by Pete Buckley
Photo by Gerrit/Wikimedia
Dominated by the shining icefields of Mont Blanc, Chamonix is something of a mecca for walkers and climbers from all over the World. The spectacular and varied nature of the region’s scenery is a major factor enticing visitors back year after year and the 3 routes outlined here take the walker up an airy ridge to a viewpoint overlooking forests and meadows, close to the world of ice alongside one of the region’s glaciers and into the forbidding high altitude approaches to Mont Blanc itself.
The first walk leaves the top station of the Col du Balme chairlift and follows a wide, well worn track northwards over alpine meadows to the Col de Balme itself. From the col follow the main track - part of the Tour du Mont blanc route - a short way down the far side into Switzerland before taking a left branch marked Croix de Fer. The ridge is soon gained and the path follows it up on the left (north) side and gains the crest just short of the summit.
Col du Balme photo by DanielD/wikimedia
The last section is not difficult but is a little exposed and arrives in a spectacular setting at the Croix de Fer (iron cross) marking the summit at 2343m. This section is best avoided in very windy or icy conditions but is otherwise safe if care is taken. Ahead the ridge falls away dizzily in a series of limestone cliffs to the verdant meadows and forests of the Val du Trient 1000 metres below. Beyond and further down still lies the Rhone Valley backed by the serrated line of the Bernese alps. Back where we’ve come up from is France and the length of the Chamonix Valley leading away westwards with the icy peaks of Mont Blanc and its range rising above it.
This is a short walk for the rewards it offers and return is by the same route. To make a day of it you could miss out the cable car one or both ways and ascend from Le Tour - up the valley from Argentiere - and reached by a regular bus service from Chamonix.
Chamonix photo by Poshi/Wikimedia
The Refuge Albert Premiere is a popular destination for walkers based in the Chamonix area and the route to it remains easy while giving spectacular close up views of the Glacier du Tour. It begins at the same point as the Croix de Fer walk, with the option to begin the ascent from Le Tour though that would make for a very long day.
Take the path that leads roughly south from the Col de Balme chairlift station and follow it as it climbs steadily across the mountainside above. There are many wild alpine flowers to be seen on the early part of this route as well as the wonderfully located mountain tarn of Lac de Charamillon just above the path on the left. It is just a case of following the obvious path and enjoying the views as the route gains height and becomes rougher as it crosses steep sections of mountainside protected in a couple of places by cables. The path then crosses a rough bouldery area just before the glacier and turns to the left to follow the moraine up alongside the ice. The turning is obvious in ascent but look out for it on the way down - missing it and following the path straight down to Le Tour is an option but it is very rough, steep and long.
As you follow the moraine up alongside the Glacier du Tour, the Albert Premier Hut is seen above. The last part is steeper and often snow covered - care needed if the snow is hard - and leads to the hut at 2701 metres on a rocky balcony overlooking the expanse of seracs and crevasses that make up the Glacier du Tour. Back across the valley rise the jagged peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges while across the glacier rises the icy pillar of the Aiguille du Chardonnet.
Les Houches photo by Remi Stosskipf/Wikimedia
My last route is from the lower end of the Chamonix Valley and ascends the first part of the normal route to Mont Blanc. Heading up through harsh and uncompromising high altitude terrain we reach the Tete Rousse at well over 3000 metres - the highest point on any walkers’ path from the Chamonix Valley. The route proper begins at Nid d’Aigle (eagle’s nest) - the top of the Tramway du Mont Blanc. This is reached by tramway from st Gervais or cableway from Les Houches with the last part by tramway. The Tete Rousse is too high to be reached in a day from the valley - well by ordinary mortals at any rate!
Most of the people getting off the train at Nid d’Aigle head on the downhill path for close up views of the Glacier de Bionassay - well worth seeing - but for Tete Rousse the way is up the steep and ever stony path rising just behind the station.
Climb the path which is well marked but very rough up the relentless slope above Nid d’Aigle until a small hut is reached just below the ridge crest and no - this isn’t the Tete Rousse Hut - that would be too easy! Here the main path veers off to the right and ascends a rocky ridge which rises towards the Aiguille du Gouter. The ridge looks harder from below than it actually is, and though steep and very rough, the path finds a way up through the rocky towers and ledges without the walker having to resort to scrambling.
The views become more spectacular as height is gained and you may well see ibex among the rocks. Where the ridge reaches a the same name nearby across a small glacier.
Mont Blanc photo by Eusebiu/Wikimedia
If you don’t have the kit to walk on the glacier then the hut is no higher and the view is better from here - if you do then you can get a coffee! This then at 3167m or 10391 feet is as high as the unguided walker goes - a high belvedere fully 7000 feet above the Chamonix Valley. Do bear in mind that though not difficult - 800 metres of ascent from Nid D’Aigle - Tete Rousse is at high altitude and that any change in the weather is likely to bring snow so be equipped for winter conditions.
Pete Buckley is a regular visitor to the Alps and is the author of A Long Walk in the Alps which recounts a journey through Switzerland from the Eiger to the Matterhorn. For more information please visit his mountain walking site.
