Hiking and Trekking in Italy
Half Tour of Mont Blanc Comfort in Italy

The Trip

Mont Blanc Tour on the Southern Side

We invite you to discover the Southern Side of the Mont Blanc Massif, along beautiful and alternative paths to make you discover the wildest and most beautiful side of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
The Tour du Mont Blanc, or TMB, is the most famous Trek in the Alps: a tour to discover Europe's highest Massif.
We will discover the Italian culture, its gastronomy and hospitality and the magic Aosta Valley.
We cross three countries, France, Italy and Switzerland. We will leave from Bourg Saint Maurice, to reach the Courmayeur valley at the feet of the imposing Mont Blanc glaciers to reach Switzerland by crossing the wild Grand Saint Bernard valley.
We will take our time in the mountains to discover the most beautiful places and summits, a Tour far from the valley bottoms.
With your AMM you will leave classic routes to discover the most beautiful landscapes in the wide open spaces of the Alps.

The Program

Trek program:

DAY of ARRIVAL 

Arrival at the Hotel in Courmayeur starting from 4:00 p.m.
Briefing with your Trekking Guide at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Bar to get to know each other and prepare for the departure next day.

Night at the Hotel.

DAY 1 
COURMAYEUR - VAL VENY - COL DES CHAVANNES - MONT FORTIN - COURMAYEUR - HÔTEL * * *

Vertical drop: + 1050 m and – 1100 m
Walking time: 7 to 8 hours
Night: B&B in Hetel * * *

We leave early in the morning with a small bus from Courmayeur to reach Val Veny towards the Col des Chavannes and Mont Fortin: one of the most beautiful belvederes on the South Face of Mont Blanc, it is one of the only places in the Alps where you can get an air of Himalayas! 

Mount Blanc southern face is over 3000 m high, it's gigantic! The Miage glacier starts from the top of Mont Blanc and descends to an altitude of 1,700 m.

It will be a great first hiking day, with the beautiful city of Courmayeur to end beautifully: its gastronomy and the Italian Dolce Vita will delight us!

Free evening, you will dine wherever you prefer.

DAY 2 
COURMAYEUR - MONT DE LA SAXE - HOTEL ENTREVES

Vertical drop: + 1100 m and - 800 m
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

A superb climb above Courmayeur awaits us, with the Italian side of Mont Blanc in front of us with the Grandes Jorasses, the Aiguille Noire and the Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey ... We arrive at Mont de la Saxe before walking down to the bottom of the magnificent Val Ferret .
We will reach by bus our comfortable hotel in Entreves, at the feet of the Grandes Jorasses.

DAY 3 
HOTEL ENTREVES - COL DE MALATRA - COL DU GRAN SAINT BERNARD

Vertical drop: + 1500 m and - 950m
Walking time: 7 to 9 hours

We take a bus to reach the bottom of the Val Ferret, to start on the path we left yesterday. Here we head off direction the Col de Malatra, where the famous Tour des Géants passes through.
Today we are extending the stage a bit and we will therefore leave early in the morning to reach the Col du Grand Saint Bernard. The Giants of the Alps are in the background along the whole path, the Dent du Géant, the Aretes de Rochefort and the Mont Dolent (summit that borders with three countries: Switzerland, France and Italy).
After the Pass the path crosses the slope in direction of the Col du Grand Saint Bernard, we will sleep at the Hotel Italia: the desserts should stay in your memories...

DAY 4 
COL DU GRAND SAINT BERNARD – FENETRE DE FERRET – HOTEL***

Vertical drop: + 1000 m and - 1350 m
Walking time: 6 to 8 hours

After a night at the Grand Saint Bernard between Italy and Switzerland, we will cross the Fenêtre de Ferret to reach Switzerland. A very wild valley opens up to us with the Fenêtre Lakes. We will then head towards the Bari Darray Pass to return into Italy and walk down to the Elena refuge. Val Ferret and Val Veny are green at the feet of the Mont Blanc Massif: an impressive 30 kilometer long wall extends between the Col de la Seigne and the Grand Col Ferret.
Night in Hotel *** in Entrèves.

