Day 9: Argentiere to Chamonix

Ladders up rocks have earned Day 9 of the Tour du Mont Blanc something of a fearsome reputation. But, as they say, other options are available, and it was always my plan to make use of one of these.

Originally my plan had been to follow the alternative route back up the hill via Col de Montets, but as that had as much, if not more, climbing than the main ladder route, I thought I’d opt for the lower level Petit Balcon Sud instead.

On my last visit to the area in 2013, I’d done some of this route, west of Chamonix and enjoyed it, and I knew that although this was no high mountain trail, it was likely to be interesting in different ways, and so it was.

So, no massive climbs on open hillside, but instead an undulating stony forest trail, with glimpses of the mountains adjacent to Mont Blanc- Aiguille d’Argentiere, Aiguille Verte, and Aiguille du Midi amongst them.

I’m actually a big fan of a good forest walk, especially when it’s varied like this one, not simply a forestry track through an artificial plantation of sitka spruce, as is too often the case back home in Scotland. This was a lush, green forest of conifer and deciduous trees, with mossy rocks, little streams, rocky stretches, and ups and downs. The name Petit Balcon Sud denotes that it’s a lower level, south facing, balcony walk, so is actually on the north side of the Chamonix valley, generally a couple of hundred metres above the valley floor.

And while there were little stretches where I met the occasional dog walker or jogger (and even fifteen bikes at one point) generally those were near turn offs to car parks and camp sites down in the valley, and for the most part I had the walk to myself, in contrast to much of the Tour.

There was, however, the constant hubbub of nearby traffic and trains, wood cutting and the like, down in the valley, so I was very much aware that I wasn’t way out in the wilderness.

As the walk progressed there were more and more openings to my left giving views of the giant mountains across the other side of the valley, still with glaciers on top (for how much longer I wonder?)

After about three and a half hours, I descended into Chamonix Mont Blanc, one of the biggest resorts in the Alps. Despite being bustling and sprawling, Chamonix manages to retain its charm, with the mountains dominant in the background wherever you are, and some interesting buildings. I found I remembered my way around quite easily, finding the supermarket without thinking.

Chamonix will be my base now for the next three nights, with tomorrow’s final leg of the Tour starting from the top of the Brevent cable car and ending in Les Houches, where I’ll get the train back. I then have one extra, final, day in the town, from where I hope to do another walk, the Grand Balcon Nord on the other side of the valley, but this time higher up than today’s, which will make an interesting contrast.

While there have been some gaps in my circuit of Mont Blanc- for various reasons- I’ve still managed to clock up nearly 6,500 metres of ascent, 5800 of descent and over 122 km, all of which feels respectable in nine days of walking. My feet feel like they know it,

Tomorrow’s final leg of the Tour looks to be an unrelenting downhill of 1700 metres, which by any stretch of the imagination is a lot, but from the pictures should be an appropriate ending to an amazing hike.