Tour du Mont Blanc

Tour du Mont Blanc

Discover a world of unique and impressive high mountains with a breath-taking show of summits and glaciers everywhere. The Mont Blanc range is fascinatingly beautiful, like a diamond, from every angle.
7 nights
165 km
Demanding
€ 2,450.00 per person

Tour du Mont Blanc

Date: Aug. 6, 2022 - Aug. 14, 2022

RISK FREE BOOKING POLICY. GET A FULL REFUND IN CASE OF CANCELLATION.

Early Bird available now until 01 FEBRUARY 2021

€2,450.00 PP

Tour du Mont Blanc

Experience Overview

This is a 7 day and 165 Km journey with lots of ups and downs...to be specific, almost 10,000 meters of elevation gain. Remember, this is the Alps, rocky and steep terrain, high alpine meadows, glaciers, peaks, streams, lakes and amazing scenery. The route takes us from Chamonix - France through Italy, Switzerland, and back to Chamonix.

This journey is fully supported with luggage transfers so you will only need to carry a day running pack, shuttles to and from Geneva airport, all accommodations and meals. The accommodation varies from mountain huts to hotels. Some of the huts only offer dormitories, in the hotel it will be twin rooms. Single occupancy is available for an additional cost. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is one of the most famous trail running and hiking routes and a dream for many trail runners around the world.

The path encircles Western Europe’s highest peak, and it combines inspiring mountain scenery with cultural vibrancy in the alpine regions of France, Switzerland and Italy. The tour is challenging, rewarding and enjoyable, there will be long and steep runs but still time to relax, to recover and to have a beer or two in the afternoon. The alps and the TMB is a challenging route, but you’ll run and hike with a light vest and in the company of an experienced International Mountain Leader (UIMLA) that will be with you all the time.

Date: Aug. 6, 2022 - Aug. 14, 2022
Tour adventure level: Demanding
MAX: 10 runners

Itinerary

Click on each day to explore in more detail.

Transfer from Geneva Airport to Chamonix. Depending on your time of arrival you will have time to walk around the vibrant village of Chamonix, make last minute gear shopping or just relax at the pool and outdoor patio of our chosen hotel in Chamonix. In the evening we will have a group safety briefing, followed by dinner.

Chalet Hôtel Le Prieuré

Dinner

Relax

Today is the official start of our epic journey. We leave Chamonix and take an undulated first trail from Les Gaillands towards Les Houches. Once in Les Houches we climb up through the forest heading to Le Delevret and Col du Voze, where we start the downhill through the woods passing charming chalets and rustic farms as we head towards Saint Gervais les Bains. After a gentle uphill through forests and alpine meadows we will arrive to our overnight destination close to the village of Les Contamines.

Chalet Hôtel Le Prieuré

Breakfast, trail snacks, dinner

31 Km - 1580+ 1460-

Easy riverside trails take us to the church of Notre Dame de la Gorge. After the church we have a long and a steep ascent leading to Col du Bonhomme. Depending on weather conditions the pass might show snow patches. A little bit higher we reach the second col of the day the Croix de Bonhomme at 2440 meters of altitude, where we will enjoy amazing views of the valleys on both sides. A nice and runnable trail takes us downhill to Les Chapieux, from here we will have a mix of a flat trail to a steady easy uphill towards Refuge Les Mottets at 1864 meters, which will be our hut for the night.

Hotel Les Jumeaux Courmayeur

Breakfast, trail snacks, dinner

24 Km - 1650+ 940-

The day starts with a steep trail, but the views will be our boost to continue and finally cross the border into Italy at Col de la Seigne. Once on the col (or shoulder) you will admire the views of the French and the Italian valleys. On the Italian side we will have a long descent into Val Veny. If we are lucky, the valley will be cover in yellow flowers with sparking glaciers descending off Mont Blanc. A long flat path will take us to the start of the stee trail towards the ridge on Mont Favre, and then on to the Col Checrouit and then a final steep descent to Courmayeur. Tonight, we will enjoy of the famous Italian pizza in one of our favourite pizzerias in town.

Hotel Splendide

Breakfast, trail snacks, dinner

25 Km - 1270+ 1900-

We start the day with a vertical climb towards Rifugio Bertone. After admiring the views, we follow an almost flat, beautiful, easy but high trail towards Rifugio Bonatti. We will pass the beautiful Rifugio Elena, where we can enjoy a coffee or a drink and then continue our way towards the high Gran Col Ferret. We will contemplate the spectacular views of the Swiss and the Italian valleys from the col. A beautiful descent on a single trail will take us to our accommodation for the night at the end of Val Ferret.

Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz

Breakfast, trail snacks, Dinner

29 Km - 1960+ 1748-

We begin with an easy descent to the ancient village of Praz de Fort. We will get some water from the local fountains and continue our path to the start of the ascent towards Champex Lac. Leaving Champex Lac behind we head up through the forests on an easy open path until Plan de l’Au where we start a steep ascent traversing around the mountain to la Giete. Once in the highest point we run downhill towards Col de la Forclaz and continue our descent to the last Swiss village and its iconic pink church in Trient.

Auberge du Mont Blanc

Breakfast, trail snacks, dinner

31 Km - 1480+ 1700-

We have a couple of uphills and downhills more until our final destination. On the way we will have fantastic views of the Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Rouges mountains. We traverse the mountain before we start our last descent towards La Flegere and Chamonix. We have come to the end of an epic journey of almost 170 Km and 10.000 meters of elevation gain!! We will close our journey with a celebration dinner and drink, and share stories of our amazing week while we finally rest our legs.

Chalet Hôtel Le Prieuré

Breakfast, trail snacks, dinner

28 Km - 1750+ 1960-

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Tour du Mont Blanc
Tour du Mont Blanc

Our Route

Approximate details*

  • Total Distance: approx. 165 km
  • Total Running Days: 6 days
  • Lowest Elevation: 750 m
  • Highest Elevation: 2500 m
  • Elevation Gain: 10000 m

*The daily distances and itinerary may change according to local weather conditions and the groups condition.

Tour du Mont Blanc

FAQ

FLIGHTS

We specialise in arranging excellent trail running holidays, but do not book International flights. There a great variety of flights departing from all over the world to Geneva airport

VISAS

European Union citizens do not need a visa to visit France.

GROUP MANAGEMENT

Being a group of max. 12 runners with a mixture of ages and running abilities we may decide to split into flexible groups, all of which will be supported by our running guides who will travel with us on the trip.By splitting the group will allow us all to move more fluidly, allowing all team members to run at their own comfortable pace, without feeling pressured.

TRAIL RUNNING

Trail running around Chamonix is an absolute treat. Our route is challenging and involves distances of approx. 15 - 20 km daily, inclusive of the steep uphill (up to 1400m) and steep downhill sections (as much as -1000m). We can expect to be on our feet from anywhere between 4 - 6+ hours.

TEMPERATURE

Temperatures are nice and warm, and you can comfortably run in shorts and a t-shirt - 12 - 26C (53 - 79F). Nights are cooler so please take warmer clothes as well.

LUGGAGE

We recommend packing one set of running kit per day, with warm and cold options, plus a change of clothes for each evening. It can be cold in the evenings and even during the day, particularly when we are up high in the mountains. A lightweight running pack with the ability to carry water & other necessary items, plus a good quality waterproof jacket (gore-tex or equivalent) are also required. For each trip, we will send you a list of essential items and a suggested packing list. Please contact us if you have any concerns about what you need to bring on one of our trips.