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tour du mont blanc

2023 Trail Updates

We complete a “Break The Trail” journey to provide the first trail report for the key legendary trails in the Alps - Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route and Tour of Monte Rosa. We share these updates with thousands of hikers that travel to the Alps each year for their epic bucket list hikes. This information is particularly valuable for early-season hikers to understand the latest snow conditions, route detours, and gear recommendations. This year, our program is bigger and better, giving you updates across multiple channels throughout June. Check it out!

Our 2023 TRAIL UPDATE PROGRAM

This year our program will consist of 3 key elements:


2023 Break the trail

Early season conditions can vary dramatically from year to year. June 2019 was a particularly çhallenging season with significant snow on high mountain passes throughout June

~ Col de la Seigne, Italy (Tour du Mont Blanc)

We will kick off our 2023 trail updates from Chamonix, starting at the end of May. Each day we will share updates including snow conditions, route detours, transport updates and gear recommendations. Our focus is on the conditions on the mountain passes, peaks and difficult trail sections, as this is where the most uncertainty exists.

Usually, we would do a continuous journey covering big daily distances and elevations. But this year, we’ve come up with a different format that still takes us to all the necessary places whilst keeping life fun and manageable with our 1 and 3 year old daughters! Therefore, we’ll be taking 3 weeks to complete all 3 trails. Tag teaming, taking transport, and trail running where needed to check out all the passes and key routes. No doubt it will be a comedy :)

Follow us on social to get real-time trail updates

 

live webcast: chamonix & zermatt

From the start of the Tour du Mont Blanc, to the end of the Walker’s Haute Route and the mid-point of the Tour of Monte Rosa. Join us for live trail updates!

This year, in addition to our daily trail updates on social media, we will be hosting free webcasts live from the Alps throughout June. Join us to learn about the latest trail updates, snow conditions, route detours (if any) and gear recommendations. We will share latest photos and descriptions of key mountain passes and difficult trail sections, for our 3 legendary trails - Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route and Tour of Monte Rosa.

WATCH Session 1: Sunday June 4th from Chamonix, France

WATCH Session 2: Friday June 23rd from Zermatt, Switzerland

 

trail ambassadors

Hiking in June or July? Keen to share updates from your epic journey with your fellow hikers? Come on board!

📷: Shout out to Sanna, one of our 2021 trail ambassadors.

UPDATE: APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR 2023

35 ambassadors took part in our 2023 program.

What will you do?

As a trail ambassador, you will provide “live from the trail” content about trail conditions, route updates, and memorable experiences. This content will be shared with The Hiking Club community to keep fellow hikers up-to-date, including:

In return, you’ll receive exclusive swag to rock on all your hiking (and non-hiking!) adventures!

Who are we looking for?

Hikers who are completing one of the below trails during June and July 2023;

  • Tour du Mont Blanc

  • Walker’s Haute Route

  • Tour of Monte Rosa

  • Alta Via 1 (Dolomites)

What is the time commitment?

  • Kick off session: To ensure we set you up for success, there will be a 30 min briefing session in May/June (depending on your start date)

  • During your hike: Share your trail updates and photos via Whatsapp or email (max 15 mins per day)

Does this sound like you? Get it touch to find out more. We’re excited to bring you on board!


Did you know that we’ve been doing Break The Trail since 2019? Read about how our project has evolved over this time.

2019 Early Season Conditions

In 2019, we completed 486 km / 302 mi, with over 30,000m of elevation gain and loss, over 18 hiking days.

There was significant snow on high mountain passes that resulted in detours, additional gear and the help of transport to complete the journey!

Read the full 2019 trip report

 

2020 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS

June was a quiet month due to COVID-19 uncertainty and travel restrictions preventing many early season hikers from reaching the trail. This led to less information being shared online about the trail making it hard to get a sense for how rapidly the snow was melting and conditions improving.

We were able to enter France on 1st July (the day the borders opened!) and quickly got on the trails to check them out.

In general, the conditions were excellent but there was still a few sections with challenging snow cover and accommodation options that were closed for the season.

Read the full 2020 TMB trip report.

 

2021 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS

Unfortunately COVID travel restrictions prevented us from travelling to the Alps this year 😭 With the help of our trail ambassadors (Sanna, Alia, Bruno, Alistair and Tui) we were still able to share trail updates to the community.

A cold and snowy May made for some difficult early-season hiking conditions. While a spell of warm weather in early June is causing the snow to rapidly melt, it will still take a few weeks before the trail is completely snow-free. The late snow and warm weather are also causing wet slide avalanches to come down throughout the Alps.

Read the full 2021 trip report for TMB and WHR.

