So, in theory, is it possible to re-book in case of bad weather or when you want to take an extra day off in one of the little towns without you being charged for the night you did not make it to the refuge? Also, can you pay with US dollars?
I arrived home Sunday after completing the TMB in 7 days. I had plenty of time to stop during the day, wild camped or stayed in campsites each night. You have to be really careful about not carrying too much weight and know your limits physically. It’s a life changing experience.
We did our trek August 2022 in 11 days. My tips: for sure Book the Italian Sections well in advance and work backwards from there. Train in advance, we loaded our packs with weights and headed to the ski hill near us ...up and down for hours building up, I did lots of walks around town with the same set up..about 8-10 weeks out. Since we booked so late we had a hybrid experience..refugios, camping and a few nice hotels. We had to carry a tent, and some extra camping stuff, so weight discipline is key...we had quality gear so our load each was 28lbs. If the weather is good Start early and finish late...get out walking early and enjoy the walk, taking lots of breaks stop in at the local boulangerie pubs etc..and EAT...since we were in good shape our pace was too fast and we arrived at many of our accommodations too early and missed out on just taking it all in. Dont stay at the Refugio Croix de la Bonhomme its a dump..so avoid it. I wore Brooks Trail runners...light feet makes easy work of the trail...and they dry out fast. The trail is not super technical so consider lighter footwear. Splurge on a nice hotel in Courmayeur..we stayed one night and wished we booked a day off there. Visit the "Fort de Artillerie" in Champex lac...if you can stay in a hotel thats a good spot as well. Your not missing much in Chamonix, get in and out and spend good time elsewhere. Oh learn how to repair and manage blisters. Bring paracord to hang your wet clothes up after washing in the hotel sink LOL.
Listening to this, I feel trekking in NEPAL is heaven, no stress abut food, shelter..! Hope to see u people again trekking here in NEPAL! and also to other people "COME TO NEPAL ,Its trekking paradise"
There are many companies that arrange self guided TMB walks, and they will make all the refugee and hotel reservations you need. We did the walk in August 10 years ago, walked quite a bit in the rain, and didn't find that a problem. Of course thunder is common in mountain country in the summer but usually is not an insurmountable problem if reasonable precautions are followed; hike early, stay off passes when thunderstorms are nearby. Its a great walk!
People have very different goals when hiking this route, so generalisation is very hard. Me and my partner hiked it in 4 days with ultralight packs and I would not say that we were sad or had no time to enjoy the scenery🤗
You can check our video about our hike. We had all the necessary camping gear, I think the packs were about 7kg with food and some water on top of that.
Yeah, it’s not an easy hike to book or adjust as you go. Some options, not fun but hike on the road to the next town if you have to skip a segment due to weather. Maybe there are no busses, but you might find a taxi. One night we could not get something on the trail, so arranged a taxi to pick us up where we could come down to a road, take us to a town not too far away, pick us up in the morning, take us back to the trail. This was near where you were. Thunderstorms are generally an afternoon thing, can start out at 3 am, hike by headlamp, be at the Refugio by lunch. Have lunch, take a nap. Hard to get going at 3 am, but once underway it’s not so bad.
Great video but sorry you failed twice. My wife and I did the TMB thirty some years ago. We went as early in the season as we could, booking ahead from each hut the night before. Maybe that is not possible now but it worked for us then. We carried crampons and ice axes but we only used them once. Later I did Mont Blanc itself - a great adventure but that is another story. Hope you try to do the remaining part of TMB.
Having done the hike with just a little bit of prep (walking on an incline on a treadmill), I'd hate for anyone to see this video and be scared off. If you're worried about the climbs, get your luggage portered, and try to do it in 10 days rather than 7 or 8. It is a very doable hike, and one of the most amazing experiences.
Mont Blanc Tour is a trail tour. Trail tour means you take all you need for life with you (sleep stuff, food stuff, water , shelter stuff)! Mont Blanc Tour is not a tourist tour with staying in hotels! Choose a period where weather forecast is for several days no rain! The tour can be done in 7 to 10 days. ( hopefully at least 5 days no rain) - Mont Blanc tour is Nepal trekking in Europe!
Hans, I don't think a "trail tour" means you have to sleep in a tent. It is not even possible to camp around the tour legal. And there are also not many hotels around the tour.. we would lovd to "plan a period with no rain", but not everybody is so flexible with their dates..
I attempted a 4 day trek there in Aug. I underestimated the effect that the elevation would have on my sea-level trained body. I did clockwise and on day 2 I got to Refugio Elisabetta instead of Courmayeur and had to stop. I ended up stopping in Courmayeur the next day because there was no way to get to Champex-Lac before 6 pm that night. I took the bus back to Chamonix then hiked backwards to Vallorcine and took the train back to my hotel in town. I need to go back someday and finish the other 1/2 of Italy and do the Swiss section. It was heartbreaking but incredible.
Hey Jessica, yes it is an incredible trek but also quiet challenging. You gotta do the other half. It’s is indeed amazing. We will also do the other half sometime soon
You wanted to go from Elisabetta to Champex-Lac in one day??? Walking? That's 3 to 4 days on a sort of "normal" hiking rythm (I hear there is no such thing as normal, but still). (I think you mean anti-clockwise by the way).
@@gamaceoulapprentiessage5716 The original plan was to be in Courmayeur that night then hike to Champex-Lac but I had to stop for the night at Elizabetta because the altitude on the passes slowed me down more than I had anticipated.
No need to worry about thunder. Don't you know the saying that you are more likely to win the lottery than be struck by lightning? A small tarp can be attached to rocks, so you can enjoy the show while having tea with speculaas biscuits, as I often did in Colorado!
