Thanks for a great trip, it was top class from start to finish, congrats to John for such a fine business, Bruce in particular made the course so professional and I found his relaxed manner and vast experience cast any doubts or concerns I might have had aside, he is an excellent ambassador for and excellent company. Also the chalet and the food was excellent, and with my hospitality roots I tend to be very critical on these matters, but the location and comforts were top class. Although we never made the top, I really felt that Bruce was as determined as any of us to take the best shot at it, and had no doubts that it was the right decision to turn around, and I was very satisfied in the knowledge that we took our best shot at it, and on a personal level, satisfied that it was in me… so in my books that a personal summit to achieve in itself. Regards John Burke.

Hi John (and team), I’ve joined your course early June 2010 and from the first day I was really satistified with the professionalism of the organisation as well as the facilities which were included (comfortable chalets, a private cook). Despite all the effort and organisation the weather didn’t seem to be that great as a strong wind was blowing in the village as well as up in the mountains. Also the forecast was pretty bad, so a back up plan was being made behind the scenes while we were having our challenging rock climbing course as an alternative on the first day. Since the weather was bad on the French side of the Mont Blanc it was proposed to start climbing and acclimatisation on the Italian side of the massive. That was a fantastic alternative! Then the weather changed a little bit giving us a very small time window to reach the top of the Mont Blanc. With just a few hundreds of meters climbing ahead of us we had to turn back because of a heavy storm turned out to be there in the top again. I would definitely recommend your organisation to anyone who is interested in climbing Mont Blanc, especially since you have a tailored approach for the group and every individual (if necessary) and because of the flexibility you could offer a group in case of bad weather. Thanks again! Mario Voorbij.

Hi John, just wanted to say a huge thank you for an incredible week in the Swiss/French Alps. We may have been unsuccessful in our Mont Blanc summit attempt, but I seriously had one of the best weeks of my life. Aside from the spectacular scenery, I'd like to thank you in particular for the course you ran. You were incredibly informative, understanding and, most importantly, patient (I was basically starting from zero mountaineering experience). I'd also like you to pass on my thanks to Eric, our other guide, who was also fantastic. Must also give a mention to Jo and Ashley who catered for us at The Castle. Really exceptional food and good company too. Rob and I will definitely be returning for another crack at Mont Blanc in the coming year or two. We're confident that for future trips we'll be able to acclimatise on our own, and hire a guide for a couple of days for the main ascent. I've learnt a whole new array of skills that will stay with me for a life time. Thanks again John. Best of luck for everything in the future, be it family, business or aeronautics! Take care, Ed.

Hi John, I was on your course of 15-21 August; I'm back in Denmark now, but would like to thank you for a great course! The way you, Simon, and Yves handled everything was highly professional, and the whole course was well planned, clearly showing that you are indeed the Mont Blanc specialists! On the day the course started I had a chat with Carolyn, and we both had mixed feelings. Neither of us was very keen on "group tours", as we normally like to do things in our own way and at our own pace. I still feel that way, but at no point during your course did I feel like it was a group tour. The concept you have made, with smaller groups doing things out of sync with everone else is highly recommendable. As you might remember, we all 10 made the top. Surely the good weather and a super group that just clicked made the whole experience extra good. But I think that most of us would have enjoyed the course even if we had had to make an alternate climb due to bad weather. Thank you for a great experience, which will last a lifetime! Cheers Michael Huus.

Hi John, we just got back and felt that we should send you an e-mail; we just wanted to say thank you for an amazing experience. The course you run is the most professional but friendly and satisfying thing that I have ever had the pleasure to participate in. Everything just felt right from when we arrived at the chalet in Les Houches to meeting the guides to stepping onto the mountains. I would be very grateful if you would pass on my/our thanks again to Mark who was the ultimate professional but who also made you feel like you had known him for years and instilled trust and confidence fom the start. Also from me I would like to thank Liz from the bottom of my heart, as without her I would never have made it to the top. I suffered with my asthma but under her guidance and Mark's faith I managed to succeed at something which I had dreamt of for 30 years. At the time words could not express my gratitude to the two of them. If you want to, feel free to pass on my e-mail to anyone who in the future may want to know how your courses are run. It would be a pleasure to share my experience. So thank you again and you never know our paths may cross again if I fancy another mountain. Yours faithfully Mark Eavers / Neill Curtis.

