Route  Day 1
Fly into Geneva, make your own way to Chamonix and be greeted by your guides at our accommodation at 17:00. Meet your fellow adventurers and get briefed for the week ahead. We’ll have dinner, kit checks and an inspirational talk from Everest summiteer Ricky Munday.
Day 2 Depart for the Rifugio Chabod in Gran Paradiso (1hr30mins drive). The altitude of the hut is 2750m and it takes 2 ½ – 3 hours walk from the road (900 m altitude gain). In the morning we will sort out any last-minute gear rentals / purchases in Chamonix before driving through the tunnel into Italy. Once at the refuge we will rest, have lunch then we have an outdoor session covering crampon techniques, being roped up, using all gear correctly and essential scrambling techniques.   Day 3
A big day involving an early start and 1,300m of ascent (and descent) to reach the summit of Gran Paradiso, the highest peak entirely in Italy (4061m). The route from the Rifugio Chabod climbs easily up the glaciers under the northwest side of the peak, then joins the route coming in from the Vittorio Emanuele hut at about 3,500 meters. More easy glacier climbing follows, followed by a bergschrund crossing and a short steeper snow slope to the final rocky summit ridge. The last section is quite fun, airy climbing on good rock to the distinct summit blocks (5-7hours).
It’s a spectacular summit and the final traverse requires a good head for heights, and this is great training for Mont Blanc because similar techniques are required on both peaks. The climb will put you in good stead for the main summit attempt later in the week.
After the summit we descend back to Rifugio Chabod. This means we can leave unnecessary clothing/equipment there to make our ascent as light as possible. Additionally, staying up at altitude instead of heading all the way down to the valley today helps with your acclimatisation process.
Day 4 Wake up at around 07:00 and by 8.30 after breakfast we descend at a gentle pace (2hours) to the valley. On our drive back we can have a stop for an Italian coffee and snack and by 12-13h arrive back to Chamonix (1hr30mins drive).  Day 5 Transfer from Chamonix to airport & fly home