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Tour du Mont Blanc

Stage 10. Argentière - Planpraz

Cable Car to Chamonix

Wednesday 21st August 2019

 

Stage 10. Schedule

  From To Distance Km Time Hrs Ascent m Descent m
10-1 Argentière (1,250m) Tre-le-Champ (1,417m) 2.5   170  
10-2 Tre-le-Champ (1,417m) Lac Blanc (2,352m) 4.5   950  
10-3 Lac Blanc (2,352m) La Flégère (1,877m) 3.0     490
10-4 La Flégère (1,877m) Junction above Planpraz (2,100) 5.0   270  
  Argentière (1,250m) Junction above Planpraz (2,100) 15 6H30 1,390 490
 

 

Garmin GPS Actual Data
Argentière to Lac Blanc
Distance Time Elevation in meters

Km		 Elapsed
Hrs-Mins		 Gain Loss Min Max
7.14 3H49 1,146 46 1,259 2,361

 

   

Garmin GPS Actual Data
Lac Blanc to Planpraz
Distance Time Elevation in meters

Km		 Elapsed
Hrs-Mins		 Gain Loss Min Max
10.18 3H14 565 178* 1,815 2,390

 

   

* Exclude 896 m descent on l'Index chairlift

Garmin GPS Actual Data
Argentière to Planpraz

Distance Time Elevation in meters

Km		 Elapsed
Hrs-Mins		 Gain Loss Min Max
17.32 6H03** 1,711 224 1,259 2,390

 

   

** Excludes 50 minutes spent at Lac Blanc

 

 

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Route to Lac Blanc (with alternative route from Tre le Champ)

Leaving the road in Argentière and beginning the climb

The climb to Lac Blanc was relentless, and began shortly after leaving the hotel

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The posted time to Lac Blanc is 3 hours 20 mins; we did it in 3 hours 49 minutes which is not bad!

We were soon getting hot!

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Notification that the Lac Blanc - La Flégère route was closed due to the rebuilding
of the refuge and the upgrading of the cable car

 

Update 7th October 2019

Work is on track for the new La Flégère gondola to open in December 2019. Refuge La Flégère will re-open for 2020 as the gondola construction will be complete. After a change in management, Refuge Lac Blanc was re-opened for the 2019 hiking season.

Courtesy of www.tourdumontblanc.club

 

 

We took the Lac Blanc Bis route at this point

Reminiscent of Haystacks in the Lake District at some points

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Refuge du Lac Blanc 2,352m

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Looking across to the Mer du Glace

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My last trip to Lac Blanc..... July 1990

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Normally the route would go down to La Flégère, but because the lodge had been damaged by fire and the cable car back to the valley floor was closed, we were forced to take another, more arduous route. We traversed to the top of l'Index chair lift, took the lift down to La Flégère, and then traversed across to Planpraz cable car. This meant for the day a total climb of 1,711 meters; this in itself was a lot, but since the Planpraz cable car closed at 5 pm we had to make the traverse quicker than normal. It was a tough day!

 

Top of l'Index chair lift

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Dropping down to La Flégère

La Flégère refuge reconstruction afetr the fire

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Via Des Evettes

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Arriving at Planpraz

Télécabine de Planpraz Top 2,017m, Bottom 1,092m, duration 6 minutes

Looking back up the hill from Planpraz lower station

It was a short walk into Chamonix, coming out by the Church and the tourist office.