Hiking and Trekking in Italy - Half Tour of Mont Blanc Comfort in Italy

The Trip

Mont Blanc Tour on the Southern Side

We invite you to discover the Southern Side of the Mont Blanc Massif, along beautiful and alternative paths to make you discover the wildest and most beautiful side of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
The Tour du Mont Blanc, or TMB, is the most famous Trek in the Alps: a tour to discover Europe's highest Massif.
We will discover the Italian culture, its gastronomy and hospitality and the magic Aosta Valley.
We cross three countries, France, Italy and Switzerland. We will leave from Bourg Saint Maurice, to reach the Courmayeur valley at the feet of the imposing Mont Blanc glaciers to reach Switzerland by crossing the wild Grand Saint Bernard valley.
We will take our time in the mountains to discover the most beautiful places and summits, a Tour far from the valley bottoms.
With your AMM you will leave classic routes to discover the most beautiful landscapes in the wide open spaces of the Alps.

The Program

Trek program:

DAY of ARRIVAL - SUNDAY

Arrival at the Hotel in Courmayeur starting from 4:00 p.m.
Briefing with your Trekking Guide at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Bar to get to know each other and prepare for the departure next day.

Night at the Hotel.

DAY 1 - MONDAY
COURMAYEUR - VAL VENY - COL DES CHAVANNES - MONT FORTIN - COURMAYEUR - HÔTEL * * *

Vertical drop: + 1050 m and – 1100 m
Walking time: 7 to 8 hours
Night: B&B in Hetel * * *

We leave early in the morning with a small bus from Courmayeur to reach Val Veny towards the Col des Chavannes and Mont Fortin: one of the most beautiful belvederes on the South Face of Mont Blanc, it is one of the only places in the Alps where you can get an air of Himalayas! 

Mount Blanc southern face is over 3000 m high, it's gigantic! The Miage glacier starts from the top of Mont Blanc and descends to an altitude of 1,700 m.

It will be a great first hiking day, with the beautiful city of Courmayeur to end beautifully: its gastronomy and the Italian Dolce Vita will delight us!

Free evening, you will dine wherever you prefer.

DAY 2 - TUESDAY
COURMAYEUR - MONT DE LA SAXE - HOTEL ENTREVES

Vertical drop: + 1100 m and - 800 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

A superb climb above Courmayeur awaits us, with the Italian side of Mont Blanc in front of us with the Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguille Noire and the Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey ... We arrive at Mont de la Saxe before walking down to the bottom of the magnificent Val Ferret .
We will reach by bus our comfortable hotel in Entreves, at the feet of the Grandes Jorasses.

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY
HOTEL ENTREVES - COL DE MALATRA - COL DU GRAN SAINT BERNARD

Vertical drop: + 1500 m and - 950m
Walking time: 7 to 9 hours

We take a bus to reach the bottom of the Val Ferret, to start on the path we left yesterday. Here we head off direction the Col de Malatra, where the famous Tour des Géants passes through.
Today we are extending the stage a bit and we will therefore leave early in the morning to reach the Col du Grand Saint Bernard. The Giants of the Alps are in the background along the whole path, the Dent du Géant, the Aretes de Rochefort and the Mont Dolent (summit that borders with three countries: Switzerland, France and Italy).
After the Pass the path crosses the slope in direction of the Col du Grand Saint Bernard, we will sleep at the Hotel Italia: the desserts should stay in your memories...

DAY 4 - THURSDAY
COL DU GRAND SAINT BERNARD – FENETRE DE FERRET – HOTEL***

Vertical drop: + 1000 m and - 1350 m
Walking time: 6 to 8 hours

After a night at the Grand Saint Bernard between Italy and Switzerland, we will cross the Fenêtre de Ferret to reach Switzerland. A very wild valley opens up to us with the Fenêtre Lakes. We will then head towards the Bari Darray Pass to return into Italy and walk down to the Elena refuge. Val Ferret and Val Veny are green at the feet of the Mont Blanc Massif: an impressive 30 kilometer long wall extends between the Col de la Seigne and the Grand Col Ferret.
Night in Hotel *** in Entrèves.

DAY 5 - FRIDAY
COURMAYEUR 

To end this week in style, we will let you enjoy the morning in Entrèves: if you wish, you can take the SkyWay, the famous Italian cable car, a recently renovated architectural masterpiece, which climbs to Pointe Helbronner at the foot of the Mont Blanc at 3462 mt altitude.
The view on the summit of Mont-Blanc is breathtaking! The departure for the Aiguilles Marbrées as well the Aiguille d'Entrève are close by: these are fairly easy mountaineering routes to begin mountaineering, you will surely see mountaineers who set off on the slopes of the Glacier du Géant.

End of the trekking week around 5:30 p.m. in Courmayeur.