 

2022 EARLY SEASON CONDITIONS

In general, the conditions for this time of year were exceptional. The amount and depth of snow were much less than in typical years. Most people were saying 4-6 weeks ahead of a typical season. Microspikes and poles are recommended for anyone hiking in June to support snow crossings. There were a number of disruptions to transport this season that may affect hikers, including: Le Tour gondola closed, Le Chable closed in June, and Grimentz cable car closed.

Read the full 2022 trip report.

How long does the Tour du Mont Blanc hike take?

How long does the Tour du Mont Blanc hike take?

Most people take between 6 and 12 days to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc. Anything quicker requires Olympic speed walking or part trail running; anything longer would allow for frequent breaks and a relaxed trekking pace.

Since 2018, we’ve produced 100’s of personalised hiking itineraries that have helped 1000’s of hikers confidently plan their Tour du Mont Blanc. It all starts with guiding hikers through the following 4 steps to determine how long it will take them to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Best Mountain Huts in the Alps

Best Mountain Huts in the Alps

We’ve created a collection of the top mountain huts across Switzerland, France and Italy for hikers. None of these huts require technical gear to reach them - no glacier crossings, no via ferrata, no climbing equipment etc. Most are located in alpine areas and therefore all you need to reach them is good fitness.

Trail update for September 2022

Trail update for September 2022

September is a month of mixed emotions in the Alps. On one hand, hikers setting out can enjoy the fall colours and quieter trails. On the other, it means the hiking season is coming to an end 😢

Rather than share a typical trail update that would benefit very few people at this stage of the year, I’ve pulled together a collection of interesting data points on who is hiking the legendary trails in the Alps and how they customise their trips.

Trail update for July 2022

Trail update for July 2022

July 2022 trail updates from the 3 trails we support. In summary, only the Walker’s Haute Route has changes to report - the Tour du Mont Blanc and Tour of Monte Rosa updates remain the same from June. I’ve also shared some news about summit route closures for anyone interested in staying informed about what’s happening higher up with our mountaineer friends too.

Break the trail 2022 update

Break the trail 2022 update

I’m en route to the Alps and have revised my Break the Trail hiking plan. The 10 day journey through the Pennine Alps has been designed to spend time on the Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route, Tour of Monte Rosa, and Tour des Combins.

My revised route still comes in at just over 270 km / 169 mi with an intimidating 19,900 m / 62,000 ft of elevation gain. In this blog, I will share details about the current conditions and my revised route.

Break the trail 2022

Break the trail 2022

As the days get longer and the weather starts to warm up in the Alps, I’m excited to share the draft plan I’ve come up with for my first adventure this hiking season. The 10 day journey through the Pennine Alps has been designed to spend time on the Tour du Mont Blanc, Walker’s Haute Route, Tour of Monte Rosa, Hidden Paradise Tour, and Tour des Combins.

My proposed route comes in at just over 270 km / 169 mi with an intimidating 20,400 m / 67,000 ft of elevation gain. In this blog, I will share details about my proposed route, preparation, and goal for the hike.

Little legs having big adventures

Little legs having big adventures

Are you thinking of hiking in the Alps with kids? Read Sara’s story of taking her son to the Alps to complete the Tour du Mont Blanc at the age of 8 and the Walker’s Haute Route at the age of 11. Was it easy going? Not all the time. But the encouragement from others on the trail kept him going, as well as their promise to take him to Disneyland Paris when he was finished. Yes, sometimes a bit of bribery is needed!

Hiking in the Alps: 2021 Season Report

For those who could reach the Alps, COVID-19 restrictions impacted the hiking season for a second year running. At the start of the season, there was much excitement and anticipation about a COVID-19 EU Travel Certificate finally allowing tourism to resume in Europe. The silver lining of a delayed reopening for international hikers was that the conditions were not favorable for early-season hiking. There were new accumulations of snow on the high mountain trails until about the 20th of May…

Tour du Mont Blanc: The Main Trail

Tour du Mont Blanc: The Main Trail

The “main” Tour du Mont Blanc trail is 166 km / 103 mi and travels around Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain at 4,810m (15,781 ft). The trail crosses 10 mountain passes with a total elevation gain of just under 10,000m (32,700ft). Hikers will see alpine lakes, magnificent glaciers and lush meadows. The Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the legendary multi-day hikes in the Alps. Read our detailed blog post which takes a “walk” through all the different sections of the main Tour du Mont Blanc trail, including images, descriptions and trail stats.

Tour du Mont Blanc: The Alternate Routes

Tour du Mont Blanc: The Alternate Routes

The standard Tour du Mont Blanc trail is 166 km / 103 mi. But did you realise that there are lots of exciting alternate routes you can incorporate into your hike to make it even more epic? Or alternate routes that allow you to skip some of the more difficult and challenging sections. Take a read through our list of top alternate routes for the Tour du Mont Blanc to make sure you are choosing the best routes to suit your ideal hike!