29th – Rifugio Bonatti – La Fouly

We left the refuge at around 0800. Bonatti is quite large with a capacity of 100+ guests, but despite that breakfast was done without crowding the buffet during the one hour it was open.

One of the employees at the refuge looks exactly like the actor Zachary Quinto. The likeness is uncanny. I almost suspect it’s him (the actor) who spends his time off from acting.

It was quite chilly in the morning, walking in the shade with a cool breeze added to it. Finally coming out in the sun helped immensely, though (as usual). We spent the first hour or so descending to the bottom of the valley. Here we had a short break before starting the long ascent to Grand Col Ferret, the tallest point on our route. On the way we passed by Rifugio Elena where we had another short (and needed) break.

Reaching the col after the long ascent rewarded us with sun and a clear view back into Italy and into Switzerland with the border going straight along the col. With the time being around 1300 it was the perfect time and place for lunch, with lunch packs from Bonatti. Disappointing buns, some chocolate and a huge muffin.

We spent the first couple of hours descending 

which meant we obviously had to go back up again.

Having a break at Grand Col Ferret, the highest point of the tour.

The descent into Switzerland was never very steep but rather a gradual descent over a long period. After app. 3 hours we arrived at La Fouly and our final destination for the day. And once again, when entering the premises, I had flashbacks from the last time I was here.

Before Courmayeur my calves and thighs were almost constantly sore. Now, after the rest day, despite my worries, I have no issues with them other than normal exhaustion. That’s pretty nice, to be honest.

When doing the trek you tend to bump into the same people doing the route. At the refuge here in La Fouly we sat down with an American couple (Nicole & Shane) we have been meeting almost daily. They are very friendly and they apparently met 10 years ago on a 5-month trek on the Appalachian Trail and now were on their honeymoon. Both of them are in very good shape but Shane is muscular. So much so that when they were posing for a photo at Rifugio Bertone and he flexed I blurted out “Oh god I feel so small” which made the guide standing next to me almost fall over laughing. 

28th – Courmayeur – Rifugio Bonatti

With breakfast being served at 0800-1000 the decision was to leave at 0900, relatively late compared to the previous days. This was probably a good idea as last night’s food festival ended up being a street party and half the group – including the guide – wasn’t back at the hotel until close to 0100. The wooden plate was a glorified ticket; you presented it at a stall, they wrote the stall number on its back (so you could only go to a place once) and you were handed a plate with food. There were 11 stalls and we ended up trying 8 of them; cold cuts, sausage with ratatouille, cheese & potatoes, minestrone, tartar on bread, blue cheese risotto (which was delicious and heavy and you were given a huge portion!), ice cream with liquor and pie. After the stalls starting closing multiple DJs played music throughout the center of the town, though the later it got the music turned more and more into Italian pop.

Leaving a bit past 0900 this morning we walked through Courmayeur and we soon started ascending – steeply. 800 meters of ascent later we reached Rifugio Bertone. They don’t start serving lunch until 1230 so we had half an hour or so of relaxation and enjoying the view before being able to order. Service was slow, but the food was good, so it took almost 2 hours before we were on our way again.

Quick group photo before lunch.

Relaxing with a view.

Leaving Bertone, we traversed with generally gentle small ups and downs on our way until we app. 2 hours after departure arrived at Rifugio Bonatti with a great view of the massif.

The lone walker. 

The rest of the day is/was shower and doing very little.

The relaxing view from Bonatti.

The light at around sunset.

27th – Courmayeur

As this was a rest day we had the day to do what we wanted. A few people went to a spa, others… something… and three of us took a cabin lift up from where we could see the entire town. We found a café and enjoyed a couple of beers and drinks – while staying in the shade as the sun was out in full force – which apparently included chips and a platter of bread, meat and cheese.

The old part of Courmayeur where we stayed.

Coming back down to the town we had a walk through the center and had lunch before returning to the hotel for relaxation.

View of the town from above.

Tonight there is a food festival of sorts in town; 20 euros for a wooden plate and food is free at a number of stalls. Exciting!

No, it didn't feel cheesy at all walking around with a plate around my neck. 

Not at all...

Credit goes to our guide Heather Florence.