What lens(es) do you recommend brining on the TMB? I have a Canon R5 and am worried about bring multiple lenses due to weight and limited time to change lenses (I'm doing a guided group trek). I may invest in the RF 24-240, which is "decent quality" (not amazing), but I would only need to bring and use one lens.
Hey, yes, One lens in more than enough, 24-70 or 24-105 is more than enough. You would barely use the 240mm focal length while on the trek, but if you really want a 24-240 then go for it!
Guys, thanks for your videos. The main problem of TMB is not the refugios, but the too many people going to hike in that high mountain region. One day bad weather is a luck, in a normal year. I finished the TMB in 5 days bikepacking and Im sorry to say that I met a lot of people, tourists that have "nothing" to do here, its not a social network or Instagram spot, its the alps !
It is indeed a popular trek, but I truely believe that everyone who is there has the same right to be there. Maybe you are not there to "socialize", if others like to do so, they can of course. Who are we to judge about others 😉
@@LetsMeetAbroad I was not judging but if you ask the mountain rescue services in that region, not sure they will agree that every body should go there 😜😅 I mean not enough trained, prepared and equiped like when they go to the beach... Your rights ends were the rights of others are starting 😉
Completely agree! I have noticed this in my recent trip to Valle d'Aosta, went for a little hike to the Lillaz waterfall and there was lot's of people with sneakers and even sandals hiking up the slippery rock, some with small kids too. Next day went to Rutor Waterfall and even 2km into the trail there was a young girl trembling and crying on the floor from pain in her legs (she was very heavy). I think many people see these places on social media and underestimate the mountains. These are the Alps, even though you are never too far from civilization, these are still high mountains and a dangerous place.
It’s good that you didn’t chance going to Robert Blanc in a thunderstorm because there are stones on that section that get slippery when wet. I went to Robert Blanc from the other direction coming from Refuge des Pres and it is a very sketchy section on both sides of Robert Blanc refuge. You could have gotten hurt (or worse) if you went there in a thunderstorm - it’s not like a normal TMB trail - it’s one level up so the weather needs to be good for it or it’s too dangerous. Good decision on your part 👍🏻
I did the camino 10 years ago. There was always spare capacity in the "Alberghue's". I think that is the same as a "Refuges". It sounded like you had to go home because if bad weather. Could you have continued and used hotels. Camping was not an option for us.
We called all the options we had to stay the night, but it was impossible. Everything was fully booked… that makes this trek so difficult, there is no option to change anything in your planning 😞
So much great input! Im looking to do this hike next year for my birthday which is during the 2nd week of July. May i ask what dates did you go so i can reflect and make changes with my plan?
I’ve enjoyed watching it, I learned a lot from your video but the one question I have is, how do I find the website to book the Refugio ahead of time. Thank you so much for doing this video.
I am sorry to read you had bad weather, I am hoping to do this with my daughter, Sept of 2024, praying the tour company can get us enough lodging. With that said, how do you charge your batteries in the huts? Being a photographer and also a 63 yr old (mom), I would hate to haul any camera gear if no way of charging things. I love your videos, hopefully you can finish the last few days. Cheers!
No worries about the batteries, we had to charge a lot of them, and there was always enough space to do so! I hope you can walk the tmb next year, it’s really the most beautiful and amazing hike! 🤩
This could have been solved by carrying a bivy bag and a light sleeping bag. That way, you could bivouac if necessary. Also: rifugios will in all likelihood not turn you away if you turn up when they are booked out. If you had continued hiking to another rifugio on the main route and then continued on your original plan you would probably have been fine. But they won't let you book a space on the floor, you have to turn up!
Hm that sounds risky! And I think it would be a bit rude.. they were really clear on the phone they were fully booked. If everyone starts doing that it will become a chaos 😅
It’s actually the policy. They can hardly leave you outside. And people cancel. I did the Haute Route this summer. Mostly camped but there was some thunder predicted one night so showed up to a Refugio that had said they were fully booked a few days early. But people had cancelled so it was no problem at all. So I’d definitely have risked it. And I don’t think it’s rude to try.
@@LetsMeetAbroad refugio means shelter - that's what they should provide, a safe place in the mountain. A proper one should give shelter to anyone showing up (and you had a good reason to, since a change of plan due to weather conditions is normal in the mountains). That said, I never did this trek and it may be it has become too touristy, so they may be managed more like hotel now (the fact that 'breakfast is good' is a giveaway). But showing up unannounced and sleeping on a mattress in the corridor? It should be fine in a real refugio.
At Refugio Elizabetta Soldini, back in Sept 2012, it rained that late afternoon/evening and we saw people "camped" in the entrance hall. But it did not look comfortable, and I imagine the refuges don't overstock with food. We booked most refuges (my friend did the logistics, so not sure). But when we arrived (as planned) at Champex Lac, hotels were full, and we were lucky that a trail friend (from Belgium) was able to call ahead to Fenetre and get us beds. It sounds like the TMB popularity has increased to where it's more competitive - like getting a hiking/camping permit at the US Grand Canyon.
This is why its important to leave some flexibility in your hiking plans. When the weather is dangerous stay close to a hut for the day, then continue your hike when it is safe.
We just got back from doing the TMB and the reason why we couldn't finish was that we caught a stomach bug from somewhere! maybe one of the refuges :( Couldn't finish after stage 9
Hi, I watched the videos of your TMB trek, understood that you have been to EBC, I have been to EBC in 2018 and has booked my trek to TMB in August 2023, may I know how difficult is the trek of TMB compared to EBC? Thanks.
