Exceptional Alpine Climbs above Courmayeur

With Mont Blanc's most beautiful and daunting side - its south face - towering above town, and a typically alpine feel to the village itself, Courmayeur is a wonderful place for mountain lovers to spend time. The whole place is dripping with alpine climbing history and its peaceful feel make it a completely different experience from Chamonix - just 13kms away via the Mont Blanc tunnel but a world away in atmosphere.

All of the alpine greats have either lived in or passed through Courmayeur so by climbing the routes in this guidebook you'll be walking in famous footsteps. The peaks you'll be climbing are also the stuff of legend, and there are few keen alpinists who haven't heard of Mont Blanc, the Dent du Géant or the Grandes Jorasses.

The route up the Dent du Géant is one of the longer day trips in here but it's the journeys up Mont Blanc and Grandes Jorasses which are the toughest adventures above Courmayeur. The traverse along the Grandes Jorasses is one of the finest ridge routes in the Alps, and the Pope/Italian route up Mont Blanc is arguably the wildest and most remote way up the Alps' highest mountain. We've also included the uber-classic Kuffner/Frontier ridge, which is a long and breathtaking journey up the Franco/Italian border to the summit of Mont Maudit.

In amongst the huge routes are some shorter day hits, all of which are excellent warm ups for bigger objectives. The traverses of the Marbrées and Entrêves are the easiest routes in here, with the Tour Ronde north face being tougher, and a good first step on the ladder towards major alpine routes.

Whether you're just looking for a stress-free day high in the mountains, or want to tackle a multi-day alpine epic, look no further than Courmayeur!