26th – Les Chapieux – Courmayeur

Lunch was bought in the shape of sandwiches near the refuge before getting a ride at 0740 to skip a long piece of road and getting dropped off, starting today’s walk. The ride saved us from what would have been a 1½ hours of walking. The drop-off happened around La Ville des Glaciers.

The problem with getting up early is getting up early. 

On the other hand you get to see something like this.

Not long after the start we passed Refuge des Mottes, the place we stayed at my last trip instead of Les Chapieux, and started ascending towards Col de la Seigne at 2516m. While the view was nice the place was also noteworthy for being the point where we exited France and entered Italy. The sun was high though the wind was fairly cold, but with a bit of walking around on the col we found a spot out of the wind and we managed to have a nice break enjoying the view.

Coming down to Rifugio Elisabetta we had our lunch. Luckily we didn’t spend the night here; looking into the dorms the very high capacity they boasted of (narrow beds in a row in 3 bunks) made it feel like a prison camp.

Instead of riding them up they dragged them as it was too heavy. 

Instead of riding them down the dragged them as they didn't feel comfortable.

We continued downwards, reaching a roman road in the bottom of the valley and continued descending for 1½ hours on road. Finally, at the end, we got a bus for 20 minutes which took us to the center of Courmayeur.

  

After having ice cream, we went to our hotel and checked in. Relaxing for a few hours before going out for dinner and returning to the hotel for a drink.

Return to Chamonix!

As mentioned previously I have been laid off since the beginning of March. Being home all the time having nothing to do makes me restless despite my lazy nature and completely ignoring the fact that it has been barely a month since my last trip (but that is so looong!).

So, a bit impulsively I decided I wanted to return to Chamonix and re-experience the beauty of the Tour du Mont Blanc trail. The trip will be no different than the previous so I will not go into much detail. But to give a quick overview of the schedule it looks like this:

22nd of July

Departure evening from Copenhagen and arrive late in Geneva with a transfer to Chamonix.

23rd of July

Meet up with the group in the evening, giving me a day by myself in Chamonix which will likely end up result in going on a walk somewhere.

24th - 31st of July

Leaving Chamonix and following the route Chamonix - Les Contamines - Les Chapieux - Courmayeur (Italy) - rest day in Courmayeur - Val Ferret (Italy) - La Fouly (Switzerland) - Trient - Chamonix.

1st of August

Leaving Chamonix and flying home.

15th – Gran Paradiso, 4061m (minus a few)

We had breakfast at 0400 and at around 0445 we started our walk upwards towards the summit. The weather was surprisingly fair; a bit cloudy, no wind at all and temperatures like yesterday afternoon.

The ascent was overall pretty rough. We started by crossing a rock field and it wasn’t long before we reached the snow. Not long after this we stopped to put on our crampons and get tied together. From then on the ascent was steep. Even when we zig-zagged up the angles were big so the steepness was still very much present. Some of the slopes were quite steep; 50+ degrees. The steepness reminded me of summit day on Stok Kangri, but here the zig-zagging was still steeper and it lasted much longer than the relative short steep segment in India.

App. 137m from the summit we put away our poles and took out our ice axes instead. We started crossing a crevice before traversing a very steep slope on a very narrow path made by those previously passing by. After a bit we reached an exposed area – still steep to the left, but now with an at least 500m drop to the right. From there you continue up among rocks, but when we arrived there was a queue from the groups arriving before us. Didier had no interest in waiting (he estimated being stuck for up to an hour) so he briskly went off the path and took us below along an icy slope, bypassed them all and brought us back up in front of them ready for the final push.

