Tour du Mont Blanc Planning Q's

[una_dogger]

MichaelJ and I have decided to make the 10 day TMB trek the cornerstone of our belated honeymoon in Sept 2012 ;-)

Since quite a few people here have done the TMB, I thought I'd ask for some advice.

As it stands right now, we are arranging our own trek rather than use a service (although that may change).

I have purchased Kev Reynolds'
guidebook.

A few basic questions:

- clockwise or counter clockwise?
- which refuges would you NOT recommend and why
-which refuges do you WISH you had chosen and why
-extra days - where did/would you spend them
-starting point - Les Houches or Courmayeur? (we intend to spend extra time in Europe after the trek- potentially Italy- does a Courmayeur start/finish make sense?

Responses from experienced TMB Trekkers, please!

Thanks!

 

[mtruman]

I can't begin to tell you how jealous I am! What a wonderful way to spend your belated honeymoon! I'm really looking forward to seeing the responses from those that have done this - and to your surely amazing photos and report this time next year! In the mean time we'll just keep dreaming about getting there someday...

 

[RollingRock]

A few basic questions:

- clockwise or counter clockwise?
- which refuges would you NOT recommend and why
-which refuges do you WISH you had chosen and why
-extra days - where did/would you spend them
-starting point - Les Houches or Courmayeur? (we intend to spend extra time in Europe after the trek- potentially Italy- does a Courmayeur start/finish make sense?

Responses from experienced TMB Trekkers, please!

Thanks!

We did it counter clockwise starting/ending from Chamonix. The first day was more of a valley type walk but the ending was spectacular on the 'grand balcony.' It's nice to end on a HIGH note!

As to refuges, I'll send you my word document as to our planned itinerary. Each one had its own unique character and I can't really say we saw one we didn't like.

We found Refuge Bonnati to be amazing and wished we had stayed there. It felt like we walked into a four-star hotel in the middle of the mountains and the view was breathtaking!

We had planned to stay at Refuge Elizabetta but it was full. This was another beautiful refuge. It did feel a bit 'touristy' probably because it was one of the easiest to get to. To put in perspective, it was probably like someone around here walking to Lonesome Lake Hut for the night.

We had no extra days planned. If the weather got bad, we would skip any 'variants' we had planned [if any for that day] and stick with a valley route. Other options included to make the bad weather day a shorter day and make up the mileage the next day.

Chamonix was great to stay and visit followed with a shuttle bus to take us to Les Houches for the start. We spent a few hours in Courmayer during the trek itself and were not impressed. Courmayer felt somewhat like a high-end ski resort whereas Chamonix was a 'true' mountaineering town. We would regularly see hikers walking around Chamonix with ice axes. Chamonix had more of pedestrian central location for shops/restaurants with snow covered Mont Blanc dominating the the town. You can partake in some of the local cuisine such as cheese fondue and raclette. Taking the cable car up to Aiguille du Midi and the Montevers cable car to go 'inside' the Mer de Glace [largest glacier in Europe] is a must do.

 

[spencer]

- clockwise or counter clockwise?
- which refuges would you NOT recommend and why
-which refuges do you WISH you had chosen and why
-extra days - where did/would you spend them
-starting point - Les Houches or Courmayeur? (we intend to spend extra time in Europe after the trek- potentially Italy- does a Courmayeur start/finish make sense?

Responses from experienced TMB Trekkers, please!

1. clockwise
2. Refuge des Mottets
3. Lac Blanc
3. 2 nights/1 full rest day at Col du Bonhomme and 2 nights/1 full rest day in le Tour (most of which was spent in Chamonix)
4. started/ended in Champex but I'm not sure I have an opinion on why to start/stop anywhere

The Kev Reynolds was by far the best book I found. But, we had two versions on the trip and the slightly older one was inconsistent with the newer one. However, it wasn't always clear which was correct.

Enjoy - it's a mesmerizing trip...

 

[roadtripper]

Oooooo, very exciting! I did that route in 2006. Best experience of my life, even though bad weather messed up a lot of it.

