Climbing Equipment
Rental
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Ice Axe w/Leash
General mountaineering tool. Sizing is important: under 5'7" use a 60cm tool; 5'7"- 6'1" use a 65cm tool; over 6'1" use a 70cm tool. (Too short is preferable to too long). No rubberized grips-they are heavy and do not plunge well into the snow. Make sure that you have a leash that is designed for use on a glacier axe or a leash that you make from 9/16 webbing.
$47
Crampons
With flat rather than 'cookie cutter' frame rails. Your crampons should be steel, not aluminum for strength and durability. A combination heel bail/toe strap is a more universal system than a heel and toe bail system. We strongly recommend crampons with anti-balling plates
$25
Alpine Climbing Harness
Harness should fit over all clothing, have gear loops, adjustable leg loops and be reasonably comfortable to hang suspended in. Make sure you can get into the harness without having to step through any part of it.
Locking carabiners (2) and Non-Locking carabiners (2)
4 Large carabiners designed to be used in conjunction with a harness.
$25
Climbing helmet .
$35
Adjustable 3 section Ski/Trekking Poles w/ Snow Baskets.
Shock absorbers are not recommended.
Footwear
Mountaineering Boots
For Mont Blanc we highly recommend high-end, insulated leather-type boots over plastic boots. Suitable models:
$37
Gaiters .
Wool or Synthetic Socks
3 pair heavyweight socks to be worn over the liner socks. When layering socks, check fit over feet and inside boots.
Liner Socks
3 pair of smooth thin wool, nylon or Capilene to be worn next to the skin. This reduces the incidence of blisters and hot-spots and makes the outer sock last longer before needing to be changed. They should fit well with your heavyweight socks.
Technical Clothing
Synthetic Short Underwear.
2-3 Pairs of NON-Cotton short style underwear. (boxers, briefs, panties, bras etc.) Amount based on personal preference.
Lightweight Long Underwear ( M | W )
2 tops & 2 pair bottoms (1 short sleeve, 1 long sleeve, 2nd pair bottoms optional), synthetic or Merino wool.
Mediumweight Long Underwear Top ( M | W ) Zip-T- neck top allows more ventilation options.
Soft Shell Jacket ( M | W )
Heavyweight. A full-zip version is easier to put on and has better ventilation than a pullover.
$56
Soft Shell Pants ( M | W ). Mid-heavyweight,
$59
Hard Shell Jacket w/ hood ( M | W )
We recommend a waterproof breathable shell material with full front zipper, underarm zips, and no insulation. This outer layer protects against wind and rain.
$57
Hard Shell Pants ( M | W )
Waterproof, breatheable. Full length side zippers preferred because it allows easy removal of pants, 7/8th zippers allowed but is more difficult to remove pants. No short 1/2 length, or short lower leg zippers allowed as it is difficult to put pants on when crampons are already on.
$99
Insulated Down Jacket or Parka w/hood ( M | W )
Medium weight down or synthetic. Needs to fit over all layers. The jacket/parka is worn during
breaks or climbing in extremely cold weather.
Headwear
Wool/Synthetic Ski Hat .
Balaclava
Baseball Cap or other Sun Hat .
Bandana. Used to shade your neck. (Optional)
$38
Ski Goggles , 1 pair.
$42
Glacier glasses (w/ side covers or wrap around).
Regular sunglasses are usually not sufficient. 100% UV, IR, high quality optical lenses designed for mountain use, must have side covers and leashes. No more than 10% light transmission. If you wear contact lenses we recommend packing a spare pair of glasses - it is a good idea to have these with "photo-gray" or equivalent light-sensitive material so they can double as emergency sunglasses. If you wear glasses we recommend prescription glacier glasses (gray or amber).
Handwear
Lightweight Synthetic Liner Gloves
1 Pair. To wear alone on very sunny days for hand protection or as a layering piece with your Shell mitts.
$38
Soft Shell Gloves
1 Pair. This glove is usually worn alone and during times when the shell mitts would be too warm.
Shell Mitts w/ insulated removeable liner.
Waterproof, breathable shell material. We recommend that the insulation in your mitts can be
Personal Equipment
Mountaineering Backpack
Internal frame pack expandable to around 40L-50L. Keep it simple and light, avoid unnecessary zippers, etc
Sleeping Bag Liner.
Use this at the huts in conjunction with the blankets given by the hut guardian. If you can’t find it in the US they sell
Stuff Sacks
Helps organize items while at the huts.
$12
Headlamp
Bring spare bulb & batteries. No Halogen bulbs: they take more power and have a shorter life.
Sunscreen
SPF 40 or better, 2 small tubes. Note: Sunscreen older than 6 months loses half of its SPF rating, make sure that you have new sunscreen.
Lipscreen .
Water Bottles
2 Wide mouth bottles with minimum 1 Liter capacity per bottle. Waterbottles need to be leak proof. No water bag or bladder systems, they freeze or are hard to fill and no metal bottles as lips have a tendency to stick.
Thermos
1/2 liter is nice for summit day, can fill with hot water at the huts. (Optional)
Small Personal First-Aid Kit
(Simple and Light) Aspirin (Extra Strength Excedrin is best), Antibiotic ointment, Moleskin, molefoam,
waterproof first-aid tape, athletic tape, Band-Aids, personal prescriptions, etc. The guides will have extensive first-aid kits, so leave anything
extra behind. Please let your guide know about any medical issues before the climb.
Trash Compactor bags (3).
To line stuff sacks and pack. Trash Compactor bags are made from a heavier plastic.
Traveling
Camera gear: Optional. We recommend a small digital or point and shoot cameras. Please do not bring large SLR cameras with extra lenses.
MP3 Player/Ipod. Optional
Nice to have at the huts.
Toiletry Bag.
Include toilet paper (no more that one roll stored in plastic bag), alcohol hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste. Do not include
soap, shampoo, deodorant, or cosmetics.
Travel Clothes.
A set of clean clothes is nice to have to change into after the trip.
$30
Large Duffel Bag w/ travel lock.
1 for transporting all gear.
Food
We recommend; 5-7 power bars, 3-5 energy gu, and 2-4 shot blocks energy snacks as it’s hard to find these in Chamonix.
Rental Agreement Terms and Conditions
Rental Information
Confirmation:
Allow 48-72 hours for rental confirmation via email. Please note confirmations
might differ from original reservation, please check your confirmation as that list
contains items scheduled to ship.
Payment:
Credit card on file will be used to process rental payment. Charges are
processed at time of shipping (two weeks prior to departure date) and will include a
$50 Security deposit per item and shipping . Shipping cost is based on size and
weight and can only be determined at shipping.
Security Deposit:
Fees are fully refundable upon timely return (one week from end of trip date).
Fees may be assessed for repair or replacement of damaged item. Please allow
up to two weeks for your refunded to be credited. Please note that items not
returned within one week after trip end date Alpine Ascents reserves the right to
withhold all or part of your Security Deposit.
Shipment:
Rental items are scheduled to ship two weeks prior to departure. Once received
verify all items are correct and fit appropriately. Please note sizing information
provided is used to determine the sizes of items shipped.
You are responsible for rentals once items are shipped and until items are
received back at Alpine Ascents. We encourage you to insure your shipment.
