Tour du Mont Blanc

August 2003

The team: Colin Stump, Richard Pratt, Hayden Measham and Rod Shaw.

Recommended guide book: stages described below refer to those in Tour of Mont Blanc by Andrew Harper (Cicerone)

24 August 


Get Tramway du Mont Blanc from St Gervais to Col de Voza and then walk best section of ‘Stage 1’ to Les Contamines (approx 6 hours). 

Stumpy crossing the Torrent de Bionnassay

View back to Col de Tricot 2120m

View down to Chalets de Miage

View to Mont Joly and Chalets du Truc from Col de Tricot

Above Chalets de Miage

Col de Miage and Domes de Miage

25 August 

Climb Mont Joly (approx 6 hours) via ridge route from Le Signal cable car and Aiguille Croche.  Not on the TMB but an excursion from our base in les Contamines.

Ridge route to Mont Joly from Aig. Croche

View west from Aig. Croche

View to Lac de la Girotte from Aig. Croche

View down from ridge to Megeve airstrip

View back to Aiguille Croche 2487m

View to La Frasse from Mt Joly with Domes de Miage above

On the ridge to Mt Joly

Mt Joly summit with Chamonix valley in background

Stumpy on Mt Joly summit 2525m

Mountains above les Contamines, Domes de Miage just right of centre

View to Chamonix valley from Mt Joly

Les Contamines from Mt Joly

Descent from Mt Joly, looking towards Aiguille de Bionnassay

Descent from Mt Joly looking towards St Gervais

26 August 

Early start with drive to Courmayeur, Italy via the Mt Blanc Tunnel. Walk ‘Stage 5’ Courmayeur to la Vachey (approx 5 hours). Hotel in la Vachey overnight : Hotel Lavachey, la Vachey, Italy (0039 0165 869 723). An excellent hotel and great ice cream! 

Ascent to Refuge Bertone from Courmayeur

Refuge Bertone 1991m

Towards Courmayeur from Tete de la Tronche

Towards Tete de la Tronche 2584m

Val Ferret from Mont de la Saxe

Val Veni with Mont Chetif in foreground

Mont Blanc from above Courmayeur

View to Col Sapin from Mont de la Saxe

Mont Blanc from Mont de la Saxe

Mont Blanc on approach to Tete de la Tronche

View to Grand Golliat 3238m

Descent to Col Sapin

Grandes Jorasses from Armina Valley

Les Alpinistes 2003, on descent to la Vachey

27 August 

Walk ‘Stage 6’ la Vachey to la Fouly (approx 5 hours). Overnight in Hotel Des Glaciers, la Fouly, Switzerland (0041 27 783 1171). Weird hotel run by a transvestite! 

Sunrise on the Peuterey ridge to Mont Blanc, from la Fouly

Glacier de Pre de Bar from above the Refuge Elena

Aig. de l'Eveque and Aig. de Leshaux

Italian Val Ferret with Val Veny in the distance

TMB to la Fouly, Mt Dolent to left

28 August 

Walk ‘Stage 7’ la Fouly to Champex (approx 4.5 hours). Overnight in Hotel Belvedere, Champex, Switzerland (0041 27 783 1114). Very good hotel with superb views. 

On the Swiss section of the TMB

View from hotel down to Orsieres

29 August 

Walk ‘Stage 8’ Champex to Col de la Forclaz via the ‘Bovine’ route, then bus 75070 to Le Chatelard (border) followed by 1528 train RX 18934 from Le Chatelard to Chamonix. Collect car and return to Les Contamines having collected other car from Courmayeur. 

View to Martigny from the Bovine section of the TMB

The weather finally breaks...a wet walk back into France

30 August 

Return to UK