To start, PM me your email and I'll send you an EXCEL file that I made that shows you all the hotel/hut options for each stage of the trip, elevation gain/loss between every single point, as well as elevation maps I made of each day.

Here are some tips as well:
(1) I found it was cheapest to fly into Geneva and then take the "Alpy Bus" to Chamonix.
(2) Do it counterclockwise so that you become friendly with others on the trail (most do the trail counterclockwise).
(3) You absolutely have to stay at Rifigio Elisabetta, Lac Blanc, and Rifigio Bonatti. Make reservations MONTHS ahead of time. Rifigio Bonatti might be the nicest hut in the entire world and I'm not exaggerating.
(4) You can make reservations for many of the huts ahead of time via email, but you have to email your CC info for most. You don't have to make reservations for most places if it is during the week. However, weekend huts can fill up, especially the popular ones.
(5) There is a website that shows information, dates, prices, contact info for every single hut along the way, but I can't seem to find it though.
(6) The best sections are near Lac Blanc in France and the whole Italian section.
(7) Make sure to take the "Aiguille du Midi" while in Chamonix. It's a cable-car to 12,000 feet and views are AMAZING.
(8) Chamonix is an outstanding base camp. It has probably 50 gear shops.
(9) Plan on only 8-11 miles a day and NO more than that. The terrain is hard. It's like hiking 4,000 footers every single day. You'll want time to shop in markets, take lots of pictures, have beer/wine/lunch at many of the huts along the way, etc.
(10) While you are there, and if you have time, either (1) take a few trains and go to Zermatt and hike near the Matterhorn or (2) take some trains and hike near the Dolomites in Italy.
(11) If you go in September, make sure it is the first week. Don't go any later than that because the weather can get really, really nasty and a lot of the huts close after 9/10 or 9/15.
(12) Buy a good map in addition to the Kev Reynolds book. Sometimes he isn't detailed enough, but 90% of the time he is. I can recommend the best map if you want.
(13) Champex is overrated. Don't stay there an extra day.
(14) Build a "rest-day" into the middle of your trip in case you fall behind. For example, it snowed 18 inches in early July when I went and we couldn't get over one of the mountain passes.
(15)Give in and take the cable-cars when you can cheat. They skip portions of the trail that aren't scenic at all (i.e. the first stage if starting from Chamonix).
(16) Be prepared for weather ranging from 25-80 degrees. The weather is insanely varied along this route, and it can drop 25 degrees in about 10 minutes if the weather is unsettled (reminded me of Mt. Washington or Katahdin)

I like your idea of starting in Courmayer, but keep in mind you'll be seeing the absolute best scenery on day 1. It's kind of fun to start in Chamonix and build up to the Italian side....

You guys will love this route...I'm going to do it again in 5-10 years.

 

[peakbagger]

In case you want an expert,

http://www.mountainguidesalliance.com/guides.cfm#Ian

Ian Turnbull lives in Randolph NH and it may be worth talking to him to get a "pros" input. It might be a few bucks but probably worth every cent

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Sweet! We did the TMB for our honeymoon as well. But it was over eight years ago and I don't know if I remember enough to give any meaningful advice.

We went very early in the season (and got lucky the weather was okay), so we didn't reserve ahead of time. Because of that we didn't have a set schedule. We did the route counter clockwise out of Champex. The reason we chose there is that we flew into Geneva and bought a Swiss Rail Pass and wanted to start/end in Switzerland. Afterwards we went to Zermatt, which was fantastic as well.

I like your plan of doing Italy afterwards. If you're up for more mountains, you should definitely see the Dolomites!

Have a great trip!!

 

[nartreb]

Sure you want Mont Blanc and not, say, Mont Pourri? Much less crowded - go the first week in September and the huts will be completely deserted (open but unstaffed - don't you want privacy on your honeymoon?). I only had time for an out-and-back of a couple of nights but I once woke up to chamois grazing under the window.

2008 hut-to-hut Vanoise

 

[una_dogger]

Well - Nartreb--we have been married over a year now ;-) and by the time next September rolls around we will be about to
Celebrate our second anniversary. We plan to go big and stay in private rooms at the refuges!
We plan to spend nearly a week after the trek in a romantic and yet to be determined city - and I think meeting people
Is part of the trekking experience - the TMB is for us!

