117/ So You Want To Do the Tour du Mont Blanc?
I did it my way, and you can too.
Dear readers,
In the immortal words of Frank Sinatra and, more recently, custom Dior-enrobed French singer Yseult, “I did it my way.”
I’m sitting down to write this newsletter from my hotel room in Chamonix1 having just completed the last leg of my seven-day solo trek of the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). Thank you to everyone who sent encouraging messages over the past week! As In Moda Veritas is primarily a fashion newsletter, I truly wasn’t expecting anyone to care beyond my husband. I mean, I don’t think my kids quite understand what I’ve been up to, and my parents might not even know I’m here. But, wow. Your words and concern here on Substack and over on Instagram have meant so much to me.
Many of you asked me for details on how to plan a trip like this. A boring answer, but Google was my sole resource. I came across many helpful websites with extensive details on how to organize my TMB. Collectively, these websites — this one being among the most comprehensive — do a better job than I could at detailing the minutiae of planning (although my DMs are always open to any questions you may have!).
I was especially moved by the many women who messaged me saying that they, too, are inspired to do the TMB or travel solo, and even more so by those who said that wanted to do it, but didn't think they were capable.
It’s with you in mind that I’m writing about my TMB experience.
If you didn’t message me, but have these thoughts in your head, this newsletter is for you too! And, if the TMB is something that has never crossed your mind, please read on because, who knows? Maybe it will ignite a spark in you that you didn’t know existed.
Seeing women around me rise to a challenge — whether physical or mental — gets me every time.2 So often we women sell ourselves short and put our needs and wants aside in a system that, by design, is already stacked against us and profits from our often unpaid and unrecognized labour. <rant over>
My intention for this newsletter is to zoom out and, before getting into the weeds of planning, give you the lay of the TMB land. Having just completed the circuit and speaking with so many people en route, including fellow hikers, tour guides, and service providers, I learned that the beauty of the TMB is how flexible it is: there is something for almost everyone.
I was especially drawn to the women I met on the hike. They came from all over the world, solo and in groups, their ages ranging from tweens all the way to retiree octogenarians. I saw moms and daughters (and sometimes granddaughters!), girlfriends, partners, hiking clubs, solo travellers. I was adopted by a group of Korean ajummas from Seattle who had the same itinerary as me, and I even met a reader of this newsletter (!!! Hi, Maggie!).
I know some of the women who messaged me personally, and like the women I met on the trail, I’m confident that they’re 100% capable of doing TMB, even if they don’t believe it — yet. If you’re on the fence, I hope that the information I share here will encourage you to take that step to do the TMB your way.
Duration
Yes, that’s right! Your way.
The traditional TMB circuit is billed as a 10 or 11-day, 180km trek that circumnavigates Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in Western Europe), passing through France, Italy and Switzerland:
Right off the bat, every detail of that description sounds daunting. The time-off work required alone might make you dismiss the hike outright.
In fact, when I first Googled “best hikes in Europe,” I glossed over mentions of the TMB because I only had seven days. More Googling later, I saw that some people had done it in seven, which is when I decided to go for it.
Once I got on the trail, however, I ran into people doing the TMB on even more timelines: I saw tons of people doing single day hikes at all stages of the circuit, parking their cars at official and unofficial trailheads. I met people doing just half of the TMB over four days (usually Chamonix to Courmayeur and back), and I also met people doing the full loop in anywhere between 7-14 days.
There’s no rule stating that you need to complete every stage of the traditional TMB route. There’s no rule that you even need to start and/or end in Chamonix, the traditional starting/ending point.
Whatever your preferred timeline, the beauty of the TMB is that you’ll be able to tailor the length of your route because, unlike hikes in more remote regions of the world, the infrastructure surrounding Mont Blanc is so well-established.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Respect to Lao Tzu, but for the TMB, add shuttle, bus, train, gondola, and taxi to the modes of transportation. If you want to start your hike at Les Houches (like I did) there’s a train for that. If you want to cut out the Champex leg and go from La Fouly to Trient, there are (three) buses and trains for that, too.
Intensity
As for the those doing the full-circuit, it was only when I got on the trail — due to my lack of planning (more on that below) — that I realized that the pace and intensity of each stage was something I could control…within reason.
Make no mistake, the TMB is physically challenging. The route is mostly ascents and descents, and you’re usually doing 1000m (3280ft) of elevation gains per day. It makes you wonder what the original alpinists had against switchbacks?
