Mont Blanc Walks, France, Italy, Europe - walking and trekking

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps

Mont Blanc, at 4808m (or thereabouts, as they keep remeasuring it) is the highest mountain in Western Europe. No matter how many times I walk, run or bike the trails around the region, I can never ignore the sight of this huge peak and its equally spectacular neighbours. The major centres of Chamonix and Courmayeur are often busy, invaded by holidaymakers, not to mention the heavy goods traffic that has to come up the valleys to get through the alpine chain. Some people claim the paths are too frequented, there is no wilderness anymore, there are cafés and lifts and signposts... but nothing changes the fact that these valleys have walks equal to anywhere for their views, terrain and variety.

I never fail to be moved by the sublime background of glaciers plunging towards the valleys, high snowy summits glinting in the sun, flower-bedecked slopes and rocky trails tempting me on towards new vistas and hidden valleys. Be it spring, summer or autumn, the sheer beauty and range of the walking here will satisfy any hiker – if it doesn’t they’re ­pursuing the wrong activity.

There are many famous trails that take hikers to wonderful viewpoints opposite the Mont Blanc massif. There are also lesser-known paths and routes that lead to fairly remote areas where you will see few walkers even in the high season.

The summer of 2003 was one of the driest and hottest on record. The freezing level was fixed consistently above 4000m for weeks, with the result that the glaciers were melting, the crevasses huge, and rocks were falling down gullies and rock faces. The non-glaciated area of the mountains – the moyenne montagne as it is known in France – was particularly attractive, being relatively unaffected by the objective dangers of the high mountains (the haute montagne). Many people are discovering the joys of­ ­walking on these high slopes way above the valley, with fantastic grandstand positions opposite the glaciated peaks, but with none of the attendant dangers associated with the high mountains.

THE REGION
The Mont Blanc massif straddles the frontier of three countries – France, Italy and Switzerland. Whilst Mont Blanc is the peak everyone has heard of, there are many other summits in the massif. It is said that this 25km-long range is made up of around 400 summits with at least 40 glaciers defining the valleys and faces.

The Chamonix valley runs northeast to southwest on the north side of the massif, whilst Courmayeur is situated in the Dora Baltea valley. This heads south from the long Veny and Ferret valleys which define the south side of the massif.

Consider first the Chamonix ­valley, where the Mont Blanc massif forms the east flank whilst the Aiguilles Rouges form the west side. Previously gouged out by the huge forces of the glaciers, the continuing slow erosion of the valley is now just due to the River Arve, with the additional force of the Arveyron from midway. The valley is headed by the village of Le Tour at its northern end. In descending order down the valley are the villages of Montroc, Argentière, Le Lavancher, Les Tines, Les Praz and the town of Chamonix. Continuing down the ­valley we then reach Les Houches and Servoz before the River Arve leaves the Chamonix valley for the flat plains of Le Fayet and Sallanches.

On the Italian side the Veny and Ferret valleys are much more sparsely populated, with Courmayeur being the real centre.

The Swiss part of the range is right on the northeastern edge, the nearest big town being Martigny, down on the flat plain of the Rhône valley.

For the purposes of this guidebook the region covered has been chosen for its proximity and views of the Mont Blanc massif, and its accessibility from the major resorts around the massif. The region extends slightly beyond the Chamonix valley on the French side: as far as the Contamines valley to the south, and to the Vallorcine valley to the north beyond the Col des Montets; then into Switzerland just above the Franco–Swiss border; and to the south of the Mont Blanc massif where the Ferret and Veny valleys converge just north of Courmayeur, as well as including the Colle San Carlo further south.

This gives an area that is easily visited by car during a week’s holiday or longer. There is a wide range of walks, varied in both terrain and views. Within this relatively small area there are differences of nationality, language, food, farming, culture and, amongst other things, driving styles – there are plenty of opportunities to compare France with Switzerland and Italy on all these counts.

This book is biased to the French side of the massif. There are two ­reasons for this: firstly, this side has many of the most famous walks, such as the Lac Blanc walk and the Montagne de la Côte; secondly, I live there and consequently spend more time there. This in no way undermines the Italian or Swiss regions, where there is an equally fine number of superb walks. There is just no getting away from the fact that Chamonix is the place everyone has heard of, so it seems natural to give a certain predominance to that valley.