Tour of Mont Blanc - A trekking guide

The Tour of Mont Blanc (170km, 105 miles) is a classic walk, circumnavigating the Mont Blanc massif in about eleven days. The guide follows an established route around the massif, taking the walker into France, Switzerland and Italy. The tour is described in both anti-clockwise and clockwise directions.

The mountaineering library contains literally hundreds of volumes devoted to Mont Blanc, the number of which increases year by year. The following list is by necessity a very selective one.

1:  General Tourist Guides

Michelin Green Guide: French Alps (Michelin, Watford 1998) – Standard tourist guide covering the French Alps from Mont Blanc to the Alpes Maritime, with basic information regarding Chamonix, Les Houches, Les Contamines, etc.

Mont Blanc and the Seven Valleys by Roger Frison-Roche (Nicholas Kaye, London 1961) – The English translation of a beautifully illustrated volume originally published in France. With 170 magnificent b&w photographs by Pierre Tairraz, Frison-Roche’s book follows the route of the TMB and describes the mountain and each of the valleys in turn. Long out of print, but worth searching for.

The Alps by R. L. G.  Irving (Batsford, London 1939) – Also long out of print, but may be available by special order from public libraries or via internet booksearch sites, this book contains lengthy passages of interest to anyone tackling the TMB. Irving was a noted alpine connoisseur and climber, a Winchester schoolmaster whose most famous pupil was George Mallory, who died on Everest in 1924.

The Outdoor Traveler’s Guide to the Alps by Marcia R. Lieberman (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York 1991) – Much of the Alpine chain is described by a noted American author, albeit in brief essays. The Mont Blanc range is of course included. The book is illustrated by Tim Thompson’s quality colour photographs.

2:  Mont Blanc for the Mountaineer

Alps 4000 by Martin Moran (David & Charles, Devon 1994) – The fascinating account of Moran’s and Simon Jenkins’s epic journey across all the 4000m summits of the Alps in one summer’s frenetic activity.

Between Heaven and Earth by Gaston Rébuffat (Nicholas Vane, London 1962) – Photography and text from an award-winning film which describes the life of a professional guide, mostly shot around the Mont Blanc massif. Illustrated by the master of Mont Blanc photography, Pierre Tairraz.

Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles by C. Douglas Milner (Robert Hale, London 1955) – Milner’s book looks at the history of climbing in the Mont Blanc range, and is illustrated with several photographs that will be of interest to TMB walkers.

Mont Blanc Massif – Vols I & II by Lindsay Griffin (Alpine Club, London 1991) – A two-volume series of climbing guides to selected routes by that doyen of mountaineering journalists.

Mountaineering in the Alps by Claire Elaine Engel (Allen & Unwin, London 1971) – An historical survey which has a heavy concentration on Mont Blanc and the characters involved in mountaineering there.

Savage Snows by Walt Unsworth (Hodder & Stoughton, London 1986) – A highly readable selective history of Mont Blanc which picks out the highlights of its first 200 years. Authoritative and entertaining, and highly recommended.

Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper (first edition 1871, numerous editions since, it’s almost always in print) – Best-known for the story of the tragic first ascent of the Matterhorn, this splendid book also recounts Whymper’s climbs in the Mont Blanc range. A much-respected volume, recommended to all would-be mountaineers.

The High Mountains of the Alps by Helmut Dumler and Willi P. Burkhardt (Diadem, London 1994) – Sumptuously illustrated in colour throughout, this large-format volume is more than a ‘coffee-table book’, for it has an intelligent text which describes all the Alpine 4000m peaks, including those of the Mont Blanc range.

The Mont Blanc Massif – the 100 finest routes by Gaston Rébuffat (Kaye & Ward, London 1974) – The ultimate list-ticker’s selection of climbs by the late well-known guide and author. Even if you’re not a climber the book is worth having for the evocative photographs by Pierre Tairraz.

The Mountains of Europe by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, Sparkford 1990) – In this book the Mont Blanc range is described by C. Douglas Milner, a noted authority on the massif.

3:  Walking Guides

Mont Blanc Walks by Hilary Sharp (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe 2005) – A selection of 50 walks and 4 multi-day treks on both the French and Italian sides of Mont Blanc by the Vallorcine-based author and trek leader. A good introduction for anyone planning a centre-based holiday there.

Chamonix Valley by Terry Marsh (Inghams Hotelplan, London 1998) – One of a series of walking guides produced for Inghams, this has 20 walks of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty described and illustrated by a well-known author. Only available to guests of Inghams holidays.

Classic Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, Sparkford 1991) – This large-format hardback naturally includes a chapter on the TMB written by Andrew Harper, author of the first English-language guide to the route.

Classic Walks of the World by Walt Unsworth (Oxford Illustrated Press, Sparkford 1985) – One of the first in a long series of Classic Walks collections (see above), this volume rightly includes the Tour of Mont Blanc.

Tour du Mont Blanc (FFRP, Paris) – This regularly updated topoguide describes the route in brief paragraphs of French text accompanied by extracts of IGN mapping.

Walking in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe 2nd ed. 2005) – From the Alpes Maritime to the Julian Alps of Slovenia, this 500pp tome describes walking possibilities in 19 different regions. The TMB is covered, plus day-walk options in the area.

Walking in the Alps by Helen Fairburn et al (Lonely Planet, London 2004) – The Tour of Mont Blanc is included in this selection of multi-day routes in various Alpine regions.

100 Hut Walks in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe 2nd ed. 2005) – As the title suggests, a large selection of routes to mountain huts across the Alpine chain. Several refuges visited by the TMB are included.

Aquarelles sur le Tour du Mont Blanc by Marie-Paule Roc (Libris, Grenoble 2005) – A charming series of watercolours made during a trek around the TMB, with brief French and English captions. The book makes an evocative souvenir, and is on sale in Chamonix bookshops.

Alpine Points of View by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe 2004) – A collection of 101 full-page colour photographs, plus text, illustrating the rich diversity of Europe’s premier mountain range from the walker’s viewpoint. Several of the photos were taken along the TMB.

Explore the Tour of Mont Blanc by Gareth McCormack (Rucksack Readers, Dunblane 2005) – An all-colour guide to the TMB in spiral-bound format, by one of the authors of the Lonely Planet guide to the Alps (see above).

Trekking & Climbing in the Western Alps by Hilary Sharp (New Holland, London 2002) – Written and illustrated by the author of the Mont Blanc Walks guide, this selection of 22 treks includes the Tour of Mont Blanc.

Walking & Climbing in the Alps by Stefano Ardito (Swan Hill Press, Shrewsbury 1995) – The TMB is one of 18 multi-day routes described in this large-format hardback.

Websites

The following is a new website which provides very good information and photographs which give you a real feel for what the trek is like.
www.walkingthetmb.com