Yes we did them both! I (Myra) found the TMB so much easier! Long days, but at least you can breath haha! No issues at all with the altitude.. and we stayed in refuges, so comfort in terms of showers and toilets also make it a bit easier 😀 However, Adi struggled more with the TMB and the long days! But I’m sure that you would be fine! Enjoy it to the fullest, it’s amazing ☺️
I did this from late June to early July, The Refuge Robert Blanc was a terrible experience. The owners are EXTREMELY rude, so rude it was actually hilarious. I am pretty sure they are serving some sort of prison sentence where they are forced to run that refuge. I think I would book them again because it is just such an experience. Other than that doing this trip was extremely rewarding and I easily see myself going back and doing this trip at least every 5 years. It was incredibly therapeutic! I highly recommend this for everyone, it will give you loads of confidence. (just take an Aleve pill every morning)
When was the day that you were supposed to go to Robert Blanc ? 😊 We also did that hike in July, and it was really the most challenging ever day, and it was actually raining and we could hear thunder in the distance, so perhaps it was the same day when you planned to hike there ? In the end Robert Blanc hikes were our absolute favourites in all TMB days. It’s something extra special and unforgettable! I hope you’ll get to finish TMB, and i would really recommend not skipping Robert Blanc even if you don’t have so good memories with it 😅
I think it was the 19th of July! Yes I was really looking forward to Robert Blanc! We like to have some challenge and the refuge looked so cool! But congrats you made it haha 👍😄
Dat is een beetje het probleem met die hele bekende trails, alles is ver van tevoren vol geboekt door m.n reisorganisaties. De AV1 is ook zo'n drama wat dat betreft. Gelukkig zijn er nog veel meer trails waar het niet zo druk is.
Ja totaal hopeloos… En als het lukt alles te boeken is er geen flexibiliteit, terwijl dat met lange hikes zo belangrijk is. Hopelijk vinden we dit jaar de meer onbekende hikes 😄
How is this trek for people that are afraid of heights? (Me😜) I did 2 multiple day treks in the Dolomites before , they were fine. But how about steep parts and scary stairs? 😁
I am somewhat acrophobic, and The ladders toward Lac Blanc were the only thing along the TMB that had me apprehensive, beforehand. The first two ladder sections - you cross over on a ledge with a metal handrail to the second one - were by far the most "exposed". But Once I started climbing them, I just counted (probably out loud !) and looked UP, not Down. Then the upper half of the second ladder turned inward, parallel to the rock slope, and the rest (farther up) were similarly inclined/much less "exposed".
I'm so sorry you had to quit the second time as well... We did the TMB this year with tent, and honestly, i'm glad i went, but in Italy it was a disaster, they have 0 respect for hikers.The refuges are booked months in advance, you are not allowed to camp anywhere close to the trek (we were willing to pay, we went by tent for the flexibility, not because we're cheap), so basically you have to hike up and down the mountain for hours each evening and go in towns where the few campings are... not to mention that when we arrived all the camps were to full capacity because they were having a festival, and we asked them what should we do now? We hiked down the mountain for several hours because of course refuges were full, on the mountain you can't camp, here it's full, and they said it was not their problem... we were shocked... i'm never ever going to Italy to hike again, it was a very bad experience, and we couldn't wait to get out of Italy. In France you have many many camping spots (paying or free) in Switzerland in our first camping they had special prices and a speedy check-in for TMB hikers... Appart from Italy, we had a great experience and i would encourage everybody to go by tent for the flexibility, but beware it is disastrous in Italy, they seem to not like hikers, and they don't really seem to care much about the TMB either.
Thanks for the insight Janis. We didn’t know that about Italy. That’s really sad. The main reason why we didn’t do tents was our backpacks were already 12kgs with all the camera gear and adding camping gear on top of that wouldn’t be fun while hiking haha
May I ask how exactly they didnt let you camp near the trail ? I plan to hike it with a tent. I've heard people just doing it after sun goes down and pack in the morning and I am quite sure no one is going to hike the trail at night to find illegal tents.
Thanks for all the tips! This hike looked so amazing 😍 we might have missed it, but just was curious how many KMs you covered in a day? Well done guys!
Oh man! Sucks! This is the problem with the mountains but well done for your efforts and your transparency on the experience! I think if I did it I would try camp it and try to move fast on my own. The videos and content up to this was amazing! Looking forward to the next one
If anyone is interested in a similar but more quiet trek, I can really recommend the Haute Route. It’s harder though, but not nearly as busy. The first 3 days are shared with TMB and day 4 was so nice and quiet ☺️ 240 km, 10.000m of elevation. I did it in 14 days with a tent. Hard but so amazing💕
Your UTMB videos are awesome! Yes weather can suck and you may have to change your plans! I was in CO a couple weeks ago trying to hike 14ers and had to deal with unusually late summer storms, so definitely know your predicament. Carry on and keep making these great vlogs!!
I love your videos and I'm so excited when you get to visit anywhere as I get an amazing 2nd hand view. I'd really appreciate your input with regard to mtb. I prefer tent camping and am usually equipped just fine for heavy rain but prefer to avoid snow. If I did mtb this time next year sept 2023 and I carried tent etc will I have complete flexibility? I also am inclined to give myself rest days or walk further some days so bookings are usually impossible to plan. I did manage in the dolomites using rifugios (no tents allowed), but I much prefer flexibility even though the rifugios were absolutely amazing. I am doing annapurna circuit in Nov and have already poured over your videos. Love them. Have done part of annapurna base camp but this will be my 1st plus 10 day hike in nepal. I am very slow so could be plus 20 day hike. More time than youthful energy 😀. Thank you David
Hi David, I did not do the TMB, but the GR5 (which coincides with the tmb for about 45 km) and September is a good time to do it. August is the busiest month and even then we managed to get spots for tent camping just fine, so I think you can be fairly flexible. I can just speak for the French part though, but I hope this helps a little bit!
i cant believe you quitted...i would have bought a tent and sleeping bags... you dont need to have any special cold weather equipment in summer and instead of paying for refuge you could sleep in tent...so no harm on your budget... no way this was a reason to quit..
hahaha good on them, I am assming they also had 15-16kgs of backpacks and a thunder during their trek! And they were responsible enought to still do the trek.. haha
If it helps, my impression is that the bad weather is usually in the afternoon, so you can often get up early and at least get over the high mountain pass before it hits, hopefully get somewhere less exposed. The problem is the whole path to Robert Blanc is exposed, it's a much more technical path than the main TMB. EDIT: Also, although many of the buses may be closed in September, if you fall a day or two behind your plan it's often possible to take a taxi to catch up, especially if you're already in a large town like Courmayeur.
