Monday, Sept. 8, 2025
- Start: Trient, Switzerland
- End: La Flégère, France
- Distance hiked: 22 km (13.8 miles)
- Elevation gain/loss: 13,277 vertical feet
- Today’s high point: Col de Balme – 7,241′ elevation
After two days of relatively easy hiking in Switzerland Day 8 of the Tour du Mont Blanc was a bit more difficult. I began with a very early morning bus ride back up to Trient, followed by the climb up to the French border at Col de Balme. The next few miles to Crête de Posettes were my favorite part of the TMB. There were sweeping panoramic views, hiking on the crest of the ridgeline, and lots of wild myrtilles (bilberries) to pick and eat. The route descended to Tré-le-Champ-le Haut, where I stopped for a delicious lunch with a slice of tarte aux myrtilles for dessert before beginning the afternoon climb and the notorious “ladder section” of the TMB. I was extremely glad I was hiking this trail in the traditional counterclockwise direction, so I only had to climb up these ladders, not down! Once I reached the top of the final climb, it was an easy hike to La Flégère, where I took the gondola down to the valley below and a bus to my hotel in Argentière.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Crossing over the border at Col de Balme and seeing those epic views of Mont Blanc again. Switzerland was lovely, but the views in France were so much better.
- The hike between Col de Balme and Crête de Posettes had the best scenery on the TMB. I loved the views of the snowy, jagged peaks and glaciers, but my pace slowed because I kept stopping to pick wild bilberries (or myrtilles).
- The ride down the Flégère-Les Praz gondola at the end of the day was a thrill. Easiest descent of the TMB 🙂
CHALLENGES:
- The bus from Martigny to Trient runs only three times a day in September, so I had to catch the 0600 bus. This meant departing long before the hotel’s breakfast opened. So, this morning’s breakfast was just a granola bar and dried fruit.
- There were three big climbs today, totaling over 13,000 vertical feet of gain and loss, some of which included climbing metal ladders bolted to giant boulders and rock walls.
- Although it was dry all morning, the weather gods decided to add a little rain to the mix just as I reached the ladder section of the hike. This slipperiness element really amped up my anxiety on those metal ladders.
TONIGHT’S LODGING
Hôtel La Couronne. There was no lodging available at any of the huts between Col de Balme and Les Houches, so I had no choice but to take the gondola down the mountain and find lodging below the TMB. I honestly didn’t mind, though, as it would allow me to see one of the suburbs of Chamonix. I booked my reservation in Argentière on booking.com (cost: €126), which included a private room and shower, tea/coffee pot, TV, wifi, and access to the restaurant. The hotel was an easy 3-4 minute walk from a grocery store, several hiking/skiing outfitters, and numerous bakeries and restaurants.
