Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
- Start: Val Ferret, Italy
- End: La Fouly, Switzerland
- Distance hiked: 15.6 km (9.6 miles)
- Elevation gain/loss: 7,006 vertical feet
- Today’s high point: Grand Col Ferret – 8,318′ elevation
Day 5 of the Tour du Mont Blanc began with the climb up to the Grand Col Ferret. But first, I needed to take the free Courmayeur bus back out to Val Ferret, where I left off yesterday. Once I returned to the trail, I expected this climb to the Swiss border to be much harder than it turned out to be. As I crested the climb, the views of the Aosta Valley on the Italian side were fantastic, but I was ensconced in thick clouds and fog for much of my initial descent into Switzerland. My views of the Mont Blanc massif wouldn’t return until I’d dropped down to the Alpine town of La Fouly. But today’s real TMB highlight was more of a cultural one: I got to try the communal Swiss raclette dining experience with four fellow American women.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Crossing into Switzerland at Grand Col Ferret. I’d mentally built up this climb into something much harder, but it really was quite manageable. And now I’ve entered my third country on the TMB.
- Today was my shortest day yet. It wasn’t exactly a “nearo” (thanks to elevation gain/loss going over the Grand Col Ferret), but it was definitely a more relaxed day with multiple coffee stops.
- I enjoyed raclette for dinner at the auberge with four nice ladies from Colorado. This interactive Swiss tradition was something I’d been looking forward to as part of my TMB adventure.
CHALLENGES:
- The bus ride back out to Val Ferret this morning was ridiculous. I didn’t take one of the early buses, hoping to avoid the crowds. But we were still packed into the standing room-only bus like sardines, and none of the windows were open to provide some fresh air as we took the curves and hairpin turns.
- Today was windy and cold. It’s definitely the shoulder season in the Alps, and I wore my gloves and beanie for most of the day.
- Once I crossed the Grand Col Ferret, I expected sweeping views of the Swiss Alps. Instead, I was socked in by clouds and fog that didn’t lift again until late afternoon.
TONIGHT’S LODGING
Auberge Maya-Joie. Tonight, I was back in one of the TMB huts at the Auberge Maya-Joie in La Fouly, Switzerland. I booked my reservation on Montourdumontblanc (cost: 74 CHF), which included a bunk in a 4-person room, showers, breakfast (served from 7-8:30 am), and wifi. I also paid an additional 20 CHF for the communal raclette dinner (served at 6:45 pm), during which I was seated with four fellow English speakers to help facilitate an enjoyable conversation. This three-story auberge is newly remodeled and is in excellent condition, with a broad outdoor deck to take in the mountain views, and it’s an easy 4-5-minute walk into the village. However, I found it odd that there were no power outlets in the sleeping rooms, so everyone seemed to be vying for the very limited number of places to charge their phones in the communal areas.
