Tour du Mont Blanc
The Tour du Mont Blanc or TMB, is one of the most popular long distance walks in Europe. It circles the Mont Blanc Massif covering a distance of roughly 170Km with 10000m of ascent and passes through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France.
It is rightly considered one of the classic long distance walking trails. This circular route is normally walked in an anti-clockwise direction in 7 – 10 days. Usual start points are Les Houches in the Chamonix valley or Les Contamines, Courmayeur from the Italian side, and either Champex or a point near Martigny in Switzerland. The route passes through seven valleys around the Mont-Blanc massif, an anti-clockwise start in Chamonix would lead through the Chamonix valley, then Montjoie, Vallee des Glaciers, Italian Val Veni, & Val Ferret, Swiss Val Ferret, and either the Arpette or Trient valley in Switzerland, dependent on route taken.
The ‘official’ Tour Du Mont Blanc route has changed over the course of the years and many alternatives, or ‘Variantes’, exist to the standard route. Some of these take the intrepid walker onto paths requiring greater fitness, awareness and skill. Others provide conveniently less demanding options, which are often quicker than the accepted route but provide lesser viewpoints onto the mountain ranges.
Plentiful accommodations exist along the entire TMB route, which your guide will arrange for you, allowing the route to be broken into segments to suit virtually any fit person. The accommodation takes a variety of forms, from separate bedrooms in gites on the valley floor to large mixed sex dormitories in spectacular high mountain refuges. The sheer abundance of accommodation makes for very flexible route-planning.
The highest points on any variant of the Tour du Mont Blanc are the Col des Fours in France and the Fenetre d'Arpette in Switzerland, both at an altitude of 2,665m. Although, for most, this is not high enough to cause altitude sickness, the trail nevertheless represents a tough physical proposition. Experience of walking in mountain country should be considered vital. You should discuss with you guide your levels of experience and fitness so they can plan the schedule accordingly.