Mont Blanc - some basic facts

  • At 4810m, or nearly 16,000 feet, Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in western Europe. Mont Blanc is more than a single peak: it’s a 25-km long wall of rock, ice and snow known as the ‘Mont Blanc massif’, encompassing some 400 summits and over 40 glaciers.
  • The “Tour du Mont Blanc” (TMB) is the most popular long distance trekking trail in Europe, with about 10,000 hikers every summer. The trail circumnavigates the Mont Blanc massif, as well as several adjacent mountains, in a large loop through France, Italy and Switzerland.
  • Trekkers usually allow 10-14 days to complete the ‘classic’ TMB route of 170 km. Multiple ‘alternate’ routes are possible, often traversing remote high mountain passes and ridges.
  • The most popular direction to do the TMB is counterclockwise, beginning and ending in Chamonix, France.
  • Accumulated elevation gain on the TMB is approximately 10,000m, or roughly the height of Mount Everest.
  • Highest points on the TMB route are the Col de Fours and the Fenetre d’Arpette (both 2665m).
  • Completing the TMB demands traversing 10 or 11 high mountain passes, depending on the route taken.
  • The TMB route varies considerably from high mountain ridge running with wide open, expansive views, long, steep verticals (I counted more than 40 switchbacks on some climbs), idyllic valleys with old, rustic alpine villages, to snow crossings and herds of dairy cows and sheep blocking the trail.
  • The most beautiful sections of the TMB are generally considered to be the route through Italy, and the French section from Col de Balme to Plan Praz.
  • The best views of Mont Blanc are from the Col de Balme, and along the Aiguillette des Posettes to Tre-le-Champ.
  • Food and accommodation along the TMB are available in ‘refugios’. There are more than 50 of these mountain huts along the route, ranging from quite basic to modestly upscale. Cost per night for a spot in a dormitory room, including dinner and breakfast, is approximately 50 Euros. (Note: bring your own sleeping bag liner, as sheets are not provided, nor are towels, soap, etc.) Refugios are generally only open in the summer, starting about mid-June. Mid-July to end of August are busy, so if travelling with more than 2 or 3 in a group, reserve ahead!
  • The 168-km ultramarathon race around Mont Blanc (UTMB) is held in late August with about 2000 runners. Winners typically finish in 20-21 hours; most finishers complete it in 30-45 hours.