Mid September is very late for TMB. Be prepared for first snow. In swiss mountains on 3500m first snow yesterday (09.09.222). But fewer people on the trail! Good luck!
I cannot believe you quit over a thunderstorm. You spent every night indoors in a bed. You ate meals prepared for you by others. And, when rain is forecast, you quit.
Sorry to hear that! I did wonder what people do if they book Robert Blanc and the weather ends up bad. Question, isn't there a bus between Courmayeur and La Visaille close to Elisabetta (based on the list below)? I don't remember if you said you did it in June or July, maybe the bus was closed in June. If it was open, I assume you would have rejoined the main trail the day after staying at Robert Blanc, maybe around Les Chapieux. So you could have stayed in Courmayeur an extra day and then taken this bus and then hiked to the place after Robert Blanc. Would be a bit of a long day probably, but you could shorten it further with the shuttle between Les Mottets and Les Chapieux. The other option is to stay another day in Courmayeur and then take a taxi part of the way to the next refuge after Robert Blanc, but of course that's quite expensive. tourdumontblanchike.com/tour-du-mont-blanc-public-transport/?fbclid=IwAR3ruanINXMPLZ_edo_x_jNPnR_xtWWPhY92fbyuiMN3g2_J1IQPag1gsEI
Booking Robert Blanc is a risk! We looked into taking the bus in that direction, but it would be too far for 1 day. We also thought of going to Chamonix, taking the car and driving all the way to Les Chapieux, but really everything was fully booked in that area..
Yes this is the same as my plan this year. Go from Les Mottets to La visaille, and the rest is to take the bus haha. The two refugees around Courmayeur are really extremely hard to book
Bring a small 2 man tent and split the weight. That way you won't need to pack in together every night with a bunch of smelly garlic munching snoring sardines..
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
🌞Thanks for watching! Want to see more of our TMB adventure? Start at day 1! ruclips.net/video/SmlEE1TveSI/видео.html
So, in theory, is it possible to re-book in case of bad weather or when you want to take an extra day off in one of the little towns without you being charged for the night you did not make it to the refuge?
Also, can you pay with US dollars?
I arrived home Sunday after completing the TMB in 7 days. I had plenty of time to stop during the day, wild camped or stayed in campsites each night. You have to be really careful about not carrying too much weight and know your limits physically. It’s a life changing experience.
We did our trek August 2022 in 11 days. My tips: for sure Book the Italian Sections well in advance and work backwards from there. Train in advance, we loaded our packs with weights and headed to the ski hill near us ...up and down for hours building up, I did lots of walks around town with the same set up..about 8-10 weeks out. Since we booked so late we had a hybrid experience..refugios, camping and a few nice hotels. We had to carry a tent, and some extra camping stuff, so weight discipline is key...we had quality gear so our load each was 28lbs. If the weather is good Start early and finish late...get out walking early and enjoy the walk, taking lots of breaks stop in at the local boulangerie pubs etc..and EAT...since we were in good shape our pace was too fast and we arrived at many of our accommodations too early and missed out on just taking it all in. Dont stay at the Refugio Croix de la Bonhomme its a dump..so avoid it. I wore Brooks Trail runners...light feet makes easy work of the trail...and they dry out fast. The trail is not super technical so consider lighter footwear. Splurge on a nice hotel in Courmayeur..we stayed one night and wished we booked a day off there. Visit the "Fort de Artillerie" in Champex lac...if you can stay in a hotel thats a good spot as well. Your not missing much in Chamonix, get in and out and spend good time elsewhere. Oh learn how to repair and manage blisters. Bring paracord to hang your wet clothes up after washing in the hotel sink LOL.
Listening to this, I feel trekking in NEPAL is heaven, no stress abut food, shelter..! Hope to see u people again trekking here in NEPAL! and also to other people "COME TO NEPAL ,Its trekking paradise"
Yes Nepal is a trekking paradise!! 🥰🥰
Sad to hear this! You two were doing just great! I am sure you both will do it next time around! Keep going!
Thanks!! Yes let's hope so 🤗
There are many companies that arrange self guided TMB walks, and they will make all the refugee and hotel reservations you need. We did the walk in August 10 years ago, walked quite a bit in the rain, and didn't find that a problem. Of course thunder is common in mountain country in the summer but usually is not an insurmountable problem if reasonable precautions are followed; hike early, stay off passes when thunderstorms are nearby. Its a great walk!
People have very different goals when hiking this route, so generalisation is very hard. Me and my partner hiked it in 4 days with ultralight packs and I would not say that we were sad or had no time to enjoy the scenery🤗
You hiked 40+k per day?! That's 13 hours of hiking per day.
Emm, yes? We've done 24h hikes too 🤷🏻♀️ people's levels are very different ;)
Did you stay in tents? What essential stuff did you take with you? How heavy were the backpacks?
You can check our video about our hike. We had all the necessary camping gear, I think the packs were about 7kg with food and some water on top of that.
