The Tour du Mont Blanc [Trip Report]

Intro

Deep in the middle of grad school, I reflected on my trip to Patagonia’s O-Trek. Drifting away, I remembered the good parts fondly, like the beer each day after hiking, the beautiful vistas we’d see throughout the day, and being away from my laptop for two weeks. (Thankfully, I failed to remember the horrible weather.)

I wanted a new trail, and lo and behold, the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) caught my attention.

TMB Overview

Brief History

The Mont Blanc Massif has been a destination for adventurers since the late 1700s. While many in the Victorian era explored on the backs of mules, trekkers nowadays explore the mountain range with most of their gear on their own backs.

The trail was formalized into an established route in 1951. Many of the trail’s refuges have been built and retrofitted throughout the past century, such as the Refuge des Mottets dairy farm at the base of Col du Seigne.

The full “trek” as designed takes around 10 days to complete. The typical route is around 160 km (100 miles) with 10,000 meters of elevation gain. You are treated throughout to Mont Blanc itself, the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains.

“The Route of Many”

The TMB is interesting because there are many variations available in terms of day-to-day routes, as well as accommodations on the route.

For example, starting from Les Chapieux, you could hike to Refuge des Mottets, Rifugio Elisabetta, Cabane du Combal, or all the way to Courmayeur for the night! This makes the planning phase both super interesting and a logistical challenge, as each section needs to be cross-referenced against one another based on distances, availability, and preferences for accommodations.

Logistics

Accommodations

Booking your accommodations is the most important step. Start thinking about the dates you want to book for in September or October of the year prior to ensure successfully getting the ones you most want.

Identifying common routes through guides online is a good starting place. I referred to The Great Treks of the Alps Guidebook, and carried it along for the hike. We also used planning tools online such as this TMB Route Build site and the TMB Elevation Calculation to gauge lodging options and availability, as well as daily distances and elevation changes.

The main booking avenue is through the Official TMB group. This site is great at providing an intuitive route builder and clear descriptions of what options are and aren’t available each day of your route. I suggest using this for planning your route!

However, not all refuges are available on the official booking site, and many fill up quickly given how intuitive and easy they are to book. Several refuges we stayed at (Elisabetta, Elena, La Flégère) required going to their separate websites and/or emailing them to book accommodations. These often have rolling release dates indicated on their websites, so book the moment they become available!

In some towns, you will inevitably not find clear options or availability. Don’t fret! Shuttles and buses are available to take you to nearby towns. In Les Chapieux, we took the shuttle to Bourg-Saint Maurice to stay at BaseCamp, which was a clear TMB spot and a nice change of pace from being in full nature mode. In Trient, a notoriously difficult booking spot, we stayed in the tiny town of Finhaut in an Airbnb. Many people on this day took the train down to the nearby Martigny which is larger and full of accommodations.

Refuges Experience

Dinner and breakfast are provided if you select the common “half board” option when booking most refuges. Vegetarian options are available, and the food often involves local dishes. Think pastas, meats & cheeses, fresh bread, and a severe lack of vegetables! My favorites were an orzo pasta at Elisabetta and of course the boar ragu we sought out while in Courmayor.

The people you meet at the refuges are part of the fun as well. People were from all over, such as a cute polish couple who have done the TMB every year for the past three years and could describe the changes they had seen to the trail. All ages do the trail, from recent grad students to American grandpas.

Transportation

Once you’ve booked your accommodations, you can plan transportation. The best way to reach the TMB is to fly into Geneva, a solid airport with lots of connections from across the world.

From there, you can book a bus from the city center to Chamonix and get dropped off in the middle of town. Book your Geneva <-> Chamonix connection somewhat in advance, as the buses do fill up during busy season. There are plenty of cable cars and buses in Chamonix itself to get around. There is a bus from Chamonix back to Les Houches, or you can take a nice 4 mile walk there as prep for the hike.

On the trail, confirm bus schedules ruthlessly ahead of time. Many routes, especially in Switzerland, can have weird schedules and bad connection times.

