Chamonix Mont-Blanc Hiking
the best Walking Tours with our Trekking Guides

Trip

Hiking in Chamonix 5 days & 5 nights

The Tour du Mont Blanc, or TMB, is the most famous Trek in the Alps: we will do a half Tour of Mont Blanc on the French side.
The TMB on Chamonix is a variant, to discover the most beautiful trails in the Chamonix valley.
The week itinerary evolves within exceptional panoramas at the heart of the Mont Blanc Massif between the imposing Bionassay glaciers and the Mer de Glace and the most beautiful peaks in Chamonix such as Les Drus, l'Aiguille Verte, Aiguilles de Chamonix, Mont Blanc des Dames etc ...
 

Program

Week Hiking Program 

DAY 1 
ARGENTIERE - ARGENTIERE BASIN AND ITS GLACIER or LES POSETTES from LE TOUR - ARGENTIERE

Meeting in the morning at 8:00 a.m. You will discover the Argentière Glacier and its Glacial Basin. Direction Argentière with the Chamonix Valley bus.
Depending on the weather and on the group's fitness, you might head up to the Aiguilles des Posettes: from up there the view on the Chamonix Valley is magnificent, walking through the woods at first and then arriving in the beautiful Alpine pastures. 

Night: Refuge 
Elevation: +900 m and - 900 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

DAY 2 
CHAMONIX - ROCHER DES MOTTETS - MER DE GLACE - SIGNAL FORBES - CHAMONIX

Night: Refuge in Chamonix valley
Elevation: + 1150 and - 1150 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

We start from the valley where the Mer de Glace glacier was in 1825, when the inhabitants of the valley called the bishop to stop the glacier which was going to destroy the houses of the villagers during the Little Ice Age.
We will then go in search of the Mer de Glace by a moraine path which will take us to the Mottet Hut, where a small pancake will be welcome!?We will begin to see the Mer de Glace at the feet of the Drus West Face and of the Aiguille Verte. Once at the Mer de Glace and thereafter at the Signal Forbes, the view opens up on the magnificent Grandes Jorasses North Face and on the Aiguilles de Chamonix.
We will continue our walk under the Aiguilles de Chamonix and walk back down to Chamonix again.

DAY 3 
MONTROC - LAC BLANC - TETE DES LACS - TRE LE CHAMP - MONTROC

Night: Refuge in Chamonix valley
Elevation: + 1150 m and - 1150 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

We will walk up into the forest on a good path to reach the legendary Aiguillette d'Argentière and its magnificent view of Mont Blanc. Here there is a dizzying path section to climb on steal stairs, well known as the Passage des Echelles, where your guide will help you on. You will therefore reach the Chéserys Lakes and the White Lake. You will eat your picnic a little higher up in order to admire the magnificent view on Mont Blanc and some of the most beautiful and well known peaks in the Alps.
If you are in good shape and if the weather is good,  you will be walking back down on off trails to reach the Col des Montets, Tré le Champs and then Montroc.

DAY 4 
CHAMONIX - THE JUNCTION - CHAMONIX

Night: Refuge in Chamonix valley
Elevation: + 1400m and - 1400m
Walking time: About 7 hours

We start in the morning direction of the Mont Blanc Glaciers. La Jonction is where the Bossons and the Taconnaz Glaciers get separated, we will be walking on a rocky outcrop with the glacier on each side. It is a magical place, we will walk on a good path, sometimes equipped with ladders and cables, hidden in the shade of the forest and just aside the glaciers. Even if the altitude drop seems important the ascent is done quite quickly, it's a vertical kilometer ... Depending on the group’s shape and the weather, we may shorten the day at Bec des Trois Corbeaux.
We will then return to the refuge for our last evening.

DAY 5 
THE TOUR - LES POSETTES

Free day, you can still have a walk around now that you know better the Chamonix Valley!

END OF TRIP, see you soon for new adventures!

Materiel

How to prepare your backpack for hiking

If possible, take a bag that is light enough to be carried well, and no heavier than 1.5 kilos.

• Small : 45 litres max
• Large : 50 litres max

Your rucksack should have 10 to 15 litres of space for the food you will be carrying for lunch and sometimes the next day, which the mountain huts or guides will give you.

Kilos to carry - it's better to wash than to carry :

• Small : 5/6 kilos max, without water and food
• Large : 6/7 kilos max, without water and food

Allow 2 litres of water and 500 grams of food for the day.

Head-to-toe equipment for the trek:

• a cap or hat for the sun
• a hat for the cold
• a buff or choker (optional, but great in bad weather)
• a Gore Tex jacket or equivalent for bad weather
• a pair of gloves, waterproof if possible
• a small down jacket or fleece to withstand sub-zero temperatures
• two jumpers: one light and one warmer; if it's cold, we'll use all the layers
• two or three technical T-shirts
• 2 to 4 pairs of socks, which you can wash in the torrents near the refuges (use solid soap to wash)
• trousers
• tights
• shorts
• a bag cover for the rain
• a waterproof bag to keep a change of clothes dry
• a change of clothes for the refuge
• A pair of hiking boots with Vibram soles or good quality trail shoes from 20 July, if possible try them on before the trek.

Essential items:

• a sleeping sheet for the hut
• 2 telescopic walking poles
• Canteen or water bottle to provide at least 2 litres of water
• sun cream factor 30 to 50
• A pair of category 3 sunglasses
• a light headlamp
• small treats such as dried fruit and chocolate
• cash and your identity card or valid passport

Toiletries :

• a light, quick-drying towel, hiking style
• body soap
• toothbrush with toothpaste or solid toothpaste
• small shampoo (specialist shops sell small bottles that you can keep for the rest of your hiking life)
• a pair of earplugs to help you sleep at night in the refuge

Pharmacy & other items :

• your medication
• a light survival blanket
• nail clippers
• enough to make small dressings
• a few compresses and plasters or, better still, Strappal

Your guide will have a more comprehensive first-aid kit in case of a major accident.

A small book or card game (weighing less than 150 grams)...

Necessities for meals :

• a light Opinel-type knife
• a fork and a spoon
• A local speciality to share with the rest of the team, liquid or solid.

Weight is the hiker's enemy, but a frozen or soaked hiker is a hiker without pleasure!

So take the time to prepare your rucksack well and weigh it before you set off, to check that without water or food your rucksack weighs 6 to 7 KG, but no more !

IMPORTANT: if a person is not properly equipped and dressed, the mountain guide may decide not to allow him/her to take part in the climb. We ask you to read carefully the equipment list provided in the programme PDF and to call us if you have any doubts.

Level

Physical Level 3/5

SPORTY COURSE
Effort corresponding to 1000 - 1200 m of climbing per day.
You like endurance sports and practise them regularly about 1 to 2 times a week!

Technical Level 3/5

DIFFICULT MOUNTAIN WALKING:
The hike has dizzying, physical and technical passages, the path is sometimes equipped with cables and ladders to allow progress.
You must master the activity, you are autonomous in the mountain in the easy passages, the guide will help you in the difficult passages.
You will learn about the weather and how to use a mountain rope to help you progress.

Useful Info

Useful Information to plan your Hiking Week

Insurance

Une assurance annulation et rapatriement est obligatoire, ainsi qu’une assurance  garantissant la recherche et le sauvetage en montagne (10.000 Euros de garantie minimum).

Voici l'assurance qu' Esprit Montagne vous propose : https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

How to reach Chamonix Mont Blanc

• By train to Chamonix Station, TGV possible to Annecy;
• By car, by highway to Chamonix, by Annecy or Geneva.

Accommodation throughout the stay:

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.