Tour Du Mont Blanc
You don’t need to climb the world’s biggest mountains to create an epic overseas adventure. The classic trek around Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, is regarded one of Europe’s greatest long-distance walks, and here’s how you can do it.
Set your sights on one of the world’s greatest long-distance treks...
It’s easy to see why so many Brits head for the Chamonix valley every year. Tired and jaded from the long trip from England, we felt instantly inspired as we gazed up at the glaciers punctuating the near-vertical valley sides, threading themselves sinuously between rock pinnacles. Still higher were the snowfields of the Dom and Mont Blanc itself, the highest in the Alpine chain, almost too bright to believe against the vivid blue sky.
Access to these high realms is easy at least in part thanks to the thriving ski industry, making this one of the key ‘must-see’ destinations for walkers and tourists from all over the world.
I can’t recall exactly how we first heard about the Tour of Mont Blanc, but a plan was set to do the trek to celebrate my 40th birthday. At the time we wondered if we were too old to embark on a trekking holiday, as up until then we’d only ever done day walks. We knew the Lake District fairly well, had walked in Snowdonia and Scotland, and had enjoyed a couple of walking holidays in the Val d’Herens in the Swiss Valais region, passing through the Chamonix valley en-route, so we felt an overseas trip would be fine.
The Tour of Mont Blanc is a 170km (105-mile) route visiting three countries, as the great mountain range is encircled. It has all the excitement of a high mountain trek, but with few of the worries. There is plentiful accommodation, the paths are in good condition, and generally quite broad. Add the red and white paint splashes, and ‘TMB’ signs and it’s hard to get lost.
The experience is very different from a long-distance walk in the UK, for a number of reasons. In the UK we’d always tended to camp and do day walks, whereas on the TMB we mainly stayed in mountain huts along the route, either in a dormitory with many people, or sometimes with the luxury of a room or partitioned area with four or six bunk beds. Either option is easy to get used to – you’re asleep, and when you’re not, then it’s pretty easy to get the hang of dressing and organising your gear without drawing attention to yourself. Earplugs might be necessary though, as there’s always one snorer!
We dumped our rucksacks in the dorm next to our allocated spaces, spread out our sleeping bag liners and arranged the duvet provided over the top. Next came a shower, and a chance to wash the T-shirt and socks etc that had done service for the day. The sun was still warming the terrace outside the hut, and several people had arranged their washing on boulders nearby. We were among fellow trekkers, and judging by the proliferation of open guidebooks and maps, we were probably all doing the TMB. We grabbed a couple of beers and sat next to a couple who turned out to be Australian, while over dinner we shared a table with French, German and Canadian hikers, all grappling happily with improvised conversation as we tucked into a hearty meal, and some slightly rough but very drinkable red wine.
The first day was a wake-up call as to how difficult the trek would be, although fatigue from travelling out from the UK definitely slowed us down and made every ascent tiresome. We had chosen to do the trip in the ‘usual’ anti-clockwise direction. Starting at Les Houches, there’s an unrelentingly steep climb up to Col de Voza, then two options. One taking a lower route via Bionnassay then on to Les Contamines, or the higher route, which we took in order to walk close to the Bionnassay Glacier over a Himalayan-style rope bridge, over the Col de Tricot, down to some chalets then another ascent over the shoulder of Mont Truc and a knee-crunching descent to Les Contamines.
Not every stage is that difficult, but you do need to be hill-fit to really enjoy the views all around the route. Mont Blanc is in sight for much of the first four or five days if the weather is fine, and then come fantastic views across to the Grandes Jorasses before crossing the Grand Col Ferret and into Switzerland. You only next see Mont Blanc when you reach the Col de Balme at the head of the Chamonix valley, just two or three days before the end of the tour. But in the meantime we enjoyed alpine flowers covering the high meadows, a walk along an old moraine in the Val Ferret, and idyllic Champex nestling in a mountain bowl with views down into the main Rhone valley far below, the village cradling a lovely lake reflecting the mountain peaks above. There are a
few challenges, such as the crossing from Col de Bonhomme to Croix de Bonhomme, which was difficult to find in the rainstorm conditions we had. Then there are ladders to climb, and steep, sometimes exposed, hillsides to traverse.
Preparing to do the TMB, we made sure we were hill-fit, did a couple of back-to-back day walks and got used to hiking in boots with a pack that was the same weight that we knew we’d be carrying. On our first TMB we took way too much gear, fearful of needing supplies for several days. We’ve since walked the route on three occasions and would recommend the following… Unless you’re camping, you only need a sleeping bag liner, shoes to change into (boots definitely for the walk), and one change of clothing. That will give you options of long or short-sleeved base layer, a fleece, trousers or maybe shorts, and of course good waterproofs – top and bottoms. When it rains it can be incredibly wet, and snow is not uncommon even in mid-summer, so take a hat and gloves too. You can book packed lunches, so there are no problems with food supplies.
If you’re looking for a little luxury on the way, there are hotel options in Les Contamines, Courmayeur, Champex, Les Houches and Chamonix. Camping is possible, but only in permitted areas. Try to book all your accommodation ahead, especially at pinch points such as the Elizabetta hut, and on the north balcony route above Chamonix, but remember to cancel if your plans change.
Weekends can be especially busy. There are many organised groups on the TMB, which can lead to very crowded huts. The route can be tackled from around the end of June when the huts open, but with a high risk of snow still on the higher passes, through to mid or late September. If possible, try to avoid the peak time in July and August.
Finally, or perhaps it’s actually the first consideration, you can choose to walk the route in either direction. Most choose anti-clockwise, so you can either move with roughly the same group of people. Or if you’re going the other way, you’ll meet loads of trekkers briefly around midday on the route, and then meet different people each evening in the mountain huts.
Above all have fun. With good preparation it’s a trek well within the reach of most walkers. Our daughter completed it easily in nine days aged 11, and we have met people in their 60s and 70s enjoying the experience. Just plan and prepare well, and you will enjoy one of the great walks of the world!