Yeah, it’s not an easy hike to book or adjust as you go. Some options, not fun but hike on the road to the next town if you have to skip a segment due to weather. Maybe there are no busses, but you might find a taxi. One night we could not get something on the trail, so arranged a taxi to pick us up where we could come down to a road, take us to a town not too far away, pick us up in the morning, take us back to the trail. This was near where you were. Thunderstorms are generally an afternoon thing, can start out at 3 am, hike by headlamp, be at the Refugio by lunch. Have lunch, take a nap. Hard to get going at 3 am, but once underway it’s not so bad.
Great video but sorry you failed twice. My wife and I did the TMB thirty some years ago. We went as early in the season as we could, booking ahead from each hut the night before. Maybe that is not possible now but it worked for us then. We carried crampons and ice axes but we only used them once. Later I did Mont Blanc itself - a great adventure but that is another story. Hope you try to do the remaining part of TMB.
Having done the hike with just a little bit of prep (walking on an incline on a treadmill), I'd hate for anyone to see this video and be scared off. If you're worried about the climbs, get your luggage portered, and try to do it in 10 days rather than 7 or 8. It is a very doable hike, and one of the most amazing experiences.
Mont Blanc Tour is a trail tour. Trail tour means you take all you need for life with you (sleep stuff, food stuff, water , shelter stuff)! Mont Blanc Tour is not a tourist tour with staying in hotels! Choose a period where weather forecast is for several days no rain! The tour can be done in 7 to 10 days. ( hopefully at least 5 days no rain) - Mont Blanc tour is Nepal trekking in Europe!
Hans, I don't think a "trail tour" means you have to sleep in a tent. It is not even possible to camp around the tour legal. And there are also not many hotels around the tour.. we would lovd to "plan a period with no rain", but not everybody is so flexible with their dates..
Completely agree 👍
I attempted a 4 day trek there in Aug. I underestimated the effect that the elevation would have on my sea-level trained body. I did clockwise and on day 2 I got to Refugio Elisabetta instead of Courmayeur and had to stop. I ended up stopping in Courmayeur the next day because there was no way to get to Champex-Lac before 6 pm that night. I took the bus back to Chamonix then hiked backwards to Vallorcine and took the train back to my hotel in town. I need to go back someday and finish the other 1/2 of Italy and do the Swiss section. It was heartbreaking but incredible.
Hey Jessica, yes it is an incredible trek but also quiet challenging. You gotta do the other half. It’s is indeed amazing. We will also do the other half sometime soon
You wanted to go from Elisabetta to Champex-Lac in one day??? Walking? That's 3 to 4 days on a sort of "normal" hiking rythm (I hear there is no such thing as normal, but still).
(I think you mean anti-clockwise by the way).
@@gamaceoulapprentiessage5716 The original plan was to be in Courmayeur that night then hike to Champex-Lac but I had to stop for the night at Elizabetta because the altitude on the passes slowed me down more than I had anticipated.
@@LetsMeetAbroad I will definitley be back to finish it at some point, may take a few years to get back though.
No need to worry about thunder. Don't you know the saying that you are more likely to win the lottery than be struck by lightning? A small tarp can be attached to rocks, so you can enjoy the show while having tea with speculaas biscuits, as I often did in Colorado!
Haha I wish I had that comfortable feeling with thunder! 😅 We don't really learn how to deal with it here… maybe we will do a survival course once!
Thank you! That was wonderful information.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Glad you enjoyed the video :)
What lens(es) do you recommend brining on the TMB? I have a Canon R5 and am worried about bring multiple lenses due to weight and limited time to change lenses (I'm doing a guided group trek). I may invest in the RF 24-240, which is "decent quality" (not amazing), but I would only need to bring and use one lens.
Hey, yes, One lens in more than enough, 24-70 or 24-105 is more than enough. You would barely use the 240mm focal length while on the trek, but if you really want a 24-240 then go for it!
Guys, thanks for your videos. The main problem of TMB is not the refugios, but the too many people going to hike in that high mountain region. One day bad weather is a luck, in a normal year. I finished the TMB in 5 days bikepacking and Im sorry to say that I met a lot of people, tourists that have "nothing" to do here, its not a social network or Instagram spot, its the alps !
It is indeed a popular trek, but I truely believe that everyone who is there has the same right to be there. Maybe you are not there to "socialize", if others like to do so, they can of course. Who are we to judge about others 😉
@@LetsMeetAbroad I was not judging but if you ask the mountain rescue services in that region, not sure they will agree that every body should go there 😜😅 I mean not enough trained, prepared and equiped like when they go to the beach... Your rights ends were the rights of others are starting 😉
???
Completely agree! I have noticed this in my recent trip to Valle d'Aosta, went for a little hike to the Lillaz waterfall and there was lot's of people with sneakers and even sandals hiking up the slippery rock, some with small kids too. Next day went to Rutor Waterfall and even 2km into the trail there was a young girl trembling and crying on the floor from pain in her legs (she was very heavy). I think many people see these places on social media and underestimate the mountains. These are the Alps, even though you are never too far from civilization, these are still high mountains and a dangerous place.
is there any place where you can just leave your baggage/things while on tour or hike.?
Hmm.. we are not sure.
It’s good that you didn’t chance going to Robert Blanc in a thunderstorm because there are stones on that section that get slippery when wet. I went to Robert Blanc from the other direction coming from Refuge des Pres and it is a very sketchy section on both sides of Robert Blanc refuge. You could have gotten hurt (or worse) if you went there in a thunderstorm - it’s not like a normal TMB trail - it’s one level up so the weather needs to be good for it or it’s too dangerous. Good decision on your part 👍🏻
Thanks for the insight James. Was very helpful
I did the camino 10 years ago. There was always spare capacity in the "Alberghue's". I think that is the same as a "Refuges". It sounded like you had to go home because if bad weather. Could you have continued and used hotels. Camping was not an option for us.