Gear

Here is a list of key gear I brought on the trail:

Main Gear

• Backpack: Osprey Aether 65 Pack
  • I took a larger backpack given the full strap support, familiarity, and ability to travel with it around the Alps prior to the trip. I do think if you aren’t camping, you should realistically drop down to a 40-55 L pack to cut down on weight and overpacking.
• Sleeping Bag Liner: Ultralight Washable Sleeping Bag Liner
  • Required at all refuges; I sleep warm so this was good for me.
• Boots: Salomon Men’s X Ultra Hiking Boots
  • Spray your boots with water-repellent to ensure additional waterproofing.
• Insoles: SuperFeet Hike Support Insoles
  • These were a last-minute send and super helpful. I never had pain in my feet, though try to break them in as I did get a small blister after a downhill 18-mile day.
• Jacket: Columbia Bugaboo II Fleece Interchange 3-in-1 Jacket
  • Helpful on a handful of cool nights and during thunderstorms.
• Hiking Pants: prAna Stretch Zion Pants
  • I rarely wore these since it was so hot, but glad for one or two chilly nights I had them!

• Hiking Shorts: prAna Stretch Zion Shorts

  REI Trailmade Shorts - Men’s

  • Only get the prAna if it’s on sale; the REI is great value.
• Hiking Poles: Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles
  • RENT THESE! They are a pain to fly with. We picked these up for around $60 at Skimium - SANGLARD SPORTS CHAMONIX
  • 199 Pl. du Mont-Blanc, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
• Sunshirt: REI Sahara Shade Hoodie
  • I never wear sunshirts. WEAR A SUNSHIRT! There is little shade on many stretches of the trail and you will want the protection and breathability. Wish I had brought more of these.
• Camp Shoes: Teva Sandals
  • These were great to slip on every day after hiking. Saved my feet and vibes honestly.
• Film Camera: Olympus XA2
  • Shot film on Portra 400, Kodak Gold 400, and Kodak 200.
  • Lightweight and tough camera, only slight issues with light leaks at times. Can handle most of the exposures if the lighting is right.

Misc Gear

• Book: Paperwhite Kindle (Dungeon Crawler Carl Books 2-5)
• Sun kit: Sunhat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and electrolytes.
• Sleeping kit: Eye mask, earplugs, beanie, pillowcase, and quick-dry towel.
• First-aid kit: General first-aid kit, knee and ankle braces, extra shoelaces. And moleskin for blisters!
• Misc: Playing cards, two smart water bottles, and bring lots of cash to pay for beers and/or your stay!

Additional packing and preparation tips

• Pack less than you think you need to. There is lots of support along the trail and you can always buy something if it’s really needed!

• Doing laundry on the trail is normal and suggested to lessen the weight in your pack. We used Campsuds and small packets of travel detergent in sinks or hotel tubs.

• If you bring extra gear you don’t want to bring on the trail, call your hotel ahead of time in Chamonix. They will likely store it for free or a small charge while you hike.

• Try to see if you can get cheaper poles from those finishing the TMB in Chamonix. Many will post on Reddit telling people where and when they will ditch them.

• Food is plentiful along the trail, and each refuge with half board will provide dinner and breakfast. Some will provide the option to buy a lunch to go the next morning, which I suggest taking on days when going over the Cols. Otherwise, a small supply of protein bars is all the food we brought.

• We find that compressing clothes into Ziploc bags is the best way to condense bag space and keep weight concentrated in the lower and mid parts of your pack.

• Download the AllTrails TMB Route to track your daily route and keep an eye on the trail. There are plenty of markings that line the route.

• Final bag weight was around 23lbs, plus water. Ideally get your bag to 20 lbs or less.

• Pack less than you want to. It’s part of the fun!

Learnings

• Expect the unexpected! Sometimes accommodations or bus routes don’t work out as intended. Stay calm and remember you are here for the adventure.

• Be mindful of your health throughout. We heard about stomach bugs and norovirus concerns while on the trail, particularly around some of the refuges in the Italian section, so basic hygiene is worth taking seriously in the shared accommodations. Use soap and water to wash your hands when possible, as hand sanitizer alone does not work well against norovirus. (CDC)

• Water is easy to find along most of the TMB, but I wouldn’t assume every natural source is safe to drink from. Refuges, hotels, and fountains marked as potable are the safer bet, and I’d be more cautious with streams near grazing livestock. (TMB water guidance; Mont Blanc Experience FAQ)

• One thing I would consider as well if doing it again is hiring a guided company to organize the schedule, as they can often help with these logistics and gear requirements in a more straightforward way.

• I do want to encourage you to cut down on the overall mileage if desired though! Take a bus or tram on difficult days and don’t feel like you have to do the full walking distance.

Get Outside and Push Yourself

This was exhausting. I had so much fun. Treat yourself to trying something new. See you out there! ~JW

A little more reflection at the end