Tour Du Mont Blanc

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I am impulsive and the TMB was the perfect last-minute getaway.  You can spend some time planning places to stay each night or you can pack up your tent and just go.  We decided mid-June to cram it into our summer and by Mid-July, we were on a flight to Geneva.  A day or two of researching and booking flights was the full extent of our preparation.

That being said, the TMB is not for beginners.  It's (at least) 110 miles over 10 days and you climb and descend somewhere between 3000-5000 feet every day.  Its grueling.  The views are worth it but I had a few rough moments where I was questioning my lack of preparation.  The difficulty to beauty ratio is lower than the O-Trek in Patagonia but If you’re looking for a challenge or you don’t want to actually plan anything, you’re in the right place.

 Here are some weather stats I compiled using data from WeatherSpark.com. I highlighted in green the weather that I prefer to trek in =) 

Also note some of the refugios are only open June through September.  We went in late July and it was pretty nice.  On top of being one of Europe’s hottest July's in history, we were also greeted with a nasty lightning storm.  

You SHOULD NOT hike up there if there is a possibility of lightning.  There was a lot of debate among hikers whether they should continue on and some didn’t have a choice.  We relied on the recommendation of a local mountaineer who said absolutely not to take the chance.  You do not want to be on an exposed mountainside, miles from any help during a lightning storm.  We were lucky enough to be in Courmayour that day, one of the bigger towns along the trek so we decided to stay another night there in a hotel.  Having no bookings or plans really helped our flexibility on the matter.

 Fly into Geneva.  From there, there are a few bus options to Chamonix.  I found OuiBus the easiest option for online booking.

OuiBus   The bus terminal was a little hard to find from the airport.  Follow signs with a bus symbol on them (we ended up riding to the top of an escalator) and that brings you to a chaotic bus/train station.  There’s a small garden with a bench to your right.  The Ouibus actually picked us up on the bottom level of this platform so find the stairs back down.  The bus might have a “blablabus” sign which was a little misleading.  Our bus showed up about 10 min before departure so make sure you’re in the right place because you won’t have time to scramble.

The other option for buses is SwissTours: SwissTours Geneva to Chamonix 

I use Booking.com for all my hotel bookings, even when I travel for work.  Just look at the map and choose something in your price range and close to any bus stop. The OuiBus takes you to Chamonix Sud bus station.  

Booking.com

I searched Chamonix but ended up booking in Argentiere because I didn't know the difference and/or I wasn't paying attention.  Either way, Yeti Lodge did not disappoint.  We hopped on a local bus to Argentiere, got off at the last stop and walked to Yeti Lodge. Yeti gives you a bus pass so hop on the local bus to get to Les Houches when are ready to start the hike.  They also let us store our additional stuff there while we were trekking.  

Yeti Lodge

 Check out the Travel Gear - Backpacking Gear page for an explanation of all my "core" backpacking gear.  Here is a list of the clothes I brought.  The weights given are after I've stuffed them into waterproof bags.  I'd suggest getting some of these because they are great for organizing and you don't have to worry about rain ruining your gear. 

 Clothes - stuffed in a 10L Dry Bag - Total Weight 3.30 lb.   Mens clothes are bigger: 15L Dry Bag - Total weight xx oz. 

• (1) Women's Long Sleeve Hooded T - This is a must-have.  It's lightweight, has pockets and a hood. Never underestimate the hood. bonus: has thumb holes.
• Men's option: Men's PrAna Hooded T
• (1) Women's Longsleeve BaseLayer - Warm, fits nicely under the hooded T if you are layering.
• Mens option: Men's Baselayer Longsleeve
• (1) Hiking Pants
• (3) pairs Socks: (2) Darn Tough Socks, (1) Ankle socks - I like to switch it up.  Wash 1, wear one, sleep in 1, repeat.
• (3) Underwear - Anything you like.  Thongs are lightweight but aren't always great for hiking.  I'll bring 3 for a 10 day hike and wash them at the campsites.  Pictured is 2 GapBody grannies and 1 thong.
• (1) PrAna Tank - Only because it's lightweight.
• (2) T-Shirts - standard issue.  These are both lightweight athletic shirts I got from races over the years.  Cotton is bulky so look for something thinner that breathes.
• (1) Bathing suit - standard issue.  Optional.  We like to jump in lakes to cool off but they are frigid so if you're not going to do it, cut this weight.  I'm sure a skankier suit would weight less but I'm not that committed.
• (1) Shorts - for hot days hiking or for sleeping.
• (1) Buff - good for hot or cold, especially good for wind.
• (1) Bra - not shown. Whatever is comfortable or just don't wear one.
• (1) Rain Jacket: Outdoor Research Helium Li Jacket - not shown here.  Shown and weighed here is a standard REI rain jacket.  Full disclosure: this link is the jacket I want - it would bring total jacket bag weight down to 1.2lb.
• (1) Down Jacket: Columbia 800 Down Jacket. Any lightweight down jacket with a hood will do.  Down is less bulky.  This one weighs in under a pound and is warm and durable.

