Gear

As time goes on you're getting more terse and less polite

Serriadh wrote (see)

As time goes on you're getting more terse and less polite

If you're genuinely going up Mount Blanc then you should have done some practice trips on similar Alpine mountains, in which case you'll already know that you'll need the following:

Crampon compatible mountaineering/walking boots

Crampons, ice axes etc 

Suitable clothing: down jacket, good gloves, waterproof jacket and trousers.

 Ropes and harnesses 

Don't take Mount Blanc lightly - it isn't just a small hill in France, it's a major peak (the highest in Europe) covered in snow and ice and the effects of altititude are apparent. If you've any sense you'll do plenty of research before hand! 

As explorer says - crampon compatible boots - pref B4s as you will be ice climbing in them. 

There are refuges along the way to stop for a rest and change your gear if you need to.

At the start of MB you will be walking uphill at a good pace for someway - so you'll be hot, so something light and breathable for walking, with a decent waterproof (trews and jacket) for the occasional rain.  A decent walking pole comes in handy especially over the rocks.

When you hit the snow layer, you will want crampons, so make sure you've got tough gaiters to stop yourself ripping bits out of your trousers.

Once you are in the snow the ice axe comes in handy, and then again when you are climbing.  If you haven't already got your helmet on, best put it on now.

As it gets colder you will want hat / gloves / warmer layers - although I found that I was so hot with climbing that I didn't need them - until I stopped of course.

On summit night it will be cold, very cold, but you will also be moving fast, so be prepared to layer up or down quickly, especially if you stop for water.  Down is best as its light and warm.

Moving up to the summit you will be mostly walking, so mitts are good for keeping your hands from freezing.

Any camelbaks will freeze regardless of how well you insulate the drinking tube, so take bottles and insulate them if you can in your pack.

Don't forget your sun cream and your glacier glasses and maybe a camera to record the event.

Your pack needs to be big enough to carry up everything you are going to wear / carry on your summit attempt, so probably 35-40 litres is enough.

As you are carrying it a long way and on some steep climbs it needs to be comfortable and with not too many bits hanging off to catch on the rocks - proper climbing bag is great but whatever works for you will do.

Its a one-off bounce for the summit, you wont go if the weather isn't right so try not to include a bivvy and the cooking gear in case you get stuck in the weather.

As you are carrying your kit all that way, go as light as you can - but to be honest a few grams isn't going to hurt you - its your fitness and the mountain that will hurt you, so the best things you can take with you are experience and many many hours of hill / mountain training.

Good luck.

whichever softshell trousers fit you will be best - I used haglofs col pants, they use their flexable fabric which moves well and doesn't resreict movement when you are climbing,

gloves - just something warm and tough for climbing and any mitts for the summit night, I used a powershield glove with leather palms for climbing, they got very wet, so take a spare pair in case you are reallly cold, any mitts will do, down is best, but waterproof outer is good as you can use them at any point - I had millet mitts with goretex outer and primaloft filling.

Jacket - a very breathable windproof jacket - I used patagonia ascensionist - you will be doing some hard climbing / walking and you don't want to be cooking inside a goretex jacket if you can avoid it, also without the wind your base / mid layers should be enough on the lower slopes, so you just need something to keep the wind off - go lighter if you wish (I just had my jacket over my base layer) so maybe a lightspeed or a paramo fuero.

but when it starts raining you will need to do exactly that - try to get a good tough but light waterproof jacket as it will be scraping over rock / ice or spending time in your pack - i used the marmot exum jacket, very light but very tough.

I had mountain equipment paclite waterproof over trousers with a full zip down each side to get on earily whilst wearing crampons.

for the summit I had a PHD minimus - light, warm and with a hood.

Hope my examples help you understand better what you need.