Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Canceled Due To Bad Weather!

One of the toughest endurance events in the world got underway earlier today, and then was promptly canceled part way in. The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc was stopped 31 miles in due to severe weather on the trail, particularly at higher altitude. Detail are still a bit sketchy at this time, but a press conference is expected to take place shortly with the race director explaining the situation. As of this writing, the athletes are all being shuttled back to Chamonix.

The UTMB is an ultramarathon that takes place annually crossing through the Alps and covering more than 100 miles, and passing through France, Italy, and Switzerland. It routine attracts some of the best long distance endurance athletes in the world, and is considered one of the crown jewels in the ultramaraton schedule each year. The trail is a loop around Mont Blanc that typically requires about 20 hours to complete, with the bulk of the racers finishing in the 30-40 hour range

From reports from the race, it seems that many of the racers are quite upset with this turn of events. I'm sure that the race management team only has their best interest in mind, but after training for months to prepare for the run, it can be quite disappointing to have it end like this.

I'm sure we'll know more on this story soon.

Video of Ueli Steck Speed Climbing Grandes Jorasses

I missed this video when it was making the rounds last week, but it's definitely worth sharing now. Back in January I posted about Ueli Steck setting yet another speed record for climbing in the Alps, zipping up the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses, part of the Mount Blanc Massif, in just 2 hours, 21 minutes. If you've ever wondered how Ueli does it, then take a look at the video below, and prepare to be amazed. Really impressive climbing.

Ten Mountains For the Rest of Us!

While the climbers in the Himalaya wait for the opportunity to go up, the rest of us sit and watch with them, waiting for word on their successful summits and thinking about our own opportunities to explore high places. It turns out there are plenty of great mountains that even us mortals can tackle, and Forbes Traveler is here with a list of ten of them.

Make no mistake, these are all challenging climbs with amazing scenery and a real feel for adventure. But they are not 8000m giants either, and adventurous travelers in reasonable shape and a great approach plan, should have a good chance at success on these peaks.

Some of the mountains that make the list include Mount Blanc in the Alps, which is considered the "birthplace of modern mountaineering" and is lauded for great trekking throughout the region. Of course, the 19,390 foot Kilimanjaro also makes the list as a must-go place for adventure travelers. Curiously enough however, they say a summit climb takes five days both ways, which isn't true. It's a minimum five days up, but you're down in one essentially.

And if you absolutely must go to the Himalaya, Forbes Traveler recommends that you hit up Kala Pattar in Nepal. The mountain is a non-technical climb above 23,000 feet that offers stunning views of Everest and all the traditional Himalayan climbing experiences on a smaller, yet still challenging, scale.

This is a nice list for armchair mountaineers who are looking to bag a peak or two of their own without having the technical experience needed for something bigger. The altitude is often challenging enough, and these ten mountains offer plenty of adventure in their own right. I've certainly added a couple more to my list from reading it. How about you?

The Tour de Mount Blanc Is Off And Running!

The Tour de Mount Blanc is underway with some of the top endurance athletes converging on the mountain to compete in one of the biggest ultramarathons in the world.

The event, which is sponsored by The North Face, is already underway today, and is expected to run through the weekend. The course begins in Chamonix, France and runs more than 166 km (103 miles) through that country, Italy, and Switzerland. Along the way, competitors face more than 9400m of elevation change.

On the official site, you'll find the latest news from the event, live updates, and even videos from the start of the race. Be warned though, much of the site is in French, and while they do offer translation options, not everything is translated. I don't speak much French at all, much to the relief of the French themselves.

Good luck to all the competitors, and remember, as you're slogging through the miles, don't forget to look up from time to time and enjoy the view.

Avalanche on Mt. Blanc Claims Eight

It's been a rough month in the mountains. First we had the events on K2 to start the month off, and over the weekend we had 8 lives claimed in an avalanche on Mount Blanc.

The massive avalanche hit early Sunday morning, sweeping five Austrian and three Swiss climbers off the mountain, while a number of others were buried under the wall of snow. Rescue teams were on the scene very quickly, and eight climbers were dug out of the snow, but the eight that remain missing are now believed to be dead. Despite the losses though, officials believe that dozens more could have been killed in the accident.

The 4810 meter (15,781 feet) Mount Blanc lies on the border of France and Italy and is the tallest mountain in the Alps, and all of Western Europe for that matter. It is considered one of the classic climbs on the European continent, and thousands flock to the mountain each year to climb, ski, or trek it's trails.

As I said, it's been a rough few weeks in the mountains, and even though Mount Blanc is half a world away from K2, the mountaineering community is a tightly knit group. My condolences go out to the friends and families of these missing climbers.

