Tour du Mont Blanc
The Practical
10th - 23rd August 2019
| The Tour du Mont Blanc is a 177 km walking trail in the French, Italian and Swiss Alps making a circuit of Mont Blanc, starting and finishing in Les Houches near Chamonix. The highest point reached by the standard route is 2,584m (8,478ft) and the height gain around the whole Tour is around 10,000 m. Trekkers typically take 11 days to complete the circuit, give or take a day or two. |
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www.alpineexploratory.com
We chose Alpine Exploratory as our provider for the trip out of the many companies offering trekking services based on personal recommendation. Our contact Hannah could not be faulted for her courteous and professional assistance in planning the trip. Our guide, Rob Gale, based part in the UK and part in Chamonix did a great job in assisting the diverse group around the route with his knowledge, enthusiasm and genuine interest in the aspirations of the members of the group. With an age range of 13 to 72 in the group, Rob had to manage, motivate and encourage the group especially over the difficult stages. He always had options so that the group did not feel forced to take a route they were not comfortable with. Whist Alpine Exploratory offer a less expensive "Self-Guided" option, for us having a guide was invaluable and well worth the extra cost. Guided trips are typically for groups of up to 8 people.
Alpine Exploratory, based in offices in Edinburgh, is a mountain trekking company specialising in the Alps, Norway and the UK. |
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Elevation Profile - Entire Route
Travel Details
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| Date |
From |
To |
Flight |
ETD |
ETA |
| 10th August |
London Gatwick (N) |
Geneva |
EZS 8472 |
10:45 hrs |
13:20 hrs |
| 23rd August |
Geneva |
London Gatwick (N) |
EZS 8481 |
19:05 hrs |
19:40 hrs |
| |
Actual Walk Statistics - Garmin GPS Data
| Day |
To |
Distance |
Time |
Elevation in meters |
| |
To |
Km |
Elapsed
Hrs-Mins |
Gain |
Loss |
Min |
Max |
| 1 |
Les Contamines-Montjoie |
17.1 |
7H33 |
680 |
1,280 |
1,794* |
2,113 |
| 2 |
Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme |
15.34 |
7H01 |
1,389 |
112 |
1,164 |
2,491 |
| 3-1 |
Refuge du Col de la Croix du Bonhomme to Les Chapieux |
5.1 |
1H58 |
- |
884 |
1,549 |
2,433 |
| 3-2 |
Navette Shuttle bus from Les Chapieux to La Ville de Glaciers |
5.5 |
0H10 |
434 |
190 |
1,549 |
1,787 |
| 3-3 |
La Ville des Glaciers to Refugio Elisabetta |
10.19 |
4H38 |
738 |
364 |
1,787 |
2,514 |
| 4 |
Refugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur (with use of chair lift and cable car) |
12.5 |
4H50 |
500 |
519 |
1,212 |
2,180 |
| 5 |
Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti |
13.83 |
6H23 |
1,077 |
289 |
1,227 |
2,058 |
| 6 |
Rifugio Bonatti to La Fouly |
21.79 |
7H42 |
912 |
1,305 |
1,602 |
2,532 |
| 7 |
La Fouly to Champex Lac |
17.37 |
5H55 |
573 |
689 |
1,051 |
1,606 |
| 8 |
Champex Lac to Trient |
17.95 |
6H40 |
858 |
1,056 |
1,280 |
2,029 |
| 9-1 |
Trient to Le Chalet de Charamillon |
8.58 |
3H24 |
939 |
379 |
1,297 |
2,199 |
| 9-2 |
Charamillon Cable Car to le Tour |
1.13 |
0H08 |
- |
363 |
1,494 |
1,859 |
| 9-3 |
To Argentière via Petit Balcon Nord |
4.3 |
1H11 |
47 |
276 |
1,258 |
1,508 |
| 10-1 |
Argentière to Lac Blanc |
7.14 |
3H49 |
1,146 |
46 |
1,259 |
2,361 |
| |
Lunch at Lac Blanc |
|
0H50 |
|
|
|
|
| 10-2 |
Lac Blanc to Planpraz Cable Car using l'Index Chair Lift |
10.18 |
3H14 |
565 |
178** |
1,815 |
2,390 |
| 11 |
Chamonix to Les Houches via valley route *** |
8.24 |
2H14 |
188 |
228 |
979 |
1,069 |
| |
Total |
169.6 |
|
9,612 |
7,605 |
|
|
| |
* |
At the top of the Bellevue cable car |
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** |
Excluding the 896m of descent on L'Index chair lift |
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*** |
Alternative is to take the cable car from Planpraz to Brévent and to descend from Brevant 1600m of descent to Les Houches 18km 3H30 |
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Note |
Descent figure is walking descent and excludes descent on cable cars and chair lifts |
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Carte d'Hôte or Guest Card
When staying in the valley a "Guest Card" is available and is issued by the hotel which gives free bus rides (except bus service at night) and train travel between Servoz and Vallorcine, as well as reduced rates at municipal sporting and cultural attractions.