We called all the options we had to stay the night, but it was impossible. Everything was fully booked… that makes this trek so difficult, there is no option to change anything in your planning 😞
So much great input! Im looking to do this hike next year for my birthday which is during the 2nd week of July. May i ask what dates did you go so i can reflect and make changes with my plan?
That’s a great plan! It’s really the best hike of the world 😍 We also went in July!
What is the song that has the lyrics “you belong with me?” In your videos…. I really appreciate all of your videos about the tmb!
I’ve enjoyed watching it, I learned a lot from your video but the one question I have is, how do I find the website to book the Refugio ahead of time. Thank you so much for doing this video.
I am sorry to read you had bad weather, I am hoping to do this with my daughter, Sept of 2024, praying the tour company can get us enough lodging. With that said, how do you charge your batteries in the huts? Being a photographer and also a 63 yr old (mom), I would hate to haul any camera gear if no way of charging things. I love your videos, hopefully you can finish the last few days. Cheers!
No worries about the batteries, we had to charge a lot of them, and there was always enough space to do so! I hope you can walk the tmb next year, it’s really the most beautiful and amazing hike! 🤩
@@LetsMeetAbroad , thank you for your reply and best wishes for my daughter & I next year.
This could have been solved by carrying a bivy bag and a light sleeping bag. That way, you could bivouac if necessary. Also: rifugios will in all likelihood not turn you away if you turn up when they are booked out. If you had continued hiking to another rifugio on the main route and then continued on your original plan you would probably have been fine. But they won't let you book a space on the floor, you have to turn up!
Hm that sounds risky! And I think it would be a bit rude.. they were really clear on the phone they were fully booked. If everyone starts doing that it will become a chaos 😅
It’s actually the policy. They can hardly leave you outside. And people cancel. I did the Haute Route this summer. Mostly camped but there was some thunder predicted one night so showed up to a Refugio that had said they were fully booked a few days early. But people had cancelled so it was no problem at all. So I’d definitely have risked it. And I don’t think it’s rude to try.
@@LetsMeetAbroad refugio means shelter - that's what they should provide, a safe place in the mountain. A proper one should give shelter to anyone showing up (and you had a good reason to, since a change of plan due to weather conditions is normal in the mountains). That said, I never did this trek and it may be it has become too touristy, so they may be managed more like hotel now (the fact that 'breakfast is good' is a giveaway). But showing up unannounced and sleeping on a mattress in the corridor? It should be fine in a real refugio.
Nice video. Food tips, thanks for sharing!
At Refugio Elizabetta Soldini, back in Sept 2012, it rained that late afternoon/evening and we saw people "camped" in the entrance hall.
But it did not look comfortable, and I imagine the refuges don't overstock with food. We booked most refuges (my friend did the logistics, so not sure).
But when we arrived (as planned) at Champex Lac, hotels were full, and we were lucky that a trail friend (from Belgium) was able to call ahead to Fenetre and get us beds.
It sounds like the TMB popularity has increased to where it's more competitive - like getting a hiking/camping permit at the US Grand Canyon.
So Sorry that the logistics were "broken". Your videos are wonderful !
This is why its important to leave some flexibility in your hiking plans. When the weather is dangerous stay close to a hut for the day, then continue your hike when it is safe.
Yep but thats not possible on the Tour Du Mont Blanc 😅
Ohh.. what a story. Beautiful location 😍
We just got back from doing the TMB and the reason why we couldn't finish was that we caught a stomach bug from somewhere! maybe one of the refuges :( Couldn't finish after stage 9
Ah that's not cool!! Sorry for that. Maybe you can finish another time 😄😄
Hi, I watched the videos of your TMB trek, understood that you have been to EBC, I have been to EBC in 2018 and has booked my trek to TMB in August 2023, may I know how difficult is the trek of TMB compared to EBC? Thanks.
Yes we did them both! I (Myra) found the TMB so much easier! Long days, but at least you can breath haha! No issues at all with the altitude.. and we stayed in refuges, so comfort in terms of showers and toilets also make it a bit easier 😀 However, Adi struggled more with the TMB and the long days! But I’m sure that you would be fine! Enjoy it to the fullest, it’s amazing ☺️
@@LetsMeetAbroad thanks, hope I can make it.
I did this from late June to early July, The Refuge Robert Blanc was a terrible experience. The owners are EXTREMELY rude, so rude it was actually hilarious. I am pretty sure they are serving some sort of prison sentence where they are forced to run that refuge. I think I would book them again because it is just such an experience.
Other than that doing this trip was extremely rewarding and I easily see myself going back and doing this trip at least every 5 years. It was incredibly therapeutic! I highly recommend this for everyone, it will give you loads of confidence. (just take an Aleve pill every morning)
Sorry to hear that (again) ❤️. Flying tomorrow for this hike 🤦🏻 hope to complete it 😂
That's exciting!! Haha most people complete it, don't worry. Have fun!! It's amazing 🥰🥰
I will update you if we completed it, don’t forget to visit us in Oman in any day. Not in summer plz 😂
Done 170 KM 😁😁thanks for your post it informative ❤️
When was the day that you were supposed to go to Robert Blanc ? 😊
We also did that hike in July, and it was really the most challenging ever day, and it was actually raining and we could hear thunder in the distance, so perhaps it was the same day when you planned to hike there ?