DAY 5 
COURMAYEUR 

To end this week in style, we will let you enjoy the morning in Entrèves: if you wish, you can take the SkyWay, the famous Italian cable car, a recently renovated architectural masterpiece, which climbs to Pointe Helbronner at the foot of the Mont Blanc at 3462 mt altitude.
The view on the summit of Mont-Blanc is breathtaking! The departure for the Aiguilles Marbrées as well the Aiguille d'Entrève are close by: these are fairly easy mountaineering routes to begin mountaineering, you will surely see mountaineers who set off on the slopes of the Glacier du Géant.

End of the trekking week around 5:30 p.m. in Courmayeur.

Materiel

How to prepare your Trekking Backpack

If possible, take a bag that is light enough to be carried well, and no heavier than 1.5 kilos.

• Small : 45 litres max
• Large : 50 litres max

Your rucksack should have 10 to 15 litres of space for the food you will be carrying for lunch and sometimes the next day, which the mountain huts or guides will give you.

Kilos to carry - it's better to wash than to carry :

• Small : 5/6 kilos max, without water and food
• Large : 6/7 kilos max, without water and food

Allow 2 litres of water and 500 grams of food for the day.

Head-to-toe equipment for the trek:

• a cap or hat for the sun
• a hat for the cold
• a buff or choker (optional, but great in bad weather)
• a Gore Tex jacket or equivalent for bad weather
• a pair of gloves, waterproof if possible
• a small down jacket or fleece to withstand sub-zero temperatures
• two jumpers: one light and one warmer; if it's cold, we'll use all the layers
• two or three technical T-shirts
• 2 to 4 pairs of socks, which you can wash in the torrents near the refuges (use solid soap to wash)
• trousers
• tights
• shorts
• a bag cover for the rain
• a waterproof bag to keep a change of clothes dry
• a change of clothes for the refuge
• A pair of hiking boots with Vibram soles or good quality trail shoes from 20 July, if possible try them on before the trek.

Essential items:

• a sleeping sheet for the hut
• 2 telescopic walking poles
• Canteen or water bottle to provide at least 2 litres of water
• sun cream factor 30 to 50
• A pair of category 3 sunglasses
• a light headlamp
• small treats such as dried fruit and chocolate
• cash and your identity card or valid passport

Toiletries :

• a light, quick-drying towel, hiking style
• body soap
• toothbrush with toothpaste or solid toothpaste
• small shampoo (specialist shops sell small bottles that you can keep for the rest of your hiking life)
• a pair of earplugs to help you sleep at night in the refuge

Pharmacy & other items :

• your medication
• a light survival blanket
• nail clippers
• enough to make small dressings
• a few compresses and plasters or, better still, Strappal

Your guide will have a more comprehensive first-aid kit in case of a major accident.

A small book or card game (weighing less than 150 grams)...

Necessities for meals :

• a light Opinel-type knife
• a fork and a spoon
• A local speciality to share with the rest of the team, liquid or solid.

Weight is the hiker's enemy, but a frozen or soaked hiker is a hiker without pleasure!

So take the time to prepare your rucksack well and weigh it before you set off, to check that without water or food your rucksack weighs 6 to 7 KG, but no more !

IMPORTANT: if a person is not properly equipped and dressed, the mountain guide may decide not to allow him/her to take part in the climb. We ask you to read carefully the equipment list provided in the programme PDF and to call us if you have any doubts.

Useful Info

Useful Information to plan your Trekking Week

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.

How to reach Courmayeur:

• By train, possible access by Chamonix; after that you can catch the bus that takes you to Courmayeur in about 25 minutes;
• By car from France towards Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Tunnel (Toll 50 euros) or by Bourg Saint Maurice and the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, you avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel, this is the best itinerary if you arrive from Lyon.
• By car from Switzerland towards the Grand Saint Bernard by the Tunnel or the Pass (20 minutes more but much more beautiful) to reach Aosta Valley and then head to Courmayeur, this is the best route if you arrive from Paris or the North East of France.

Meeting on the first day

On Sunday, the meeting will be directly in Courmayeur at 6.00 p.m., for a briefing with the Guide and the rest of the group.

Accommodation throughout the stay:

Given the situation after Covid 19, in order to guarantee you a better standard, we have decided to offer you a stay with accommodation in 3 or 2 star hotels, where you will be accommodated in double to quadruple rooms, with the other members of your group.

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.