No. Even six days is really a minimum amount of time to get acclimatised and make an ascent. Acute Mountain Sickness ("AMS" is common at alpine altitudes and affects the fit as well as the less fit; it should not be confused with mild altitude symptoms such as headache and breathlessness. AMS is extremely debilitating, comes on suddenly, and leaves you barely able to walk or look after yourself; a person suffering from AMS is considered a medical emergency, and if it occurs in a remote position on Mont Blanc and/or in bad weather, it can have serious consequences for all concerned. In 2005, one of our courses coincided with an attempt by seventy French soldiers to climb the mountain without previous acclimatisation; they were all aged between 20 and 35 and very fit. We counted 25 of them suffering from AMS at the Gouter hut (3800m), and a similar number at the Vallot hut (4360m); all of these failed to reach the summit and needed assistance to decend, while less than 20 of the original 70 made the top.This gives a rough idea of the likelihood of developing AMS when attempting a two day ascent; on our six day courses, we have found about one in twenty of our clients have had to turn back because of altitude problems.



Several agencies offer three and even two day ascents, which can seem very attractive as so much less time and money is involved. Should you show signs of sickness however you would be turned round immediately, so this very often proves to be false economy. Beware also courses which do not include nights spent at high huts before the ascent, as sleeping high is an important part of acclimatisation. During sleep respiration depth drops, therefore hypoxia and therefore adaption to altitude increases.