Author Ziggy Dox is a Netherlands-based contributor with a hunger for mountains and waves, and a roll of film always loaded when he steps out the door.
European mountaineering culture is characterized by the presence of many unique refuges spread across the Alps. One of the most remarkable huts is the Charpoua Refuge, which looks out over the endless Mer de Glace Glacier—the name translates literally to “sea of ice”—above Chamonix and at the foot of the Mont Blanc, the Alps’ highest peak. For the past century, the hut has served as shelter for the boldest of alpinists.
Perched on a rocky spur, the tiny wooden cabin is surrounded by jagged and icy granite peaks of the Drus (3,755 meters) and the Aiguille Verte (4,122 meters). The surrounding terrain is a playground for only the most experienced climbers and many have ventured here to test themselves on one of the legendary routes in this wild corner of the Mont Blanc Massif.