Accommodation
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| Saturday 10th August |
Chamonix |
Hotel Richemond,
228 rue Docteur Paccard,
74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
www.richemond.fr
Tel: 00 33 (0) 450 53 08 85
|
| |
A comfortable slightly old fashioned hotel in an excellent position right in the centre of Chamonix on the main pedestrian thoroughfare. Hotel staff particularly friendly and helpful. Mountain Dropoffs deliver you to the hotel car park. Hotel has useful locked baggage room. |
| Sunday 11th August |
Les Contamines |
Hotel La Chemenaz,
10, Allee du Nant Rouge,
74170 Les Contamines Montjoie
www.chemenaz.com
Tel; 00 33 (0) 450 47 02 44 |
| |
A modern chalet style hotel slightly outside Les Contamines in the direction of Notre Dame de Gorge church. Cater for skiers in the winter so boot room good, with Crocs available for use in the hotel. Owner friendly and helpful, and eveing meal in restaurant superb. Room modern and comfortable. |
| Monday 12th August |
La Croix du Bonhomme |
Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme,
Tel: 00 33 (0) 479 07 05 28 |
| |
A rather old refuge that has not seen any investment for years. Understand present manager leaving after 37 years running the place. There is a boot room on the lower level for storing boots and for drying clothes, but rather a crude place with no heating. Many people dried boots next to the wood burning fire in the dining area upstairs, and even had clothes hanging on clothes line above the stove. This distracted from the atmosphere of the dining area. We had a small room for 5 in the wing of the refuge, but the 5th sleeping space was a truckle bed which pulled out and was not ideal. Our wing had no lights whatsoever at night (solar powered batteries not charged?) so a head torch was essential. Place generally cold (apart from main room with the wood burning stove) so did not use the shower. It is, however, a MOUNTAIN REFUGE, and was OK for the night despite the above comments. |
| Tuesday 13th August |
Rifugio Elisabetta |
Rifugio Elisabetta,
www.rifugioelisabetta.com
Tel: 00 39 0165 84 40 80 |
| |
Refugio Elisabetta was in a different league to La Croix du Bonhomme. It has had investment in a wrap-around extension and a balcony area which greatly increases space and offers panoramic views. The small room we had contained 3 bunk beds and there was more room than Bonhomme. A "jettone" is available from the front desk for a hot shower at a cost of 2 euro. The evening meal was good, but the noise level was high during dinner due to the hard floor and the low ceiling. Overall a very pleasant stay. |
| Wednesday 14th August |
Courmayeur |
Hotel Bouton d'Or,
Strada Statale 26, n 10,
11013 Courmayeur, Italy
www.hotelboutondor.com
Tel: 00 39 0165 84 67 29
|
| |
A really comfortable family-style hotel in a good central position in Courmayeur just off the main road so little traffic noise at all. The lounge very comfortable and the rooms are excellent. The lady who runs the hotel is exceptionally helpful and friendly, and the breakfast is to die for! The breakfast has everything, and is really good food. Overall the best hotel on the trip. |
| Thursday 15th August |
Courmayeur |
Hotel Bouton d'Or,
Strada Statale 26, n 10,
11013 Courmayeur, Italy
www.hotelboutondor.com
Tel: 00 39 0165 84 67 29 |
| Friday 16th August |
Rifugio Bonatti |
Rifugio Bonatti,
Combe de Malatra,
11013 Courmayeur, Italy
www.rifugiobonatti.com
Tel: 00 39 0165 86 90 55 |
| |
A modern refuge with excellent facilities, and the best of the three refuges we stayed at by far. Good dining area and bar, and the sleeping quarters were comfortable being low beds rather than bunk beds. A "jettone" is available from the front desk for a hot shower. The view from the front of the refuge is superb. |
| Saturday 17th August |
La Fouly |
Hotel l'Edelweiss,
CH-1944 La Fouly,
Switzerland.