The crazy thing is, you can make it even more challenging if you so choose. Just ask the hundreds of athletes I saw running (running!) the entire circuit in preparation for this month’s Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, an ultramarathon along the TMB that the fastest athletes complete in just over 20 hours!!!
Even if you don’t go that extreme, there are more challenging variant routes at every stage which take you to higher altitudes, rarer views, and more precarious balcony walks (hello, Fenêtre d’Arpette).
I originally thought that doing the TMB over seven days (instead of 10) meant my stages would be longer and therefore harder. Along the way, I certainly met people who were determined to cover every inch of the full TMB over seven days, thus walking 25km (15.5miles) on average per day.
But, once I got on the trail, I realized that didn’t need to be the case. At every stage, for every difficult variant, there was usually a merciful short-cut.
Owing to the infrastructure already in place, you could take shuttles, city buses, and gondolas to — for example — trim down a 27km day to a 14km one, as I did on the day I had lost my meds and had to rush into Courmayeur to catch the tourist doctor.
If you’re balking at the idea of hiking for 10 days in a row, the availability of transportation also means that everyday you can assess how you’re feeling and what you’re up for.
I met many people who decided they didn’t want to walk on a particular day. Some were tired or not feeling well, others didn’t want to walk in the rain, or some just wanted to kick back and read a book. It’s their vacation, after all!
So, what did those people end up doing? They just took a bus/taxi to their next hotel! Which always made me laugh, btw. Why? Because the train ride would be like 10 minutes long, meanwhile the rest of us are rolling in on foot seven hours later!
Some of the people I met who did the TMB over 10-14 days baked in a couple of rest days. These two girlfriends I met from Utah and Alaska spent a full day at a spa in Courmayeur. Others, took the extra time to double back and do the variants that they didn’t get to do during their first walk through.
And even within a day, there were people who rushed to complete a stage quickly and get to their post-hike beer asap, while others leisurely ate lunch (while also drinking a beer btw), or plopped themselves down onto a patch of grass to read en route, rolling into their next hotel at 6pm or later.
Fitness, Health & Safety
One of the main themes in my inbox was, “I would love to do this, but I’d give up/die/could never.” Having just done it and meeting all the people I did on the trail, if you’re even in average physical shape, with no other major health issues, I truly believe you can do it too. It’ll be challenging, but I know you can. Of course, the more fit you are and the more training you do before hand, the easier it will be. And if at anytime it gets too difficult, you can adjust the distance and intensity of your walk in the ways I outlined above.
If you have health issues that make it risky to undertake strenuous exercise or to be away from reliable daily healthcare for a period of time, speak to your doctor before moving ahead.
Having said that, in an emergency, there are hospitals, doctors and pharmacies in the region which are relatively accessible, and at least in France and Italy, for just a relatively small fee3 or free (not so in Switzerland where all healthcare in private). Well-serviced towns and cities like Chamonix, Courmayeur, and even Geneva, are nearby.
God forbid, if an accident happens on the trail, there is cell service along most parts of the trail. All refuges have a landline. Keep the numbers for mountain (helicopter) rescue handy. Failing that, during high season (early July to early September), there will be many hikers around to ask for help. May karma come for them if they don’t help you. My experience on these types of multi-day hikes is that people are more than willing to help each other out if someone truly needs it, whether with food, meds, money, directions, etc....
As for my sense of personal safety in travelling solo, while one should always be aware of their surroundings and not let your guard down completely, I (thankfully) didn’t encounter a single situation where I didn’t feel safe. Completely stressed out because I lost my essential meds, yes. Worried that I wouldn’t make the last bus to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, yes. But, did I ever fear my physical safety, either from the terrain, bears,4 or people around me? No. As far as multi-day hikes go, I don’t think I could have felt any safer.
Budget
Realistically though, before even health and safety, the biggest barrier to being able to do the TMB is budget. When it comes to hikes in Europe, TMB is probably one of the more expensive options because it’s close to the bougie ski towns of Chamonix and Courmayeur, and it passes through Switzerland. Everything in Switzerland is more expensive. If you’re on a serious budget, you may want to consider doing a hike in a nearby but more affordable area, such as the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites (like
just did), or the Kaiserkrone in Austria.But, yes, you can probably do the TMB on a shoestring for under €80 a day. I saw many hikers who camped,5 ate at grocery stores,6 didn’t use alternate sources of transportation (buses range from free to €2, gondolas €11-18, and taxis can cost a lot) and certainly didn’t pay someone to plan their trip or transfer their luggage.