I am not too happy with heights – especially when standing at a ledge with a large drop, almost no matter the security. So imagine an app. 50m long ledge, maybe 2-ish meters wide at the widest, ½ at the narrowest, riddled with large rocks you had to scamper around with very little to put your feet on and little to hold on to or plant your axe – with massive drops on both sides. We were 4 tourists with Didier in front tied together with me in the back. We walked around one rock, we narrowly passed by a second, had to do some awkward leg movements to get around and over another. To say I was nervous then would be an understatement. From there we had to cross over a rock – the only thing I could manage after plenty encouragement from Didier and the rest of the group was to crawl across on all fours (hold on – earthquake? No, just me shaking) and moving into a sitting position before sliding down from there back onto the ground. Then there was an exposed 4 meters less than half a meter wide (don’t look down look at your feet don’t look down) and almost stumbling across ending up almost hugging the next big rock in my way. Looking over it to where we were going I saw that afterwards you would be getting down from the rock and onto a small ledge (half a foot’s length wide), hook into fixed rope before going along the cliff, around and up less than a meter to arrive at the final summit. It looked beautiful; 2x2 meters – there was plenty room for a complete ballet! But the view of the small ledge was the last straw for me, unfortunately; with everything up to that point and what I was looking at I do not think I have ever felt so terrified before in my life. Without knowing exactly how such a thing feels I was sure I was building myself up to a full-blown panic attack. When Didier realized that I was beyond taking in any reason from either of them he ordered us back. The look of the others, one within arm’s reach of the summit, their look of disappointment was heartbreaking. I felt horrible. But… just…. No. No more. I had to go in front as we couldn’t turn the entire line around, but a bit back we reached a small spot, less than one square meter (and it felt huge!), where we rearranged the line so Didier was in the back with me close and the rest lined up in front. The narrow path we walked before which was very narrow now felt like a 6-lane highway.

Alex had mounted a GoPro on his helmet and filmed the entire up and down of the summit from and to where we left our poles. The video he compiled from the trip can be found on https://youtu.be/R5RPqcQyx6Y and the part with Gran Paradiso starts around 1:20.

We returned to our poles, I took the only photos of the day and it was app 1045 as we started descending. The nice soft snow had started getting chunky after the sun had come up and significantly raised the temperature, and getting closer to the lodge the snow had turned into slush.

We were back at around 1345 and shortly thereafter we continued down back to the car. I arrived at around 1600, Gill and Jon had been waiting for almost half an hour, and Alex arrived half an hour later.

We were back at the lodge in Argentiere at around 1800 and on the drive back Didier gave his assessment on summit chances on Mont Blanc. He dished out a 100% ok, a couple of maybes and me? “The summit day is longer [OK], harder [OK….] and much more technical difficult [yeah….]”. So I seem to be off the summit attempt – and right now, after that experience, I feel fine with that.

It will likely be a rest day tomorrow.

The look up towards the summit from where we left our poles. Followed the path up and the narrow summit ridge is where people are lined up, with the final summit where the few people are standing to the left. The rock to the right is NOT taller than the one to the left, the angle makes it look like it.

Looking down from the same position.

14th – Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II, 2732m

We had breakfast at 0730 and after having all the equipment sorted in piles of “take with us” and “leave behind” and generally got everything in order, we left around 0930. We drove app. 1½ hours where we went through the Mont Blanc tunnel going to Italy. It might have a recognizable name but in the end it’s just a tunnel like the rest of them.

Ending up at the parking lot at around 1900m we got all our stuff and started our first ascent. The weather was not impressive: cloudy and almost constant rain. There is not much to say about the climb; we ascended slowly but steady on a decent path. The view was nice with the clouds setting the mood but I am imagining the great views we could have had if the weather had been clear. Due to the weather we didn’t really take any breaks on the way up and around 2 hours after leaving the parking lot we arrived at the refuge at around 1330. We had our packed lunches and due to the weather we didn’t do much during the afternoon. The original plan was to do some ice axe/crampon practice but our guide didn’t want to do so as it would have ended up getting way too wet.

In the late afternoon we were introduced to techniques how to rescue someone having dropped through a crevice. We will be crossing a glacier tomorrow on the way to the summit of Gran Paradiso, and despite Didier saying the risk of something unexpected happening is very small I am still able to stress myself about it. Awesome.

Dinner here at 1900 and we will probably go to bed early as we will be getting up at around 0400 with departure at 0500. On return we will pass by the refuge, pick up whatever we left behind, have lunch and then continue all the way back down to the parking lot and return to Argentiere.

The view from the refuge, in the direction from where we arrived.

They're doing it old-school!

Later during the day it cleared a bit up, this is looking left of the previous photo.

Returning to France

So, here we are again. Another trip has been confirmed. This one will likely be cold, windy, difficult to breathe (though not as difficult as on recent trips), more technical than I am used to and statistically a bit dangerous. And it doesn't even require a long flight to get there. Excitement all over!

