The third day of the Tour du Mont Blanc starts at Les Chapieux and ends either 15 km (9 miles) later at Rifugio Elisabetta or, after a rest and refreshments at Elisabetta, another easy 7 km (4 miles) or so to catch the bus to Courmayeur at La Visaille.
If you book a spot in a van from Les Chapieux to Ville des Glaciers, you cut off the first 4 km (2.5 miles), which are a slow steady climb on paved road up a rather gloomy valley.
Mountain Ascent to Col de la Seigne and Italy
From the tiny hamlet Ville des Glaciers the TMB crosses a stream and then snakes along the east side of a valley to the Refuge des Mottets at 1870 m (6171 feet), according to Kev Reynolds Tour of Mont Blanc (Cicerone). Hikers who chose the alternative on Day Two and stayed at Mottets start fresh from here.
Refuge des Mottets is a converted cow barn high in a remote Alpine valley. Like Appalachian Trail shelters in the United States, hikers bunk side by side on long shelves, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But the upside is the glorious situation, ample breakfast, and avoiding some elevation loss and gain.
From the refuge the path zig-zags up another 646 m (2131 feet) over 5 km (3 miles) to the Col de la Seigne and the French/Italian border. The view from the top is stunning, a 360-degree panorama of jagged peaks and snow pack.
All Downhill Through the Italian Alps
From the Col de la Seigne the path drops down into the highest vales of the Val Veni, which stretches for miles along the jagged southern face of the Mont Blanc massif.
The initial descent from the col is one of the trickiest parts of the TMB. The snow pack is slippery and obscures the trail, which divides into several threads until they reconnect below. If no guided tour is available to lead the way, make sure to head to the left going down rather than the right and the trail will soon reappear and shortly thereafter pass an abandoned border station.
A little more than 4 km (2.5 miles) ahead through spectacular Alpine pastureland, sloping gently downward, is the Rifugio Elisabetta, a charming inn clinging to the mountainside just below the Glacier d’Estellette and Glacier de la Lee Blanche. Elisabetta is a lovely spot to stop for lunch or dinner and has 85 overnight accommodations either in dormitories or private rooms.
Choices from Elisabetta to Courmayeur
Hikers who reach Elisabetta can either hike out along the Val Veni to La Visaille and catch a bus to Cormayeur or stay the night and hike into Courmayeur the next day along the TMB.
The TMB route from Elisabetta follows the southern rim of the Val Veni. The hike is about 19 km (12 miles) with several opportunities toward the end to catch either cable cars or buses down to Courmayeur.
Day Four is usually a rest day in the lovely Italian town of Courmayeur.
Lyda Phillips - Lyda Phillips is an award-winning journalist, novelist and screenwriter. As a reporter for daily and weekly newspapers and United Press ...
