Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 9 – Rifugio Bonatti to Courmayeur

Having crossed the border into Italy, we spent the night at Rifugio Bonatti and were nearing the end of this year’s walk on the Tour de Mont Blanc. It was Day 9 of our overall walk, and the third year we had returned here to walk a few more sections of this 170km mountain trail.

So far the circular route around Mont Blanc had taken us through the Alpine passes and valleys of France, Switzerland and now into Italy. Our plan was to return next year and finish the last two sections of the trail.

Read about the previous day’s walk: Tour de Mont Blanc Day 8 – Rifugio Elena to Rifugio Bonatti

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Our stay at Rifugio Bonatti

Rifugio Bonatti is as close to a boutique hostel as you can get, considering the altitude of over 2000 metres. The rifugio is perched high on the mountain side above Val Ferret and the village of La Vachey. With no apparent road access to the refuge, I was impressed by the level of comfort.

Our twin bedroom had two pine beds. There were tasteful touches like the embroidered linen cloth at the window and the handwoven woollen curtains, with pretty woven bows.

The hostel is named after the famous Italian climber, Walter Bonatti. Walls and corridors of the Refuge are covered with old black and white photos of him climbing in the Alps. Also on display are atmospheric vintage posters of climbing heroes from the 1950s and 60s.

Dinner at Rifugio Bonnatti

Dinner at the refuge was a communal event. We sat down at long tables with other guests in the dining rooms, with its traditional wooden beams and old blue and white tiled stove.

Dinner was simple, but better than we’d tasted at many of the refuges. First, salad with local cheeses, then a mini-quiche served with carrots and tiny new potatoes. Finally desert of a set blancmange with a bitter chocolate sauce and shortbread biscuits creatively moulded to the Refuge Bonatti motif.

Over dinner we chatted to a Japanese couple who looked super fit. Not surprisingly, it turned out that they had just run the TMB Ultra-marathon. They ran the course in 17hrs and 30 minutes, carrying only 3-4 kg rucksacks. This event is only for the elite endurance runners!

On a previous year in Chamonix at the start of our walk we had sat in a cafe enjoying a cold beer, as the runners arrived at the finish line, looking grey with exhaustion.

Over dinner we planned our route for the following year when we would finish the TMB. Deliberating which routes to take, we speculated where we might find snow, even in summer.

Sunset views of Mont Blanc from Rifugio Bonnatti

At the front of the refuge, the sun slowly dipped below the mountains. Soon only the peak of Mont Blanc was lit up in glowing orange.

Many of the guests went outside to take the perfect “Sunset over Mont Blanc” shot. Finally the sun slipped behind the mountain ridge and the air became suddenly cold.

The route to Courmayeur

The next morning, we debated which of the two paths shown in the Cicerone Trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc guidebook we should take. The main path followed the line of the valley and looked less demanding.

An alternative went over the ridge at our back and followed the other side of the Mont de la Saxe ridge. These paths joined up above Courmayeur.

We decided on the easier main route, keen to get to Courmayeur that afternoon, in time to buy our bus tickets for the next day. From there our journey would take us through the Mont Blanc tunnel and back to Chamonix.

All day we walked along an undulating path. The Mont de la Saxe ridge was on our left and the views of Mont Blanc framed by blue skies on our right.

It was easy walking in perfect weather. There were plenty of spots where we couldn’t resist stopping for photo opportunities, the ultimate Mont Blanc postcard shots.

Lunch above Courmayeur

By early afternoon we reached the end of the ridge. The flat grassy viewpoint just above Refugio Georgio Bertone made a good spot for our late lunch, with the ultimate view over the valley.

A round metal table was etched with all the different viewpoints around us. Down in the valley the town of Courmayeur now appeared into view.

Before long our peaceful lunch-time spot became crowded. Group after group of chattering Italians had spread out around us laughing and talking loudly. We realised that this was the first viewpoint when you climb up from Courmayeur and a favourite for walkers coming up for the day.

Our feeling of being away from it all in the remote mountains was at an end, as we started our final decent to the town of Courmayeur. The path below Rifugio Georgio Bertone led us steeply down through shady woodland. I was glad to have my walking poles to support my knees on the uneven path.

Reaching Hotel Bouton d’Or

The path wound downward, downward until we reached a residential road. It led us into the heart of Courmayeur, where we found our Hotel Bouton d’Or. Although it was the end of a tiring day, we remembered to ask the hotel owner to take a final “end of the TMB photo” as had become our tradition.

After leaving our packs, we bought our tickets for the bus the next day at the nearby bus station. This would take us back to Chamonix, in good time to pick up our airport transfer to Geneva.

The Tor des Geants

The following morning we had an hour to spare before the bus left and noticed that the crowds were gathering in the town centre. Going to investigate, we discovered that it was the start of another ultra-marathon. This time it was around the Aosta valley, called the Tor des Geants.

Crowds of lean, tanned men in colourful lycra were being channelled towards the starting point. In the narrow space of the square, banners and flags swayed in the wind.

We couldn’t stay long enough to see them off, but left them to their feat of endurance and headed back down the hill to the bus station to catch our bus to Chamonix and home.

Catching the bus to Chamonix

It all felt very familiar at the station in Chamonix, with the geranium filled window-boxes. We were back at the view of Mont Blanc, with the statue of 18th century climbers Balmat and Saussure, pointing up to the summit.

The following year we’d be back to complete the final two days of the circular Tour de Mont Blanc walk, starting at Courmayeur and finishing at Chamonix Les Houches.

The TMB is a walk that takes around 12 days if you tackle it in one go. We enjoyed taking it at a rather calmer and less exhausting pace. Four years or twelve days, it’s up to you. Mont Blanc, I’ll be seeing you very soon!

About Courmayeur

Courmayeur in Italy is a lively town which has numerous options for accommodation and eating out. It makes an ideal place to stop if you want to build a rest day into your Tour de Mont Blanc circuit.

Courmayeur is also one of the three best places to start or end the TMB circuit. The others are Chamonix in France and Lac Blanc in Switzerland.

Courmayeur can be reached from Turin and Milan Airport by public bus with SAVDA although we arrived from Geneva via Chamonix.

Resources for 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.

We started this day’s walk at Rifugio Walter Bonatti, which I would highly recommend and one of the nicest we stayed in on the whole walk. The Refuge has a dormitory and private twin rooms with the shared bathroom just across the corridor. Dinner and breakfast is included. The refuge can be booked by e-mail [email protected] and by telephone (+39) 335 68 48 578 or use the form on their website.

We stayed at the pleasant 3 star Hotel Bouton d’Or which is very well located in the centre of town and 5 minutes walk from the bus station. Hotel Bouton d’Or offers single and double rooms and includes an excellent buffet breakfast.

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.

Read Next

Read about our next day’s hike: Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 10 – Courmayeur to Chapieux

More tales from the Tour de Mont Blanc

• 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
• 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 – This article
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 10 & 11 – Courmayeur to Chapieux
• Tour de Mont Blanc – Day 12, 13 & 14 – Chapieux to Les Houches

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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