Early in 2026, my friend and climbing partner, Nate Beckwith, proposed a July trip to Switzerland to take on three iconic summits—Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and the Eiger.
It didn't take much convincing for me to sign on. We booked a three-week trip, from June 30 to July 20, and based ourselves in Chamonix for our first objective: Mont Blanc.
When we arrived, the weather was a bit unsettled. The forecast offered one good day, followed by rain, and then several more favorable days. Rather than sit around waiting, we decided to take advantage of that first window and climb some rock. The Aiguille du Midi seemed like the perfect choice—a chance to experience the quintessential European climbing day of riding a cable car directly to the route, climbing among dozens of other parties, and enjoying spectacular alpine scenery. While the Aiguille du Midi is best known as a rapid access point for mountaineers and skiers—and as a world-famous viewpoint for tourists—it also offers outstanding climbing of its own, from granite rock routes to snow, ice, and mixed terrain.
We chose the
Voie Rébuffat–Baquet (5.10-, 10p) on the south side of the Aiguille du Midi formation, accessed directly from the upper lift station. First climbed by G. Rébuffat and M. Baquet in July 1956, the route is an undisputed alpine classic. Its appeal starts with remarkably easy access but continues with superb, rough-textured granite, varied climbing, and an unbeatable setting overlooking the Mont Blanc massif. The route follows beautiful tawny protogine granite—about 40 million years old—whose rough, velvety texture has long been prized by alpinists. The climbing features everything from friction slabs to finger cracks and laybacks, finishing atop a dramatic granite spire in full view of the cable car station. A short rappel returns you to the station.
The approach is uniquely alpine. You'll spend about ten minutes walking across the glacier in mountaineering boots and crampons before carrying them on your back for the rest of the climb. It's simply part of the alpine experience. All of the belays are bolted, making it possible to rappel the route if necessary, although the wandering upper pitches make that progressively less straightforward.
The climb itself was a last-minute decision, so we missed the first 6:10 a.m. lift and instead boarded the 7:20. That made us the last party to arrive at the base. At least five parties were already on the route, with another five waiting below. Looking at the traffic jam, we wondered whether we'd even make the last cable car down at 4:30 p.m., but decided to commit and see how things unfolded.
But then two parties bailed after leader falls on the crux pitch (Pitch 2)—one climber injured an ankle, while another hurt a hand and possibly a heel. Suddenly the bottleneck began to clear. We still spent some time waiting behind the party ahead of us, but the pace was reasonable, and eventually we found an opportunity to pass them higher on the route. The timing couldn't have been better, as several neighboring routes converge near the top. By getting ahead when we did, we avoided another significant traffic jam.
Nate and I alternated leads, often linking multiple pitches to move efficiently up the route. I took the excellent crux pitch, graded 6a (5.10-), which proved to be one of the most memorable leads of the climb. Having just watched two parties retreat after taking falls, the pitch carried a little extra mental weight. That feeling only intensified when a key piton wiggled loose and came out of the rock in my hand. Fortunately, everything went fine, I ended up with a nice souvenir, and it was an outstanding pitch.
We topped out in the early afternoon with plenty of time to spare despite all the waiting. Afterward we wandered through the Aiguille du Midi tourist complex. Nate tried to convince me to celebrate with a burger, but I passed in favor of getting a head start on writing this trip report. And after spending the entire day surrounded by crowds, I was ready for a little peace and quiet. We returned to our Airbnb, conveniently located directly across from the Aiguille du Midi lift station.
What a fun day. Great climbing, incredible scenery, and a full-on European alpine experience.
We returned later in the week for another, harder route on the south face:
Voie Contamine (5.11c/6c+, 8p), just right of
Voie Rébuffat–Baquet (5.10-, 10p).
This page includes a route overlay and pitch-by-pitch photos from our ascent.
