My sister and I with 2 other friends decided to tackle some of the world's longer walks and started with the Tour of Mont Blanc. According to the guide it's 110 miles split over 10 stages with 30,000ft of elevation gain and can be done clockwise or anti-clockwise in 10-11 days. Everyone in the group was quite fit so we ended up finishing the tour in 7 days,with the rest spent around Chamonix, Martigny and Geneva.
We decided on wild camping for most of the trip though we did stay in some camping places to wash the smell of our hard work. The money I saved on accommodation I personally put towards better gear and was glad to do so because it meant lighter and more durable equipment. Though that didn't stop my rucksack load from weighing around 18kg. I probably could have done with less stuff and food. Most likely.
Food at most of the refuges was alright, it seemed that some had smaller portions but maybe that was just our hunger talking. Refuge Bonatti was the only one that wouldn't serve food or let you use the facilities for a cost if you hadn't booked a room with them, but everyone else on the french/swiss side were ok about it.
The weather was very good, one day being hot with clear skies (between 20-25degrees) and the next cloudy but warm (15-20), just perfect for hiking. It stayed on like this, alternating daily and only rained a few times during the night, but stopped shortly after day break every time. We did catch a storm however, at the end of our second to last stage luckily but we found some shelter and waited it out.
It was an amazing trip, everyone loving every minute of it. The views were amazing, from the glaciers accompanying you along the way to some of the snow covered passes that you could glissade down on. Not to mention the stunning Mont Blanc massif.
Link to some pictures.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t3tjzq0yvemh ... Mv9O-0VTta
Tour of Mont Blanc
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Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
Great pics. I'd really like to do this trek at some point.
Bee
Bee
- Sherpa Kenzing
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Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
I am glad the weather picked up , we had terrible weather in the Alps a fortnight ago.
- Aidan
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Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
Same here, lots of rain and fresh snowSherpa Kenzing wrote:I am glad the weather picked up , we had terrible weather in the Alps a fortnight ago.
- Sherpa Kenzing
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Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
Hi Aidan,
Where are you at the moment?
Where are you at the moment?
- Aidan
- Active Site Member
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- Joined: Mon May 09, 2005 2:20 pm
- Location: Britan - with my milage I cant be more accurate than that
Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
Hi mate, been back in the UK for a fortnight, we where in Chamonix, did Le Tour (in scotich condtions) Cosmiques and Rochefort Arete in small gaps in the rain, went over to monte Rosa but got snowed off the hill
Re: Tour of Mont Blanc
Thanks for pointing it out, I'll have a look over it.