Tour du Mont Blanc
Hiking in the Alps

Trip

Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc 7 days

7 hiking days around the Mont Blanc Massif, discovering the most beautiful variants of the TMB apart from the classical Trekking Route. Esprit Montagne will guide you between France, Italy and Switzerland. The Italian part with its Mont Blanc Southern Side is for us the most beautiful part of the Tour. We will therefore follow the ridge lines to admire the South Face of Mont Blanc, which is worthy of the Himalayas with its gigantic walls of more than 3000 meters of vertical drop. In Switzerland we will discover the Trient Glaciers at the Fenêtre d'Arpette, then in the Chamonix valley we will head in direction of the wonderful Lac Blanc, to end this Trek in beauty.

Program

DAY 1 
SAINT GERVAIS - MONT ARBOIS - MONT JOLY - AIGUILLE CROCHE - COL DU JOLY - REFUGE

Vertical Drop: + 1000 m and - 900 m
Walking time: 7 hours

Meeting point: in front of the Saint Gervais Le Fayet SNCF station at 8:00 am, to get to know each other and have a coffee together near the start of the Tramway du Mont Blanc. You can park your car in the Parking de la Gare which is free or for those who take the train you will be directly there.

Several hotels are located around the station for those arriving the day before: Hôtel du Terminus - Hôtel des 2 Gares - Hôtel de la Chaumière

We kindly ask you to prepare your bags well before leaving, your guide will do a quick check list before leaving.

We will be taking take the path of Saint Gervais Thermal Baths, to then catch the Mont d'Arbois cable car. The path will then take us to the ridge that leads to Mont Joly and the Aiguilles Croches, the view on Mont Blanc is great: we will see very well the track going up Mont Blanc normal route, which goes up to the Dôme du Goûter and on the ridge of Bosses: we may see mountaineers from afar. This first Variant of the Tour du Mont Blanc, on a great ridge line with an easy path is perfect for starting the Trek.

DAY 2 
REFUGE - COL DU BONHOMME ET DES FOURS - GLACIER VALLEY / CHAPIEUX

Vertical Drop: +1000 m and - 1200m
Walking time: approximately 7 hours

DAY 3 
VALLEE DES GLACIERS - COL DE LA SEIGNE - COL DES CHAVANNES - MONT FORTIN - COURMAYEUR

Vertical Drop: + 1000 m and - 1100 m
Walking time: about 8 hours

We will be walking at the feet of the Aiguille des Glaciers: we will be at the southern end of the Mont Blanc Massif, the path to reach the Col de la Seigne is fast. From up there we will get a beautiful viewpoint on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. Once at the Pass, we will go off for one of the most beautiful Variants of the Tour.
Direction Col des Chavannes (2603m) then Mont Fortin (2750m), the Mythical South Face of Mont-Blanc is in front of us! The Miage Glacier and its Lake are at our feet, all we have to do is make a nice descent to reach them and pick up a shuttle which will take us to Courmayeur, where we will sleep in a Hotel. We will enjoy the Italian gastronomy, its ice creams and all other Italian wonders ... Free evening, you dine wherever you want.

DAY 4 
COURMAYEUR - BERTONE - TESTA BERNARDA - VALLON BETWEEN TWO JUMPS - REFUGE

Vertical Drop: +1250 m and - 600 m
Walking time: about 7 hours

We will leave Courmayeur, to reach the Bertone Refuge, then the Mont de la Saxe where the view of the Grandes Jorasses and the Dent du Géant is magnificent. We will eat at the top of Testa Bernarda and a little nap in the grass will be very pleasant after the great climb we made in the morning. We will then head in direction of the Col Sapin and Combe d´Arminaz to find the bottom of the Val Ferret and reach the Bonatti refuge. It is a beautiful Italian refuge, where the welcome is always warm and the view of Val Ferret and Val Veny is impressive (40 km of valley at the feet of Mont Blanc with so many peaks and summits standing in front of us).

DAY 5 
REFUGE - GRAND COL FERRET - PETIT FERRET - CHAMPEX LAC

Vertical Drop: +850 m and - 900m
Walking time: approximately 7 hours of walking

We will leave quite early to follow the balcony path and enjoy the sunrise over the Mont Blanc Massif. We will be arriving at the Elena Refuge, where the path then becomes steeper to reach the Grand Col Ferret. We will cross the Italian Border at the Petit Col Ferret and enjoy its wild valley, which goes down until the Ferret village. We will be here in Switzerland in the magnificent Val Ferret. We will then take a shuttle to reach Champex Lac, where you can have a nice swim if you wish and temperatures allow it, the village of the resorts is made up of many typical chalets. We will sleep in a small chalet above Champex.