The Budget

Your Budget for the Hiking Tour of 5 days & 5 nights:

The price includes

• assistance of a certified mountain guide from our Team;
• nights in B&B the day of arrival and the day 1, as described in the program;
• half board accommodation for the rest of the nights, as described in the program;
• Picnics, every day;
• Mandatory transports along the program.

The price does not include

• Cancellation / interruption of stay / luggage loss and accident insurance;
• Free evenings where you can choose the restaurant of your choice on Day of arrival and Day 2 (look at the program detail);
• Cable car tickets (optional on free time);
• Drinks and personal expenses;
• Additional nights outside the program;
• All that is not indicated in the section "The price includes".

Your expenses on site

• Drinks;
• Out-of-program visits and transfers;
• Tips.

Equipment

How to prepare your Trekking Backpack

If possible take a light backpack with good carrying, the backpack should not exceed 1.5 kg.

Backpack for 5 to 6 days:

Leters:

• Small people: 40 liters max
• Tall people : 50 liters max

Your backpack must have 10 to 15 liters of space for picnics that you will carry for lunch.

Kilos to carry - It is better to wash than to carry:

• Small size: 6/7 kilos max, without water and food
• Large size: 8/9 kilos max, without water and food

Count 2 liters of water and 1 kg of food for the day.
Count an extra kilo for 10-day treks.

Head-to-toe material for the Trek:

• 1 cap or hat for the sun
• 1 Hat for the cold
• 1 optional buff or choker but very pleasant in bad weather
• 1 Jacket Type Gore Tex or similar windproof and waterproof
• 1 pair of gloves, waterproof if possible
• 1 additional pair of ski warm gloves for altitude treks
• 1 warm fleece or thick down to withstand negative temperatures
• 2 sweater: a light one and a warmer one, if it's cold you can put all the layers on
• 3 Technical T-shirts
• 3 underwear and 3 - 4 warm socks, you can wash them in the torrents near the shelters (1 solid soap to wash)
• 1 Warm pant
• 1 Tight
• 1 Lighter pant, there are pants that you can zip off to make shorts
• 1 Short
• 1  waterproof over-pant  (Gore tex or other) for Trek with altitude passes around 3000m.
• 1 light rain hood or waterproof bag protector
• 1 waterproof bag to keep items dry inside your backpack
• 1 bag for dirty things
• 1 light sheetbag for sleeping at the huts
• 1 pair of light slippers for the refuge, in case you do not want to wear the hut' slippers or a pair of light Trail shoes.
• 1 pair of mountain shoes with Vibram type sole of good quality or similar: if possible try ans wear your shoes before the trek, watch out for old shoes which can deteriorate very quickly in the mountains.

Do not forget  :

• Sunscreen index 30 to 50
• one pair of sunglasses category 3
• one front lamp
• cash money for huts and documents

Special Covid 19:

• a pair of light shoes for the Hut
• 1 light sleeping bag for the night at the Hut (comfort about + 10 ° C)
• an inflatable pillow
• hydroalcollic gel and two washable masks

Toiletries  :

• 1 Lightweight Quick Dry Toilet Towel
• 1 Body soap
• 1 Toothbrush with small toothpaste or a started one
• 1 small shampoo (small format - specialized stores sell small bottles that you will keep your hiker's life).
• 1 pair of earplugs to better sleep at night in a refuge

Pharmacy & others:

• Your Usual or Personal Treatments
• 1 Light Survival Blanket
• 1 nail clipper
• What to make small dressings
• Some compresses and plaster or better Strappal

Your guide will have a more complete pharmacy in the event of a larger accident.

For realx time: A small book or Card game (less than 150 grams)…

Necessary for meals:

• 1 TuperWare large enough to contain a nice salad for lunch
• 1 light knife: Opinel type
• 1 Fork and 1 Spoon
• 1 nice specialty to share with the rest of the Team, liquid or solid

The hiker's enemy is weight, but a frozen or soaked hiker is a hiker without pleasure, so take the time to properly pack your bag.

Useful Info

Useful Information to plan your Trekking Week

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is advised as well as other insurance guaranteeing search and mountain rescue (10,000 Euros guarantee approximately).

HOW TO REACH COURMAYEUR:

• By train, possible access by Chamonix; after that you can catch the bus that takes you to Courmayeur in about 25 minutes;
• By car from France towards Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Tunnel (Toll 50 euros) or by Bourg Saint Maurice and the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, you avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel, this is the best itinerary if you arrive from Lyon.
• By car from Switzerland towards the Grand Saint Bernard by the Tunnel or the Pass (20 minutes more but much more beautiful) to reach Aosta Valley and then head to Courmayeur, this is the best route if you arrive from Paris or the North East of France.

Meeting on the first day

On Sunday, the meeting will be directly in Courmayeur at 6.00 p.m., for a briefing with the Guide and the rest of the group.

Accommodation throughout the stay: