It was tough to leave the comfort of Les Chapieux, but the excitement of our first border crossing made it a little easier. Day 3 would take us out of France and into Italy via Col de la Seigne. There is a war memorial just outside of Les Chapieux, and the thought of soldiers holed up in this narrow valley gave the morning an entirely different feel. Once we put a few miles behind us, the face of Aiguille des Glaciers began to intermittently peak out from behind an ever moving conveyor of clouds. The first two hours was spent walking on a road until we crossed over the river to find the solitary structure of Seloge.
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The trail picks up a little bit of steam after passing Mottes, mixing in a number of stream crossings before thinner trail veins splinter away from what was a wider main trail. The climbing isn’t very steep or difficult, and the views naturally draw one upward. We took our time and crossed paths with quite a few walkers taking on TMB in the opposite direction before reaching the Col. It was a special feeling to be standing on the border of France and Italy. It didn’t last long though, the weather behind us was clear and crisp, but the view down into Italy had rain written all over it. Stutters of sunlight punched through the clouds in short bursts, but as we stood there, they continued to grow shorter. We decided to quicken our pace to Rifugio Elisabetta in hopes that we could avoid any heavy downpours.
It started raining just as we reached Rifugio Elisabetta, and at times we could see lightning and hear cracks of thunder. The trail started to erode in places and puddle in others. Luckily, there is an alternative route for poor conditions just after reaching Lac Combal. There is a road that leads to La Visaille at this point. We decided to walk along the road, but many caught a bus to Courmayeur. Courmayeur is a very nice Italian town, and one of the more popular places to spend a winter ski vacation for those inclined to do so in Europe. There are many shops, markets, and restaurants to choose from, and the accommodation list was just as vast. We stayed at a great place called Hotel Edelweiss and bought food at the market to prepare our own lunch and dinner. We had lunch at a nice little restaurant next to the bus station in the center of town.
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Just came back from my pilgrimage to Santiago, seeing those pictures makes me want to go back on the road !
Paola! It’s great to hear that you finished your pilgrimage to Santiago! Buen Camino, pilgrim! How did you enjoy the Camino? Did you take pictures?
Hi, I am visiting Mont Blanc this coming September. I would like to know how long was the hike from Les Contamines to Les Chapieux and Les Chapieux to Courmayeur. Thank you so much.
Hello, Les Contamines to Les Chapieux is 18km. You’ll climb 1800 meters to the col and then take a long descent. It’s a beautiful hike with spectacular views. Les Chapieux to Courmayeur was a longer hike at 35 km. It climbs 1400 meters to the col before descending. You can break it down into two days and stay at the Elisabetta refuge before continuing on to Courmayeur the following day. We just choose to do that section in one day since it’s all downhill from Elisabetta to Courmayeur.
Hi Drew, can you tell me how many hours it took you to go from Les Chapieux to Courmayeur? 35 kms does sound like a bit much.
Hi Drew! I have the same question as Prateek did:) How many hours it took you to go from Les Chapieux to Courmayeur? It’s almost impossible to book Elisabetta refuge and i am thinking if we can actually hike in one day 2 days hike. Thank you in advance!
Ivan. Yes, Elisabetta is near impossible to book unless you’re booking far ahead of time. Time will vary on your fitness. I believe it was a 10-12 hour day for us with limited stops. We’ve done a lot of 25-35 mile hikes at altitude though. If you’re physically prepared, it is doable. If not, I would not recommend attempting it.
I believe there is a shuttle from Les Chapieux for a few kms! Do you know if it runs regularly and it so where from?
I’m not sure about the shuttle. There is an asphalt road that runs from Les Chapieux towards the pass for a few kms. Our hotel offered a shuttle service at no extra cost. The owner Francois drove hikers in his van. We opted to walk the entire way as the morning weather was very nice.
Did you encounter any places to stay other than Rifugio Elisabetta between Les Chapieux and Courmayeur?
It looks like a marvelous trip. We are going this summer. Thanks for any insight.
That’s really the only place from what I can remember. We got slammed with rain from Elisabetta down, so my memory of that area isn’t the best. We were just glad to make it to Courmayeur!
We stayed at Lac Combal. Nice place with private rooms and bathrooms. We had rain here as well and took the bus into Courmayeur.
It’s beautiful. I just wish we could have seen it on a nice day!
Hi –
I really like your website.
Two questions:
1. What are your thoughts on doing the TMB in late May?
2. Are there exposed sections (narrow trails with big drop-offs) of the TMB that may bother someone who is afraid of heights? If so, can they be avoided?
Thanks.
May might be a little too early, but each year is different. The weather dictates things beyond our control. There are some “low route” alternative options that allow you to bypass some of the higher passes if they’re still covered in snow and ice.
Most mountains will have narrow sections with big drop offs, there is no avoiding that on this trail.
Thanks, Drew.
Hi Drew,
I have my itinerary set as 1 day from Les Chapieux to Courmayeur as well, and then taking a zero day in Courmayeur the next day. Above comments mentioned you did it in 10-12 hours, even with the rain interruption?
I was thinking to do it in 1 day, with lunch at Elizabetta. From my understanding this is difficult, but not impossible!