 

[MichaelJ]

Okay folks who've done this — what are the language requirements? I don't know if I want to try to learn French and Italian by next September (that will kind of take the fun out of it). What's important to know, and what's not?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

None of my friends who has done the TMB speaks a word of French or Italian ... all have apparently survived.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Okay folks who've done this — what are the language requirements? I don't know if I want to try to learn French and Italian by next September (that will kind of take the fun out of it). What's important to know, and what's not?

No language requirements. Pick up a language book (this one is handy as it has both French and Italian: Rick Steves' French, Italian and German Phrase book. Before you go familiarize yourself with some key phrases and the rest you'll figure out when you are there. Carry a small note pad in case you need somebody to write down a number or something else you don't understand. When starting a conversation or approaching somebody, always try something in their language first, smile a lot, and you'll be fine.

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Okay folks who've done this — what are the language requirements? I don't know if I want to try to learn French and Italian by next September (that will kind of take the fun out of it). What's important to know, and what's not?

A French, Italian, English translation book may be helpful but I would suggest that you get one of those translator apps with voice recognition for your I phone and you'll be set.

I would also second a few other things mentioned above. Chamonix is great. You definitely want to visit La Mer de Glace and the Aiguille du Midi. It definitely is wise to make the trip as early in September as possible. While living in France I was often in the Alps in August and very often encountered snow the last week of August.

Also, because we were often in the Alps at the end of August--because the rates were lower then--we got into the habit of having Cheese Fondue for our anniversary. We still try to do that here but with some difficulty. You'll never find it any better than in the Alps. Also referring back to something else someone said, forget the beer when in France, you're in wine country there.

I wish you both all the best, I hope you have a great time.

 

[spencer]

In my experience, the often cited reputation of the French looking down on Americans for poor language skills does not hold in the mountains. I was glad to speak rudimentary French on our TMB but it certainly was not required.

The one word you'll learn fast in the huts is pichet, as in
"Je voudrais un pichet du vin, s'il vous plait."

I drank more [mediocre] red wine while in the mountains on that trip than I ever drink at home.

I second the awe of Rif. Bonatti. It was almost too nice for a mountain hut.

 

[spencer]

None of my friends who has done the TMB speaks a word of French or Italian ... all have apparently survived.

...and I thought we were friends.

 

[una_dogger]

A huge Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and especially to those who have emailed thier past trip itineraries - a huge help -- I am
So excited! ;-)

 

[Brambor]

Michael

my 2011 vacation was to Anticosti and Mingan National park on the northern shore of St.Lawrence. during 2+ weeks we hardly met anyone who knew or wanted to speak english.
Just use your hands and gestures ;-) it will enhance the fun factor.

Okay folks who've done this — what are the language requirements? I don't know if I want to try to learn French and Italian by next September (that will kind of take the fun out of it). What's important to know, and what's not?

 

[una_dogger]

Michael

my 2011 vacation was to Anticosti and Mingan National park on the northern shore of St.Lawrence. during 2+ weeks we hardly met anyone who knew or wanted to speak english.
Just use your hands and gestures ;-) it will enhance the fun factor.

Dude! Canada is NOT Europe!

No self respecting Quebecois would want to speak Engish
(oops, spelling surely wrong!)

From what I've heard and read, trekker related businesses (refuge, restaurants) have staff with ample English for American Travellers to negotiate the trek without being fluent in any of the route's languages.

However, I think it would be a neat component of this trip to pass the time between now and then learning "French for Travellers" ... anyone have any first hand experience with Rosetta Stone?

 

[MichaelJ]

"Je voudrais un pichet du vin, s'il vous plait."

Well, I know s'il vous plait and I know vin, so I'm guessing this is asking for another glass of wine?

 

[roadtripper]

From what I've heard and read, trekker related businesses (refuge, restaurants) have staff with ample English for American Travellers to negotiate the trek without being fluent in any of the route's languages.

About 75% of the huts I stayed in along the route spoke English. None of them seemed to mind as long as you apologized for not speaking French first =).