The Tour of Mont Blanc
The classic high level trek around Europe's highest mountain

The Tour of Mont Blanc, or TMB for short, is one of the classic alpine routes and one of the world’s most famed walks. It circles the highest mountain in western Europe and many of its satellite peaks, passing through France, Switzerland and Italy - three contrasting countries which share the Mont Blanc Massif between them.

Although demanding in parts, the trail is well within the capabilities of any fit mountain walker, involving generally moderate hiking through delightful alpine villages and picturesque valleys. Our route crosses from country to country over high mountain passes, and in addition to the stunning mountain scenery on offer we will be able to savour the food and wines of this region in a variety of traditional alpine inns.

The complete circuit of Mont Blanc covers just over 100 miles and circumnavigates the massif via a series of high passes. Each one of these opens up a new vista into the seven major valleys which drain the spectacular glaciers of the range. Mont Blanc (4807m) is the highest mountain in the range and its huge aspect totally dominates the view from wherever you are on the walk. But we also see other famous alpine peaks including the famous Chamonix Needles - the Dru, the Grepon and the Grands Charmoz - steep pinnacles of rock which attracted many of the early British alpinists. Our trek culminates with a spectacular traverse of the ‘Grand Balcon’ - a delightful elevated terrace which runs on the opposite side of the valley to the Mont Blanc Massif and which provides the classic panoramic views of the range including the much-photographed reflection in the still waters of Lac Blanc. On the final day of our trek we may be able to make an ascent of the Brevent (2312m), before finally descending to the Chamonix Valley where we can celebrate our successful circumnavigation of this classic peak.

Grade
Moderate

Insurance Premium
£50

Duration
11 days

DAY 1 Arrival in Geneva
We meet you on arrival at Geneva Airport where our private vehicle will be waiting. Flights are not included in the brochure price but we can arrange these for you on request. We transfer by road to Chamonix and our hotel. After dinner there will be a trek briefing by the guide.

DAY 2 Trek from Chamonix to Les Contamines
Chamonix to Les Contamines: 10 miles / 5 hours. We begin by driving a short distance down the Chamonix Valley to Les Houches and then taking the Mont Blanc telepherique to Bellevue. This avoids a steep and relentless slog right at the beginning of the trek. Many climbers heading for Mont Blanc also use this cable car. We cross the Col de Tricot (2120m) where there are fine views of the Bionassay Glacier and across to the Aiguille de Gouter (3817m). We then descend steeply to the Chalets de Miage (1550m) followed by a short climb past the chalets at Truc before an easy descent into Les Contamines in the delightful Val de Montjoie. We stay at the excellent Hotel Grizzli.

DAY 3 Across the Col du Bonhomme to Les Chapieux
Les Contamines to Les Chapieux, 11 miles / 7 hours. We make the long ascent to the Col de Bonhomme (2329m) and traverse across to the slightly higher Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2479m) on the Crete des Gittes. We have a marvellous view down the Vallee des Chapieux towards Bourg St. Maurice and descend to Chapieux. The accommodation in Les Chapieux is at the Auberge de la Nova which is a very basic mountain hostel. Accommodation may be in mixed dormitories.

DAY 4 Across the Col de la Seigne to Courmayeur
From Les Chapieux we follow the valley up to the Col de la Seigne which separates France from Italy. At the crest of the pass we can look down the entire length of Val Veny and if the weather is clear we will be rewarded with fantastic views of Mont Blanc’s huge Italian Face rising above the Glacier de Miages. We descend a short distance to the delightful Elizabetta Soldini Refuge situated just below the col. Those with a keen eye will be able to pick out some of the most famous climbing routes on the mountain including the Peuterey Ridge and Brouillard Face. We continue to descend the Val Veny and finally reach the town of Courmayeur. We stay in the small hamlet of Entreves situated just above the main town.

DAY 5 Trek the Mont Saxe Ridge to Refuge Bonatti
From Courmayeur we head hike up to the Bertone Refuge and then ascend the Monte de la Saxe ridge, a delightful grassy ridge which has superb views of the Italian side of Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses. Our accommodation for the night is at the new Bonatti Refuge. Vehicle access to the refuge is not possible today and we will need to carry our belongings for this one overnight before we re-gain vehicle support.

DAY 6 Across the Col de Grand Ferret to La Fouly
We trek high above the Val Ferret past the Elena Refuge. From here we ascend to the Col de Grand Ferret which leads over from Italy into Switzerland. From the top of the Col we have a superb panorama including Alpine giants such as the Grand Combin (4090m) and Mont Dolent (3823m). We descend easily down to the Swiss village of La Fouly and the delightful Hotel Edelweiss

DAY 7 Trek to Champex
A small mountain road comes up the Swiss Val Ferret to La Fouly from Champex but we are able to walk on the opposite side of the valley on a path which meanders through pleasant pine forests. We pass through the village of Praz de Fort and continue to Issert. The trail then branches off the main valley and climbs gradually around the hillside, traversing above the pretty village of Champex with its deep blue lake. (For those who wish to shorten this day it is possible to take a local bus from La Fouly to Champex). We continue along the lake shore and finally climb 200 metres to the refuge at Relais d’Arpette (1627m).

DAY 8 Across the Fenetre d'Arpette to Trient
One of the best mountain days on the whole trek takes us across the Fenetre d’Arpette (2665m). This high col lies at the head of the Val d’Arpette and the crossing is one of the finest variants on the TMB circuit. The ground is fairly rough but never technical and when we reach the pass we are rewarded with a fantastic view down to the Trient Glacier and across into the glacial bowl of the Plateau du Trient with the Aiguille du Tour (3544m) rising above. We descend steeply to the village of Trient where there is a small refuge.

DAY 9 Across the Col de Balme to Argentiere
The last big climb of the TMB sees us ascending a little over 500 metres to reach the Col de Balme (2131m). This ancient pass forms the border between Switzerland and France and as we descend down towards the village of Le Tour on the French side a spectacular panorama opens up across the entire Mont Blanc range and we find ourselves gazing down the valley towards Chamonix itself. There is an optional cable car descent to Le Tour where we can take a local bus a short distance down the road to Argentiere and our comfortable hotel. Argentiere is at the north-eastern end of the Chamonix valley and is a very popular base for British walkers and mountaineers. There are many excellent bars and restaurants here including the famous ‘Office’ bar where you can sit in the little piazza in the town square and admire the view of the Chamonix needles and Mont Blanc.

DAY 10 Trek from Argentiere to Chamonix
From Argentiere we take the local bus up to the Col des Montets and ascend via Tre le Champ (1417m) and Cheserys into the Aiguilles Rouge on a spectacular high level path known as the Grand Balcon. In this elevated position we can gaze across the valley towards huge Argentiere Glacier and the tremendous Aiguille Verte (4122m). At Cheserys we can make a detour to Lac Blanc (2352m), a famously photogenic spot where the Chamonix Needles can sometimes be wonderfully reflected in its still waters. The path then descends to La Flegere (1877m) and we can either descend by cable car to Les Praz and then by bus to Chamonix or we can continue a little further to Planpraz and the Brevent where a cable car will take us directly to Chamonix. The continuation to the Brevent is well worthwhile for the superb panorama across to Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi.

DAY 11 Depart Chamonix
After breakfast we depart from Chamonix. Most members will be transferring to Geneva Airport for a flight back to the UK.