Trailblazer Guide Books

Trailblazer guidebooks provide practical information on specific routes in less accessible parts of the world.
 — Wanderlust

INTRODUCTION 9

PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TREK

With a group or on your own?
Walking alone 11 - With a group 12

When to go
Weather and climate 13

Getting there
Getting to Geneva/Chamonix 14 - Getting from Geneva/Chamonix to
Les Houches 15

Getting around
Chamonix Valley 15 - Les Contamines 16 - Chamonix to Courmayeur 16 - Champex 16

Budgeting
Money 17

What to take
The pack on your back 17 - Footwear 17 - Clothes 18 - Toiletries 19
First-aid kit 19 - Water bottle 20 - Hardware 20 - Sleeping kit 20
Camping gear 21 - Bivvy gear 21

Accommodation
Camping 21 - Bivvying 22 - Mountain huts 22 - Gites d'Ètape 22
Hotels 23

Suggested itineraries
Staying in campsites and/or huts 23 - Staying in huts, gites and hotels 24

Mountain safety and weather
Know your limits 25 - Mountain safety 25 - Dealing with an accident 29 - The weather 29 - Insurance 32

PART 2: MONT BLANC

Flora and fauna
Vegetation zones 33 – Mammals and reptiles 34 - Birds 36

Geology 38

History
History of the Tour du Mont Blanc 39 - History of mountaineering on
Mont Blanc 41 - Highlights (day and weekend walks) 45

PART 3: CHAMONIX

Services 46 - Where to stay 47 - Where to eat and drink 50
Nightlife 52 - Local transport 52

PART 4: MINIMUM IMPACT TREKKING

The lure of the mountains 53 - Minimizing your environmental impact 54

PART 5: TRAIL GUIDE AND MAPS

Using this guide 57 - Trail map key 58

The Tour du Mont Blanc
Les Houches 58

Les Houches to Col de Voza 60 (Map 1 59; Map 2 61)

Col de Voza to Les Contamines via Bionnassay 62 (Map 3 63;
Map 4 69) - Bionnassay 62 - Variante route via Col de Tricot 64
(Map 2a 65; Map 2b 66; Map 2c 67) - Les Contamines 68

Les Contamines to Col de la Croix du Bonhomme 70 (Map 5 71;
Map 6 73; Map 7 74; Map 8 75)

Col de la Croix du Bonhomme to Refuge des Mottets via Les Chapieux 76 (Map 9 77; Map 10 79; Map 11 81) – Les Chapieux 76
Variante route via Col de Fours 78 (Map 8a 80)

Refuge des Mottets to Col ChÈcroui 82 (Map 12 83; Map 13 85;
Map 14 86; Map 15 87; Map 16 88)

Col ChÈcroui to Courmayeur via Dolonne 89 (Map 17 90)
Variante route via Rifugio Monte Bianco 91 (Map 16a 92)
Courmayeur 93

Courmayeur to Rifugio Bonatti via Rifugio Bertone 95
(Map 18 96; Map 19 97; Map 20 98; Map 21 99) - Variante route via
Val Sapin 100 (Map 18a 101)

Rifugio Bonatti to Rifugio Elena 103 (Map 22 102)

Rifugio Elena to La Fouly 103 (Map 23 104; Map 24 105;
Map 25 106) - Ferret 107 - La Fouly 107

La Fouly to Champex 108 (Map 26 109; Map 27 110; Map 28 111;
Map 29 112) - Champex 113

Champex to Col de la Forclaz via Alp Bovine 114 (Map 30 115;
Map 31 116; Map 32 117) - Variante route via FenÍtre d'Arpette 118
(Map 29a 119; Map 29b 120; Map 33 123) - Shortcut from Chalet du
Glacier to Col de Balme via Refuge Les Grands 121

Col de la Forclaz to Col de Balme 122 (Map 32 117, Map 33 123,
Map 34 124) - Le Peuty & Trient 122

Col de Balme to Tré le Champ via Aiguillette des Posettes 125
(Map 35 126; Map 36 128) - Variante route via Le Tour 127
Le Tour & Montroc 127 - Tré le Champ & Les Frasserands 129
Argentière 129

Tré le Champ to La Flégère via the ladders 129 (Map 37 131)
Variante route via Col des Montets 133

La Flégère to Les Houches 133 (Map 38 135; Map 39 136;
Map 40 137; Map 41 138)

PART 6: THE ASCENT OF MONT BLANC

With or without a guide? 140 - Weather and climate 142
What to take 142 - The route 142 - Mountain safety 144

PART 7: OTHER ACTIVITIES

Aiguille du Midi 145
Pointe Helbronner 146
Mont Blanc Gondola 146
Merlet Animal Park 146
Montenvers Railway and Mer de Glace 147
Paragliding 147
White-water rafting and hydroglisse 148
Mountain biking 149
Climbing 150

APPENDICES

A: Bibliography, recommended reading and maps 151
B: Useful words and phrases (French and Italian) 152
C: Glossary 154
D: Public transport 156
E: Mountain photography 161
F: Facilities table 162
G: Metric/imperial equivalents 164
H: Map keys 165

INDEX 166

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