Dear John/Mark/Miles/Miles and team, just to say thank you and all your team for the experience of a lifetime. Reaching the summit meant a great deal to me for many reasons as you know and without the support from you and your team, we would not have made it. The programme put in place ensured that acclimatisation was reached with utmost professionalism and achieving this with a great sense of humour really helped. It was clear to see why the smaller peaks were climbed first, as this had a bearing on reaching the summit, and the feeling of being in safe hands made the climb even more enjoyable. We couldn't have wished for a better group of guides, as it was their encouragement that ensured that my son and I reached the summit. The whole trip was fantastic, yes it was hard going at times but with the support of team around us we all knew we would pull through. This climb was made easier by all the staff's willingness to help and coach where required, from the chalet staff to the guides themselves, and my son and I owe these people a great debt, as without them the summit would still be a distant dream. I hope to go back to Chamonix in the near future, not just for a holiday but to keep in touch with the guides with whom we bonded with so well and to thank them all once again. Many many thanks for an overwhelming experience. Andrew Warman.

What a fantastic week I had last year with you despite the weather precluding a summit bid. The decision by the guides not to attempt Mont Blanc was absolutely the right thing to do, their first priority was to the safety of their clients as well as the whole team, and given the stormy conditions it would have been foolish to continue. I had no hestitation, however, in returning again with you this year for another try, given your excellent safety record and professional, competent guides. You can imagine my delight when a window of opportunity in the weather allowed a successful climb to the summit of Mont Blanc - and for someone like me (on the 'wrong side of 50') that was a real testiment to the guide's ability, skill and patience. Thank you to all at 'Mont Blanc Guides' who allowed me to realise and achieve a 36 year dream I've had since my teenage years. I'm the happiest man in the world! Simon Dell.

Hi John and team at MBG! I just wanted to write a quick mail to say thanks for a great week! When finally deciding to have a go at Mt Blanc, I found you guys on the internet with no prior experience of your company. All my expectations were filled with a margin. This is what I liked the best, in no particular order:

- The guides you work with are really experienced and nice! We climbed with Christian, Francis and Eric. Extremely safety conscious and really nice guys. They seemed to like working together and we liked climbing with them.

- The chalet where we stayed was really nice. It moulded our group together quickly and the dinners and breakfasts we had there were long and filled with joking and retelling things that had happened on the mountain.

- The tour: the first 3 days in themselves are worth a trip down to Chamo, with Aguille de Tour and Petite Fourche. I think you can "market" that more -- I was really glad to have "bagged" two more nice peaks without even expecting it before I came down.

I would really recommend you to anyone wanting to climb the mountain. I am sad you don't do other trips as well because I would come back as a customer. I am actually a fan of the "do one thing and be the best at that" rather than offering the same standard menu of stuff as everybody else :-) Just a shame that there aren't more on offer with the quality you guys have! Many thanks and best regards, Charlotte Laike.

John, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a big thank you to you and your team, both on the mountain and in the office. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with MBG the week before last. We got lucky with the weather in the end but I appreciated all that you did in managing our expectations earlier in the week when it didn't look so good. Personally I'd like to say thanks for your patience in getting the 'Fat Ducks' up to the top of hill - I know that you were probably wondering what we were doing some of the time ! It was a great all round week, you've got a great product and package there and I will have no problems in recommending you to fellow adventure travellers. I love the addition of the video to the website, it looks great and gives a real feel for the climb. Thanks once again, have a rest now before the snow comes and I'm sure I'll bump into you in Cham again in one of the winter seasons. Take care, James.

Once again I would like to repeat my comments to you and MBG about the standard of professionalism and care that your guides took with the group. In my case and 2 others,Marianne and Ben, they went that bit extra to ensure that all our group successfully summited. Ric, Miles and Big Neal in particular are a credit to your industry in this instance. Considering his recent paternal status,(and lack of sleep, never mind the celebrations)Small Neal was a hit with the SA boys, and the incessant chatter of Frances, and his views on life and the universe kept us all constantly amused. If I was asked to recommend a company to take a group of inexperienced mountaineers to Mont Blanc, I would have no hesitation in putting MBG at the top of the list, on the assumption that your careful selection of guides ensures the high standards presented. Kind regards, Rory.