DAY 6 
FENÊTRE d'ARPETTE - COL DE FORCLAZ - ARGENTIERE

Vertical Drop: +1250 m and 1150 m
Walking time: approximately 7 hours of walking

Today we will be walking from Switzerland to Chamonix, along a great variant if the weather allows it. We will be leaving for the Fenêtre d'Arpette, which is the northern end of the Mont Blanc Massif with the Trient Glaciers and the Aiguilles Dorées. We are close by the famous Chamonix Zermatt Hauteroute, in winter there are many cross-country skiers on this glacial route, which is worldwide known for its magnificent beauty. We enjoy the view after a fairly steep climb and the descent will also be quite fast to reach the Col de Forclaz. If the group is in great shape, we will reach Argentière by feet via a beautiful balcony path, but it might be possible that we will take a few shortcuts to reach Argentière more easily, where we will sleep with Mont Blanc on our background. The Chamonix valley with its beautiful glaciers is in front of us, the sunset is often magnificent.

DAY 7 

We will be leaving our Hut early enough to surprise the ibex in the cliffs of the Aiguillette d'Argentière. We will climb by the ladder path to access the Lacs des Chéserys and the Lac Blanc. The walk will be beautiful with all the summits of the Chamonix Valley in front of us: the Aiguille Verte with the Drus overlooking the Mer de Glace, more to the right the Aiguilles de Chamonix and a great line of summits which leads our gaze towards the Aiguille du Midi, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit and finally Mont Blanc. The North side of Mont Blanc is magnificent with its many glaciers, the walls are less vertiginous than the Italian side but the atmosphere is more glacial. Your Trekking Guide will take you to some beautiful lakes towards the Col de la Glière, then to the Col du Lac Cornu, before descending to the Plampraz gondola and to Chamonix. We will be enjoying the city of Chamonix together to have a last drink together and end our hiking week.

Disappearance: After collecting your belongings from the luggage room at Pointe Isabelle from 5.30pm.

END of the trekking, everyone can resume their journey from 5.30 p.m.
See you soon for new adventures!

Those who want to return to Saint Gervais, the starting point of the Trek, can easily take a Train to Saint Gervais. Departures are regular every hour or so at a cost of around 15 euros. For those who wish to stay in Chamonix for an extra night, here are some addresses:

La Chaumière which is located 3 minutes from the center, La Pointe Isabelle a stone's throw from the train station and Plan B a stone's throw from the Aiguille du Midi cable car and the Bus station.

Materiel

How to prepare your backpack for your hiking trip

The hiking backpack

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

Technical Level

Difficult trekking, there are several vertiginous, physical and technical passages, the path is sometimes equipped with cables and ladders to help the progression, it is not a Via Ferrata but we are obliged to use them. You must master the activity, you are independent in the mountains in easy passages, the guide will help you in difficult passages.
Weather forecast learning and learning of walking progression techniques with a mountain rope.
Maximum 10 people per Guide.

Physical Level

For sporty people, we will have some good walking days and make some beautiful summits, you are confirmed in the activity or welcome in Trail initiation! Effort corresponding to approximately 900 - 1200 m of elevation gain in trekking.

Useful Info

Useful information to prepare your Tour du Mont Blanc 7 days Trekking

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

How to reach Saint Gervais les Bains

• By train, access by TGV to Saint Gervais les Bains - Le Fayet;
• By car from Annecy or Geneva, access by expressway to Saint Gervais les Bains - Le Fayet, which is 2.5 hours from Lyon.

Meeting on the first day:

In front of the Saint Gervais Le Fayet SNCF Train station at 8:00 am, to get to know each other and have a coffee together by the Mont Blanc Tramway. 

For those arriving by car, there is a free parking where you can leave your car for the week right next to the train station. 

For those arriving by train, you will find your Trekking Guide waiting for you in front of the SNCF Train Station. 

Departure:

After collecting your belongings from the luggage room at Pointe Isabelle starting from 5.30pm.

For those who would like to arrive one day earlier or leave one day later in order to enjoy the Thermal baths, here below some links to some Hotels in Saint Gervais to organise your trip as you prefer:

Hôtel Le Terminus

Hôtel Des Deux Gares

Hôtel de La Chaumière

For les Thermes de Saint Gervais

Covoiturage

Lors de votre inscription en ligne, vous avez la possibilité de choisir si vous souhaitez ou non participer au covoiturage pour vous rendre au lieu de départ de votre stage. Après avoir effectué votre réservation, en vous reconnectant à votre compte personnel Esprit Montagne, une section dédiée au covoiturage sera disponible. Vous y trouverez les contacts des participants à votre stage intéressés par le covoiturage, vous permettant ainsi d'entrer en contact directement avec eux.