In the end Robert Blanc hikes were our absolute favourites in all TMB days. It’s something extra special and unforgettable! I hope you’ll get to finish TMB, and i would really recommend not skipping Robert Blanc even if you don’t have so good memories with it 😅
I think it was the 19th of July! Yes I was really looking forward to Robert Blanc! We like to have some challenge and the refuge looked so cool! But congrats you made it haha 👍😄
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi great video can you pay to use the refuges showers even if your not booked in
Not sure if you can, but you can also email them and they can give you a certain answer.
Great video, and sounds like you gave it your best! Looking forward to your next travel adventure. :)
Does anyone have the Facebook group that they mentioned?
I am so sorry you had to end your trip early again this year.
Thank you
Girl it’s ok I gave up too
Hey I was wondering what month you went hiking in?
Hi, it was in July
Your videos from this trip were amazinggg! My friends and I are hoping to do the TMB next August so this was super helpful for our planning!
Thank you Dasha!! The trek is truely amazing! 😄
Dat is een beetje het probleem met die hele bekende trails, alles is ver van tevoren vol geboekt door m.n reisorganisaties. De AV1 is ook zo'n drama wat dat betreft. Gelukkig zijn er nog veel meer trails waar het niet zo druk is.
Ja totaal hopeloos… En als het lukt alles te boeken is er geen flexibiliteit, terwijl dat met lange hikes zo belangrijk is. Hopelijk vinden we dit jaar de meer onbekende hikes 😄
@@LetsMeetAbroad Hebben jullie al plannen? Wij gaan in september de Via delle Bochette doen
did you reserve the refugees in advance?
Yes! You 100% have to. They are fully booked really quick
@@LetsMeetAbroad thank you so much!
Great Tour. We did it in 2020. One of my favorite hikes in europe.
Thanks, yes it’s amazing
How is this trek for people that are afraid of heights? (Me😜)
I did 2 multiple day treks in the Dolomites before , they were fine.
But how about steep parts and scary stairs? 😁
I don't think there are very scary passages. At one place there are ladders, but it's not long (OK, maybe don't trust me, I'm Swiss)
I am somewhat acrophobic, and The ladders toward Lac Blanc were the only thing along the TMB that had me apprehensive, beforehand.
The first two ladder sections - you cross over on a ledge with a metal handrail to the second one - were by far the most "exposed".
But Once I started climbing them, I just counted (probably out loud !) and looked UP, not Down. Then the upper half of the second ladder turned inward, parallel to the rock slope, and the rest (farther up) were similarly inclined/much less "exposed".
Please do the Camino de Santiago.
I'm sure we will one day!! 😄
@@LetsMeetAbroad I'm sad the Tour du Mont Blanc just ended abruptly.
@@aceplorer Unfortunately travel plans never go as planned haha. But yeah, it was pretty sad... Didn't want the "dream world" to end..
That is boring compared to this
Are you guys full time travellers and vloggers??
Working towards it haha 😀 Later this year we are going on a half year trip!
I'm so sorry you had to quit the second time as well... We did the TMB this year with tent, and honestly, i'm glad i went, but in Italy it was a disaster, they have 0 respect for hikers.The refuges are booked months in advance, you are not allowed to camp anywhere close to the trek (we were willing to pay, we went by tent for the flexibility, not because we're cheap), so basically you have to hike up and down the mountain for hours each evening and go in towns where the few campings are... not to mention that when we arrived all the camps were to full capacity because they were having a festival, and we asked them what should we do now? We hiked down the mountain for several hours because of course refuges were full, on the mountain you can't camp, here it's full, and they said it was not their problem... we were shocked... i'm never ever going to Italy to hike again, it was a very bad experience, and we couldn't wait to get out of Italy.
In France you have many many camping spots (paying or free) in Switzerland in our first camping they had special prices and a speedy check-in for TMB hikers...
Appart from Italy, we had a great experience and i would encourage everybody to go by tent for the flexibility, but beware it is disastrous in Italy, they seem to not like hikers, and they don't really seem to care much about the TMB either.
Thanks for the insight Janis. We didn’t know that about Italy. That’s really sad.
The main reason why we didn’t do tents was our backpacks were already 12kgs with all the camera gear and adding camping gear on top of that wouldn’t be fun while hiking haha
May I ask how exactly they didnt let you camp near the trail ? I plan to hike it with a tent. I've heard people just doing it after sun goes down and pack in the morning and I am quite sure no one is going to hike the trail at night to find illegal tents.
Thanks for all the tips! This hike looked so amazing 😍 we might have missed it, but just was curious how many KMs you covered in a day? Well done guys!
if you are good trained you can make about 20k with each day 1000m uphill hiking! - most people do it in 10days about 17K each day!
Oh guys. ☹️ so sad to see that you had to quit your trek. Fingers crossed for a future attempt in getting the remainder ticked off the to do list.
Just to add. I was curious to know what smartwatch you were using on this trail. It looked very informative. If you’re happy to share please do 🙏🏼
We both use Garmin! Amazing watches. Wish we got them a long time earlier haha
@@LetsMeetAbroad 👍🏼 thought so, thanks for letting me know 👍🏼
Which Facebook group do you recommend? Thanks.
Hm I was in all of them haha, and all are really helpful!!
Oh man! Sucks! This is the problem with the mountains but well done for your efforts and your transparency on the experience! I think if I did it I would try camp it and try to move fast on my own. The videos and content up to this was amazing! Looking forward to the next one
If anyone is interested in a similar but more quiet trek, I can really recommend the Haute Route. It’s harder though, but not nearly as busy. The first 3 days are shared with TMB and day 4 was so nice and quiet ☺️ 240 km, 10.000m of elevation. I did it in 14 days with a tent. Hard but so amazing💕
woah, that sounds so cool, thanks for the recommendation Nienke :)
My favourite couple in the world.