Mont Blanc, here I come!

12^th – 13^th of June

As it was harder than expected to find a direct flight to Geneva from Copenhagen I ended up deciding on a flight Friday evening after work which gives me an extra day in Chamonix.  Meeting up with the rest of the group Saturday evening with briefing.

14^th of June

After a short drive to Italy we’ll trek through Gran Paradiso National Park up towards Rifugio Vittorio Emanuelle II hut at 2732m. After a lunch break we will be practicing using ice axes and crampons on the nearby glaciers. Always nice with a refresher, if for nothing else then to make sure I can still use my axe without accidentally stabbing myself. Staying the night at the hut.

15^th of June

The day is spent on climbing Gran Paradiso, 4061m, which is Italy’s tallest point. After completing the climb we will return to Chamonix.

16^th of June

Depending on the group and weather we will end up doing one of two things; In case of bad weather and/or people needing to rest we will take the Montenvers railway up to Mer de Glace; otherwise we’ll take the lift up to Aiguille du Midi at 3842m and traverse Vallée Blanche to further practice ice axe and crampon usage. The goal is to reach Pointe Helbronner from where we will take the gondola back to Aiguille du Midi and return back down.

17^th of June

Depending on weather and conditions we will today ascend to either Tête Rousse at 3167m or the Cosmiques hut at 3613m.

18^th of June

Summit day – weather permitting, of course. The ascent is estimated to take 6-7 hours, so nothing out of the ordinary. I’d image that if we stay at Tête Rousse the climb is going to be much harder, adding an extra 450m to the altitude. Coming down again we return to the hut we left from.

19^th of June

Return to Chamonix. If weather prevented us from ascending yesterday we will have an early departure today, summiting and going all the way down back to the Chamonix valley.

20^th of June

Departure in the afternoon, giving a couple of extra hours in Chamonix. This time I didn't manage to find a direct flight, but with a layover of app. 1½ hours it could have been worse.

27th - Rifugio Bonatti – La Fouly

Despite the threatening clouds yesterday we had a clear sky when wakening up this morning and the forecast for the rest of the trek seemed promising.

After the usual morning rituals (breakfast, buying lunch packs) we were off; we descended down to the bottom of the valley (Val Ferret), and after a short break we began working us upwards to Grand Col Ferret (2537m) which also indicates the border between Italy and Switzerland. Half way we had a short stop at Refugio Elena.

After our lunch break on the Col we started a long gentle ascent down to Hamlet of Ferret (1705m). A short break later we continued down to the Swiss Val Ferret, taking us through the village of Ferret and finally to our destination, La Fouly.

A nice place (cramped sleeping quarters, though) with a great dinner. And Wi-Fi. Woo!

Tai Chi in the morning.

A break in the bottom of Val Ferret.

On the way up to Rifugio Elena

Border between Italy and Switzerland. Italy to the left, Switzerland to the right.

Swiss flowerpot.

Arriving in Switzerland, in the middle of rolling green hills and flowers.

26th - Courmayeur – Rifugio Bonatti

Having had the rest day was apparently enough for the body to believe that it was all over so getting moving again in the morning was harder than expected.

But away we went and we started off with a steep ascent to Rifugio Bertone at 1970 meters, overlooking Courmayeur. As the day was to be a short one we stayed here for a while, just relaxing and enjoying the view. Continuing on we followed a balcony path facing the Mont Blanc range, but today unfortunately the clouds were hanging quite low, preventing any chance of getting a decent shot.

A quick lunch break later we continued on, now with the occasional drizzle. It was a lot of on and off so it was hard for us to figure out whether to put on or take off our water proofs. I think most of us ended up putting it on and taking it off 2-3 times before arriving at our destination.

At app. 1430 we arrived at today’s destination, Rifugio Bonatti, a huge gite overlooking the Italian Val Ferret.

Now we’re just killing time, playing some games and hoping that the clouds will clear so some decent shots can be taken. Please?

Looking down on Courmayeur

a-HA! Danish influence!

The Mont Blanc tunnel. We found out that for 16 euros you could take a bus and go through and end in Chamonix in 40 minutes.

Lunch break.

The dorms. It all seemed very new and nice.

