga Vidya Peetham, Kadaleevanam, Kodakkad Village in the South of India.
Languages
Italian | French | English
Certificates
UVGAM | IFMGA
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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