😘😘
It seems like going the tent route would have prevented you from needing to quit
Sounds like we need to chat, Adi & Myra :)
Together we'll tick off your Tour du Mont Blanc goals.
Haha that sounds good!! 😏😄
It's the right decision
Your UTMB videos are awesome! Yes weather can suck and you may have to change your plans! I was in CO a couple weeks ago trying to hike 14ers and had to deal with unusually late summer storms, so definitely know your predicament. Carry on and keep making these great vlogs!!
Thanks!! 😄😄
Just to be pedantic, UTMB refers to the ultramarathon race that takes place in September! The trail itself is refered to as just TMB ^^
I love your videos and I'm so excited when you get to visit anywhere as I get an amazing 2nd hand view. I'd really appreciate your input with regard to mtb. I prefer tent camping and am usually equipped just fine for heavy rain but prefer to avoid snow. If I did mtb this time next year sept 2023 and I carried tent etc will I have complete flexibility? I also am inclined to give myself rest days or walk further some days so bookings are usually impossible to plan. I did manage in the dolomites using rifugios (no tents allowed), but I much prefer flexibility even though the rifugios were absolutely amazing. I am doing annapurna circuit in Nov and have already poured over your videos. Love them. Have done part of annapurna base camp but this will be my 1st plus 10 day hike in nepal. I am very slow so could be plus 20 day hike. More time than youthful energy 😀.
Thank you
David
Hi David,
I did not do the TMB, but the GR5 (which coincides with the tmb for about 45 km) and September is a good time to do it. August is the busiest month and even then we managed to get spots for tent camping just fine, so I think you can be fairly flexible. I can just speak for the French part though, but I hope this helps a little bit!
i cant believe you quitted...i would have bought a tent and sleeping bags... you dont need to have any special cold weather equipment in summer and instead of paying for refuge you could sleep in tent...so no harm on your budget... no way this was a reason to quit..
Hahaha and where would you buy a tent 😅😅
Very happy to hear vegetarians were able to eat throughout at refuges and that the food was good. This has been my big fear lol
Haha yes it was actually not bad.. but if someone is a vegan then there would be a problem
3rd times the charm :)
I'm still unable to digest the fact that, guys who did Annapurna Circuit and EBC had to quit 2nd Time.. Even I'm sad for u guys.
Haha yes the luck is not with us for the TMB.. but we still had 6 amazing days!!
Lol my aunt and uncle did it in their 50s
hahaha good on them, I am assming they also had 15-16kgs of backpacks and a thunder during their trek! And they were responsible enought to still do the trek.. haha
I'm doing the TMB on the 13th of September. Should not have watched this video, no offence, but it really scared me and discouraged me...
We're sorry for that. We hoped that we were clear it is an incredible hike, but it's just reality that a plan B is smart 😀
If it helps, my impression is that the bad weather is usually in the afternoon, so you can often get up early and at least get over the high mountain pass before it hits, hopefully get somewhere less exposed. The problem is the whole path to Robert Blanc is exposed, it's a much more technical path than the main TMB.
EDIT: Also, although many of the buses may be closed in September, if you fall a day or two behind your plan it's often possible to take a taxi to catch up, especially if you're already in a large town like Courmayeur.
@@elenna1237 Thanks for the extra explanation! :)
Mid September is very late for TMB. Be prepared for first snow. In swiss mountains on 3500m first snow yesterday (09.09.222). But fewer people on the trail! Good luck!
5:20👏
I cannot believe you quit over a thunderstorm. You spent every night indoors in a bed. You ate meals prepared for you by others. And, when rain is forecast, you quit.
No not rain, thunderstorm. That’s a big difference 😉
Lightning in the mountains is no joke.
Thunder is thunder, not rain, and even the employee at the refugee kind of advised against them going if they we're not confortable
Buy a tent in chamonix/vourmayeur, stay at camping for 1 night, then continue :)
Wait though.....
If you set off early you might have finished before it stormed.
The way you pronounce kilometres to me sounds like kill-o-metres. That's rather ominous.
😅😅😅
My god your rucksacks are big
haha yes, we have all the filming gear :)
you pronounce it ré-fuuu-jé not refugees 😂 but nice videos
Let your man talk!
Sorry to hear that! I did wonder what people do if they book Robert Blanc and the weather ends up bad. Question, isn't there a bus between Courmayeur and La Visaille close to Elisabetta (based on the list below)? I don't remember if you said you did it in June or July, maybe the bus was closed in June.
If it was open, I assume you would have rejoined the main trail the day after staying at Robert Blanc, maybe around Les Chapieux. So you could have stayed in Courmayeur an extra day and then taken this bus and then hiked to the place after Robert Blanc. Would be a bit of a long day probably, but you could shorten it further with the shuttle between Les Mottets and Les Chapieux.
The other option is to stay another day in Courmayeur and then take a taxi part of the way to the next refuge after Robert Blanc, but of course that's quite expensive.
tourdumontblanchike.com/tour-du-mont-blanc-public-transport/?fbclid=IwAR3ruanINXMPLZ_edo_x_jNPnR_xtWWPhY92fbyuiMN3g2_J1IQPag1gsEI
Booking Robert Blanc is a risk! We looked into taking the bus in that direction, but it would be too far for 1 day. We also thought of going to Chamonix, taking the car and driving all the way to Les Chapieux, but really everything was fully booked in that area..
you dont take a bus if you are on a trail!
Yes this is the same as my plan this year. Go from Les Mottets to La visaille, and the rest is to take the bus haha. The two refugees around Courmayeur are really extremely hard to book
Bring a small 2 man tent and split the weight. That way you won't need to pack in together every night with a bunch of smelly garlic munching snoring sardines..
Luckily never had that issue 😀