Death on Mount Blanc

Tragedy has struck Mount Blanc. The BBC is reporting that four climbers have died on the mountain due to exposure. Authorities say that they lost their way near the snow capped peak, and were ill equipped to handle the cold weather.

One climber has been identified as 30 year old Mark Emerson of the U.K. , who was accompanied by three female climbers from New Zealand, France and Chile. The four were found at 13,572 feet where they were stranded due to high winds and heavy snows. One report estimates the winds were as high as 74 mph. Caught at altitude, without proper gear, and exhausted from their climb, the four climbers couldn't escape the inclement weather, as they carried no tent. The weather also prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching them as well.

The Adventurist is also reporting that five other climbers had to be rescued from the mountain after being caught out in the weather near the summit, in a similar fashion.

The freaky weather in Europe has certainly been strange of late. In the U.K., continued rain has caused flooding in many area. Meanwhile, on the continent itself, there are areas suffering through sweltering heat, while in the Alps, severe cold and snow is taking lives of climbers July. Strange days indeed.

Mount Blanc To Become Mount Rouge?

Yahoo News is reporting a very unusual story about an artist who intends to climb Mount Blanc, then paint the summit red.

Marco Evaristt, a Chilean artist, who now resides in Denmark, says that he wants to climb Mount Blanc to help raise awareness of for environmental issues, but once he tops out, he intends to paint the summit red with a biodegradable paint. The story gets stranger yet when he declares that he hopes to create a sovereign "pink state". He hopes to get people to think about: Who owns nature? Who owns the water in the lakes, the snow on the ground, the flowers in the fields and the trees in the rain forests?" I can't make this stuff up folks.

Mount Blanc is one of the more iconic mountains in Europe, standing 15,774 feet tall it's one of the tallest mounains in Western Europe and rises out of the French Alps. The idea of painting it's summit red, or any other color for that matter, doesn't sit well with the French Climbing community. The mayor of Chamonix, Michel Charlet, has called the project "stupid and illegal".

The article notes that Evaristt has a history of these stunts. Back in 2004 he painted an iceberg of the coast of Greenland red to protest the United States dumping nuclear waste in a northern Danish territory. He's also already painted the Col des Flambeaux passage red at 11,150 feet as well.

Hopefully this guy gets altitude sickness. Not the really nasty, he might die kind, just the "Oh my god, I can't go any higher kind".

This story comes via The GoBlog.

Scots Put Up New Lines On Mount Blanc

The Alpinist has posted news that two Scottish climbers have put up new lines in the ice on Mt. Blanc. Pete Benson and Guy Robertson climbed Shining Wall on the north face of Pointe 3650m back in November, but the details of their climb are now emerging.

The pair climbed an incomplete route first set down in February of last year, but found better ice and a more solid line to the top. Near the top their was mixed ground, with rock and ice, and a final pitch that was precarious at best, but managed to top out none the less.

You would have thought by now, there wouldn't be any new lines to put up on Mount Blanc, but it just goes to show you how creative and imaginative climbers can be to appraoching a problem. And finding a first ascent. :)

Ten Best Hikes In The World: #9

Best Hike has revealed their ninth best hike in the world, and this time it's a real classic. Number 9 is the Tour of Mont Blanc, which has long been held as one of the greatest hikes in all of Europe, if not the World. Mount Blanc is itself, the center piece of this hike, but one of the things that makes this hike special, is that at the end of the day, after hiking on challenging, but breath takingly sceneic trails, you'll spend the night in a mountain hut, complete with many creature comforts. On top of that, how many trails allow you to visit France, Italy, and Switzerland in one trek?

The Mont Blanc circuit is indeed a true classic of hiking. If this one clocks in at number nine, I can't wait to see what's ahead of it, as I would have suspected that this one would have ranked higher.

Saving Mount Blanc

Stellar Magazine has posted this article about efforts that are underway to clean up, and preserve Mount Blanc, one of the most iconic climbing and trekking sites in Europe, if not the world. It seems that with the influx of visitors, including tourists, climbers, and others, the amount of trash on the mountain has grown into an epidemic. Now, Jean-Marc Peillex, Mayor of the town of Saint-Gervais has put together a controversial plan. Peillex would like to see anyone who wishes to climb on the mountain have to first get a permit, and then trek with a guide. Surprisingly, main mountaineers have spoken out against the plan however, as they see it undermining the "spirit of the sport".

It's an interesting debate, and one that is sure to be creeping up in other locations around the planet. I've already read stories about the amount of trash on Everest, and of course we all know the issues that arose on the Inca Trail in Peru which forced the government there to take measures not unlike what Peillex is suggesting. Personally, I see both sides of the argument. We need to protect our most precious outdoor environments so that they will remain a place we want to visit and are around for future generations to explore. On the other hand, by requiring permits and guides, it does take away some of the adventure of exploring a place on our own.