www.lafouly.ch
Tel: 00 41 (0) 277 83 26 21 |
| |
A really nice Swiss chalet style hotel that has been refurbished. Room very clean and comfortable and almost Scandinavian style in appearance. Room numbering a bit confusing as my room, Room 11, was not on the first floor as expected but was on "Minus-1" The room had a balcolny looking to the garden at the back of the hotel and was great for drying clothes. There is a boot room and baggage room in outbuildings to the right hand side of the hotel. The restaurant was very nicely appointed and the meal was excellent. Would suggest the you give the "Gin + Tonic" a miss in the bar, as they do not understand this drink..... it arrived heavy with gin, flat tonic, no ice , no lemon.... ughhh. Overall a very pleasant stay. |
| Sunday 18th August |
Champex |
Hotel du Glacier,
CH-1938 Champex-Lac,
Switzerland
www.hotelglacier.ch
Tel: 00 41 (0) 277 82 61 51 |
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A comfortable hotel in the centre of Champex Lac, but rooms a little tired and in need of refurbishment. My room led on to a large patio area which was great for drying clothes. Reasonable breakfast, but after you have stayed at Hotel Bouton d'Or in Courmayeur nothing compares. Overall a comfortable stay but nothing exceptional. |
| Monday 19th August |
Trient |
L'Auberge du Mont Blanc,
Plan Pro 1,
CH-1929 Trient, Switzerland
www.aubergemontblanc.com
Tel: 00 41 (0) 277 67 15 05 |
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Although an auberge rather than a hotel, apart from the fact that the bathroom was on the other side of the corridor to my room you would not discern the difference between this auberge and a small hotel. Good boot room. Nice lounge area with the reception desk. A large dining area and an outside patio area with an excellent view of the church and the valley. I enjoyed staying here very much. |
| Tuesday 20th August |
Argentière |
Hotel de la Couronne,
285 rue Charlet-Straton,
74400 Argentière, France
www.hotelcouronne.com
Tel: 00 33 (0) 450 54 00 02
|
| |
An attractive hotel right in the centre of Argentiere with excellent rooms and lounge/dining area. Boot and clothes drying facilities in the garage area to the left of the hotel. Hotel management very friendly and helpful. We did not eat in the hotel as they were fully booked but we ate at an excellent restaurant 100 meters down the street in the Chamonix direction. |
| Wednesday 21st August |
Planpraz/Chamonix by
cablecar |
Hotel Richemond,
228 rue Docteur Paccard,
74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
www.richemond.fr
Tel: 00 33 (0) 450 53 08 85 |
| Thursday 22nd August |
Cable car to Planpraz
Walk to Les Houches
Bus to Chamonix |
Hotel Richemond,
228 rue Docteur Paccard,
74400 Chamonix Mont-Blanc
www.richemond.fr
Tel: 00 33 (0) 450 53 08 85 |
| Friday 23rd August |
Return home |
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