Other TMB-specific packing thoughts here:

1. You don't have to bring tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc if you are staying at Refugios.  You could bring a day pack if you can fit enough clothes, snacks, and water in there.  This does require more planning, though, since you'll need to book each night ahead of time.
2. You can bring 2-3 days worth of food or even less - not for the whole trek.  There's plenty of places to stop and re-load or just eat along the way.  If you want to keep it cheap, then you may want to bring more food since it's pretty dinkspensive along the trail. 
3. Bring layers of clothing.  This goes for any trek.  You change elevation, country, and climates pretty often so you may need a T-shirt and a down jacket in the same day.

 Download maps.me app on your phone.  It will give you distances/elevations to the next location and the GPS will help you if you lose the trail for some reason.  I also downloaded the MACsadventure app and download the TMB tour guide - they had some good suggestions and alternate route options with really nice descriptions. 

Whew! Finally to the fun part.  If you're following in my footsteps, you are currently somewhere near Chamonix Sud.  Take a bus, pretty much any bus, to Les Houches.  Les Houches is small (most of these towns are) so whichever bus stop you get off, you'll be okay.  The official start is at the Office de Tourisme Les Houches - there's an archway there for your photo needs.  You start by climbing 2500 feet in about 3 miles.  OR, about 200 ft west of the tourism office, there is the Telepherique del bellevue where you can just take a ski lift to the top and start from there.  If you're a purist, by all means climb away, but we took the lift.  I was there for the views not the exercise.  It's about $15.  Save yourself - you have 5000 feet and no shortcuts tomorrow.

• Signs to follow: Bionnassay, Col de Tricot, Contamines.  
• Elevation: +2200/-4200 after lift
• Distance: 10.3mi (~7mi after lift)
• Lunch/Beer Option: Refuge de Miage - 3.8 miles in.  The have deli sandwiches and beer.
• Camp here: Campsite Le Pontet Night 1
• Cost: $20 - I know, that's expensive for camping.  Welcome to Europe.

• Signs to follow: Col du Bonhomme (not the top!), Col de La Croix (this is the top), Les Chapieux
• Elevation: +4300/-3000 ft 
• Distance: 11mi 
• Lunch/Beer Option: La Croix du Bonhomme - right after the Col.  Also sandwiches and beer.  We were REALLY looking forward to some beers here but t was really crowded and slow so we continued on without alcoholic nourishment.
• Camp Here: You'll see tents in a valley at the bottom of the trail.  It's hard to miss.  If you start climbing again after 11 miles, you've gone too far.
• Cost: free

• Signs to follow: Col de la Seigne - this is where you cross into Italy, Refugio Elisabetta
• Elevation: +3300/-1100 ft
• Distance: 9.3mi
• Camp here: Camping is illegal in Italy so this is tricky.  Refugio Elisabetta will let you camp about 500 feet higher than the refugio.  IT's pretty rugged terrain up there and not a lot of flat ground but it is possible if you have the energy.  If you can, Elisabetta is the one you need to book ahead of time.  It is illegal to wait until dark and pitch a tent quietly in the valley below and be gone before sunrise.  Another option is to hike about 8 more miles to Refugio Monte Bianco
• Cost: $45

•  Signs to follow: Courmayeur
• Elevation: +1500/-4500 ft
• Distance: 11mi
• Camp Here: We booked a hotel from the first bar we found when we arrived to Courmayeur.  If you want to camp, you can go to Grandes Jorasses for about $8/person.
• Cost: $8 at Grande Jorasses or $80-$200/night for most reasonable hotels
• Shortcut: You can take the lift from Refugio Maison Vielle to Dolonne and save yourself about 2000 ft of switchbacks straight down.  Our knees were aching so we were pretty pumped to take the ski lift down.  

We loved Courmayeur and, since we had no bookings to worry about and there was a thunderstorm, we stayed a couple nights.  We stayed here and they were wonderful: Hotel Bouton d'Or.  

EAT ICE CREAM HERE: Creme Chocolate Gelateria.  Piazza Brocherel, 2, 11013 Courmayeur AO, Italy

Best ice cream I've ever had (and my family used to own an ice cream shop!) - we had it twice/day while there.  Don't miss out.  

We never actually stayed at Bonatti.  Since the thunderstorm held us up in Courmayeur, we did a day trip up to Bonatti and back to Courmayeur, then we took the bus to Col Ferret and hiked from there to La Fouly.  Here is the standard route though.

• Signs to follow: Bonatti
• Elevation: +2800/-300 ft
• Distance: 7.5mi
• Camp here: You apparently can't camp here either.  This was probably part of our reasoning for the day-trip method out of Courmayeur.  Book at Bonatti or do what we did but don't skip it because it was beautiful.