Aiguille du Chardonnet - Forbes Arete
The traverse of the Forbes arete to reach the summit of the Aiguille du Chardonnet is one of the classic climbs of the Alps. Never really difficult technically, it is nevertheless long, sustained and exposed. Full alpine equipment is necessary.
Region
France - Mont Blanc
Difficulty
IV - technical climbing
Quality
Gold
Length
From the Cabane du Trient the approach is about 5km across the glacier. The climb up to La Bosse is 400m or so. The ridge itself climbs from 3703m to 3824m and is 600 to 700m long
Time required
From the Trient hut to the foot of Aiguille Forbes takes about 1h 30 minutes. Allow 1h 30mins to reach the ridge, and rhen up to 5 hours for the traverse, 3 hours for the descent back to the hut. An early start (3am) is recommended.
Accommodation
Overnight accomodation and starting point is in either the Cabane du Trient or the Albert Premier hut