25th - Courmayeur

Today was a rest day and after a good night’s sleep a few people from the group got together and went into Courmayeur. Relatively quickly we found a bar with Wi-Fi. We mixed it up a little with walking around in the center of town having lunch and finding a crepes place, but we tended to end up in the bar afterwards every time.

After this obviously very tough day we came back to the hotel for dinner.

I have a small feeling that the next couple of days might get a little harder than this. Just maybe…

24th - Vallée des Glaciers – Courmayeur

Waking up we were greeted by a cold morning; situated in the bottom of a valley the sun wouldn’t reach the gite until later, and at that time we were already on our way to our next destination.

Fun fact; despite now being in Italy, the gite we stayed in was owned by French. There has been no indicators that we have crossed into another country.

We soon reached Col de la Seigne (2516m) from where we had a great view of the valley we were aiming for. We had lunch at Rifugio Elisabetta which consisted of lunch packs bought this morning. Despite the unimpressive breakfast the lunch was actually OK.

Afterwards we continued downwards where we soon had the choice of taking a flat and easy route, or taking a high path which would give views of the Mont Blanc range. By democratic vote we took the high route which started off with a steep ascent and leveled off with a gentle descent. On the way down we had to cross several steep patches of snow – some of them more interesting than others.

Finishing off with a short drive we ended in Courmayeur at a beautiful hotel with just as beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

Tomorrow is a rest day so we will be spending the day relaxing in Courmayeur or whatever we decide to do.

I apparently suck at applying sunscreen. Standing in the hot shower my skin did in some places feel slightly… sore.

The view from the gite in the morning.

Looking down on the gite, 40 minutes after departure.

Marmot. There were quite a few of these, and this crossed the path just as I walked by.

  

Standing at Elisabetta looking down into the valley we were heading to.

Probably the hardest crossing on the trek; steep snow and a very not so well defined path.

After struggling with getting across it was depressing to afterwards see a guy get his bike up on his back and just wander across.

Domesticated north-norwegian wolf (I think it was). Beautiful, but you always had the feeling it was checking you out. Amazing eyes, but just by looking at you you got the urge to check if you still had all fingers intact...

23rd - Nant Borant – Vallée des Glaciers

This day will be remembered for two things: we met there bikers on the trail (crazy bastards) and an amazing chocolate cake for lunch.

We started the day with a simple breakfast before leaving at 0800. The plan of the day was to ascend app. 1000m from the 1500 meters we started and then descend again app. 900 meters.

We ascended on snow, making process slow but with a nice variation from yesterday. We crossed Col du Croix du Bonhomme, and at some point when descending around 100 meters to Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme we crossed the border to Italy. Here we had our lunch; delicious pasta and an amazingly big piece of chocolate cake with raspberry jam. Yum!

High on sugar the next 800 meters down did not lack any energy at all, though the thighs and calves were beginning to be a little sore.

We were supposed to spend the night in Les Chapieux, but as they had run out of space we were transferred to Refuge des Mottes in Vallée des Glaciers. We were sent there by car, a pleasant piece of luxury, cutting off 5km of tomorrow, the trek’s longest day.

Yesterday my body tried convincing me going back home to my sofa. Now it seems to have understood that that isn’t an option and now just keeps moving forward. Must be a good sign. Still hard work, though.

Can't get tired of the view...

Getting ready for walking on the snow...

On our way...

Col du Bonhomme.

Biker!

Sleeping quarters.

Next vacation has been confirmed

This year will be a little different from the previous; instead of one big vacation I am planning on going on two (maybe three, depending on my financial situation during spring) smaller vacations. The first one has already been bought and confirmed and the itinerary will be the following:

21st of June

Departure from Copenhagen to Geneva, and bus (or whatever I will be able to find) to Chamonix.

21st - 30th of June

Hiking in the Alps, circling the Mont Blanc massif. The route will be Chamonix (arrival from airport) - Les Contamines - Les Chapieux - Courmayeur (Italy) - staying in Courmayeur for local activities - Val Ferret (Italy) - Champex (Switzerland) - Trient - Chamonix - Chamonix (departure).

30th of June

Back to Copenhagen, also from Geneva.

A small and manageable trip - let's see if I think the same after the first couple of days of hiking (average distance per day (excluding the rest day) is app. 18km).