The next level up is dorm accommodations in the refuges. Dorm beds with half board (dinner and breakfast included) start at around €70, and private rooms at €100+. Hotel rooms go from €120 and can go way up, especially in Chamonix and Courmayeur. Expect to pay more for food and meals than you would at home.
On the flip side, if you want your TMB to be more leisurely and luxurious, there are plenty of options for you. You can go with a guided tour which will take all the mental load of the logistics out of your trip. Alternatively, you can hire a company to plan the entire trip for you, but do the trek self-guided. If you choose, both options can arrange all meals, transport, and baggage transfer so that you’re only carrying a light day pack whilst walking.
If you’re carrying your pack on your trek, it’s ESSENTIAL to keep it as light as possible. I can’t stress enough how important this is. Your bag will slow you down and add an extra 8-10kg of weight on your joints. I think that was the main reason I got so many blisters on Day 1.
Even though I ended up paying for bag transfer after Day 2 (my poor blisters!), I was originally planning to carry my pack and so I wore the same thing everyday and hand washed my clothes in the sink every night. If you want to have a few changes of clothes for nice dinners out in Chamonix and Courmayeur, luggage transfer is really the only way to go.
I feel lucky that it even occurred to me to do the TMB and I got to experience it, but I would best describe my planning as “I knew it was possible in theory because I saw it on the internet.”
Planning
And, finally, a few words about planning. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the idea for this trip came to me on June 29 which is outrageously late if you’re aren’t planning on camping.
Most people I spoke to booked their accommodations a full year in advance. If you want your choice of where you want to stay, please try to do this.
The hardest accommodations to secure are:
Anything in Les Chapieux. There are only three places to stay in this tiny village of 10 buildings and it’s a critical rest point on the circuit. Fear not, worst case, you can take a 25-minute bus ride to Bourg-Saint-Maurice like I did, or you can take a variant route and try to stay at Les Mottets.
Rifugio Bonatti, the most famous refuge on the circuit, named after famed Italian mountaineer, Walter Bonatti.
Any refuge where you’re looking for a private room, especially with private bathroom. So hard to secure!!
I don’t have regrets, per se. I mean, I feel lucky that it even occurred to me to do the TMB and I got to experience it, but I would best describe my planning as “I knew it was possible in theory because I saw it on the internet.” Other than booking accommodations (with difficulty, I might add), having to plan my route, bus times, luggage transfers, etc… took a good one or two hours out of each day when I could have been relaxing and, even better, sleeping!
Final Thoughts
I really hope that this newsletter informed and assuaged some of your concerns around doing the TMB. As I mentioned above, my DMs are open if you have questions, and I’d love to continue the conversation around hiking and solo travel in the comments. If you’ve decided to move forward with planning the TMB (your way, bien sur), I DEFINITELY want to hear about it!
Back to regularly scheduled fashion programming soon. I’ll be spending my 7-hour flight back home tomorrow writing about the vintage shops I visited around France this summer. Coming to your inboxes very soon!
A bientôt,
Irene
And on the train back to Paris, and at my flat in Paris, and…
I paid the tourist doctor €40 to see him and get a prescription. The cost of my medications were about €10-15 each. 15 years ago, I got into a serious car accident in Tours and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. I had to pay a small fee for the ambulance but otherwise I didn’t pay for the tests and healthcare.
Would you rather be alone in a forest with a bear or a man?
There are strict rules for wild camping outside of official campgrounds. If you go this route, make sure you look into them!
There was a big baguette sticking out of every other pack!
Love, love this Irene. Thanks so much for the encouragement and tips. My husband and I are hiking the Stubai Alps route in Austria starting next week. I'm 64 years old and live in the mountains. I have been training here with 20 pounds in my pack. As a fairly experienced hiker, I would like to add that age should not limit women but the older you are, the more important training is. Because of you, Irene, I'm planning to do a hut to hut solo next year to celebrate my 65 th (sorry hubby).
I also just love that you inspire us to be not only stylish but also fit, independent and brave!!
This is so epic! I am so impressed that you undertook this adventure and stuck it out despite hiccups along the way. We talk about being true to ourselves and how that is reflected in our personal style, but this sojourn says more about your substance than any outfit ever could. Your grit, determination, and sense of wonder are the real inspiration!