A tale of two Refuges – on the Tour de Mont Blanc

The mist was swirling in as we reached Refuge Col de Balme, our first stop on the Tour de Mont Blanc trail. Clouds were blowing over the high passes as dusk was falling.

Our way had been blocked by a herd of sharp horned cattle, their large bells clanging from the leather collars around their necks. We moved off the path into the brush to let them pass, not knowing if they might try to butt us out of the way.

A little further on, the Refuge was in darkness, but a car was parked outside. I skirted around and an elderly man eventually came to the window.

When he asked what I wanted, I explained that I’d rung him to reserve a place. He came to open the front door, indicating where we should leave our rucksacks, inside the door.

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Refuge Col de Balme

The dining room was cosy from a metal stove in the middle of the floor and my hands began to thaw out. We appeared to be the only walkers there. An elderly lady shuffled forward to serve us hot tea from the bar.

For supper a simple meal of omlette jambon was proposed, with green salad, local cheese and bread. It was followed by a Tarte aux Myrtilles in a dry pastry case.

Shortly afterwards three other walkers arrived, two men, one with his teenage son. They had come up from Champex in the opposite direction to us.

We compared notes, realising that we had both tried to ring the Refuge to book with little success. It seemed that the couple were not over anxious to take bookings.

The dortoirs at Refuge Col de Balme

Madame showed us to the dortoirs upstairs, where the electric lights only extended as far as the stairwell. They switched off automatically after a few minutes – thank goodness for the head torches.

Madame brought us three blankets for the night between the two of us. The extra one was for my friend Julia as she had not been feeling well due to the altitude.

I enquired in my most polite French whether it might be possible for me to also have an extra blanket? “Oh, c’est pas la peine” said Madame. No need, as the three men would be in the dortoir with us and we would all soon get warm.

Eyeing the other empty rooms on the landing I wondered whether the Monsieurs might be in a separate room to us ladies. However my suggestion was dismissed – the other rooms were all shut for the end of the season.

The facilities at Refuge Col de Balme

The toilet just along the corridor was pointed out to us, with a tap near the floor to fill a washing up bowl and act as a sink. We were just glad that we wouldn’t need to go outside into the freezing cold, to use the portaloo that was there for walkers coming to the cafe in the day.

Fully clothed, I went to bed and lay awake for a few hours trying to get warm with my coat and spare fleece draped over me. I wondered whether I might risk waking the other sleepers by get up and put on a second set of clothes.

In the morning we discovered a second bathroom that Madame had failed to mention. We then hurried down to breakfast of coffee and baguette with jam.

Our rucksacks packed, we set off along the path that skirted the mountainside. We paused only to admire the view of Mont Blanc, its snow capped peaks framed by a blue sky.

Arriving at Chalet Bon Abri

Later that day, things were quite different as we arrived at Chalet Bon Abri, having crossed into Switzerland. We made it by a combination of hitch hiking, bus and train to Champex Lac (that’s another story which you can read in my article: Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 5 – Col de Balme to Champex Lac).

Just down the track above the lake we spotted first the tipi in the flower filled garden. Then we saw a couple of campers playing table tennis on the table outside. This place was a well-run Swiss hostel in wooden chalet style but where everything was stylish and modern inside.

Madame showed us where to leave our boots downstairs. She pointed us to the neatly stacked pairs of plastic clogs that we could borrow to wear indoors.

Upstairs, our dorm room had three bunks but luckily we had the room to ourselves. The red checked quilts and orange sheets looked invitingly cosy.

Just down the corridor their was a spotless new shower room with piping hot water. However, dinner was being served promptly at 7pm, so we went down straight away.

Home comforts at Chalet Bon Abri

An aperitif of white wine with cheesy waifer biscuits would not have been out of place in a smart restaurant. We enjoyed the home made carrot soup, followed by chicken in a wine sauce.

I examined the route we had just come on the topographic map on the wall. The map was ideal to help us plan our route for next year. We hope to walk a further leg of the Tour de Mont Blanc from Champex Lac to Courmayeur.

Is it better to be high in the mountains with basic facilities, or down in the valley with a little more comfort? Let’s just say that we’re planning to start our walk from Chalet Bon Abri next year, and I can’t wait!

Resources for those walking the Tour de Mont Blanc

We used the Cicerone Tour of Mont Blanc guide by Kev Reynolds. It’s an excellent guide for both the clockwise and anti-clockwise route. There’s a detailed route guide, maps, accommodation information and points of interest along the route.

On the first night of our walk we stayed at Refuge Col de Balme (Tel 04 50 54 02 33). The cost included dinner and breakfast in a 6 bed dorm room. On our second night we stayed at Gite Bon Abri at Champex-de’en-Haut, which we highly recommend. They offer private rooms and 6 bed dorm rooms with dinner and breakfast. Gite Bon Abri may be booked in advance by e-mail.

Bookings for some refuges can also be made on the Mon Tour de Mont Blanc website. To avoid disappointment and a long walk, you should book your place in all refuges. You can normally do so a day or two before, or from the previous refuge.

The Autour du Mont Blanc website has useful information to help you plan your Tour de Mont Blanc walk.

We booked our transfer from Geneva airport to Les Houches through Alpy Transfers. They run an efficient airport to hotel service.

Read Next

Read about our Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 4 – Flégère to Refuge Col de Balme

More tales from the Tour de Mont Blanc

Read about the whole walk on the Tour de Mont Blanc, what we saw each day, where to stay and practical hiking tips.

• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 1 – Les Houches to Refuge la Bellachat
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 2 – Refuge de Bellachat to la Flegere
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 3 – Refuge Flégère to Lac Blanc
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 4 – Flégère to Refuge Col de Balme
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 5 – Col de Balme to Champex Lac
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 6 – Champex Lac to Ferret
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 7 – Ferret to Rifugio Elena
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 8 – Rifugio Elena to Rifugio Bonatti
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 9 – Rifugio Bonatti to Courmayeur
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 10 & 11 – Courmayeur to Chapieux
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 12, 13 & 14 – Chapieux to Les Houches

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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