Category Archives: Alps

Our trips to the Alps, with a focus on hut-to-hut hiking.

Alps, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, September, Switzerland

Tour of the Bernina

After hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in 2018, we were eager to complete another long hut-to-hut circuit in the Alps. For this, we again prioritized fantastic scenery and comfortable huts. We also hoped to visit a quieter set of huts and trails than the Tour du Mont Blanc and to visit a different part of the Alps. After considering many routes, we decided on the Tour of the Bernina, circling the Piz Bernina massif on the Swiss-Italian border. We hiked our 90-mile route in 10 days.

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Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, July

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 9-10: Tête Nord des Fours, Lacs Jovet, Les Contamines, Col du Tricot, and back to Les Houches

After a rainy couple of days, we were fortunate to wake up to a beautiful clear morning at Refuge de La Croix du Bonhomme. We took advantage of that with side trips to Tête Nord des Fours and Lacs Jovet on our way to Les Contamines. From there, we returned to our origin in Les Houches via Refuge de Miage and Col du Tricot to complete our Tour du Mont Blanc.

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Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, July

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 6-8: Mont de La Saxe, Courmayeur, Rifugio Elisabetta, and Croix du Bonhomme

From Rifugio Bonatti, we followed a variant of the TMB over Mont de la Saxe and then down into Courmayeur. We hiked back up out of Courmayeur on a stormy morning, reaching Rifugio Elisabetta under broken clouds. Clouds and rain obscured the views for our hike from Elisabetta to Croix du Bonhomme.

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Alps, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, July, Switzerland

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 3-5: Champex, La Fouly and the Swiss Val Ferret, Col du Grand Ferret and the Italian Val Ferret

Days 3-5 of our Tour du Mont Blanc hike. From Trient, we followed the Bovine route to the lakeside town of Champex. The next day, we walked an interpretive mushroom trail and through the Swiss Val Ferret to La Fouly. From La Fouly, we crossed the Grand Col de Ferret and followed the Italian Val Ferret to Rifugio Bonatti. Continue reading →

Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, June

Tour du Mont Blanc Days 0-2: A Day in Chamonix, Les Houches – La Flégère – Trient

Before starting the Tour du Mont Blanc, we spent a day hiking from Chamonix. After that, we started the TMB at Les Houches, following it clockwise over Le Brévent to our first night at La Flégère. On our second day, we visited the Lacs des Chéserys, crossed Aiguillette des Posettes, and passed over Col de Balme to reach Trient.

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Alps, Gear, Hut-to-hut walks

Tour du Mont Blanc Packing List

As noted in our post about planning the Tour du Mont Blanc, we strove for a balance in our packing. We wanted to carry little so we would have energy for side trips and explorations. We also wanted to carry enough that we weren’t committed to doing laundry every day or worried about clothes drying.

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Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, July, June, Switzerland

Planning the Tour du Mont Blanc

We recently returned from a fantastic ten-day hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc through France, Switzerland, and Italy. We’ll eventually add detailed posts about the actual hike, but we want to share some notes on planning the trip and logistics with our trip fresh in our minds.

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Alps, Italy, June

The Dolomites Part 2: Selva di Val Gardena

In June 2016, we spent a week hiking in the Dolomites in Italy. For our hiking days, we split our time between Cortina D’Ampezzo and Selva di Val Gardena. This post describes our hikes in and around Selva di Val Gardena, including on the Sella Massif to Piz Boè and on the Puez-Odle. Continue reading →

Alps, Day Hiking, Hut-to-hut walks, Italy, June

The Dolomites Part 1: Cortina d’Ampezzo

In June 2016, we visited the Dolomites. This post covers our drive to Cortina d’Ampezzo, and the hikes from there. We enjoyed three fantastic hikes in the Cortina area. During that time, we hiked a loop around Passo di Falzarego, to Lago di Sorapiss, and a loop at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. We also enjoyed a night and spectacular sunrise at the Lagazuoi rifugio.

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Alps, Day Hiking, Italy, June

Hiking Italy’s Dolomites in June: Transport, Bases & What to Expect

In June 2016, we spent a week hiking in the Dolomites in Italy. For our hiking days, we split our time between staying in Cortina D’Ampezzo and Selva di Val Gardena. This post discusses logistics: hiking conditions, where we stayed, decisions about transportation, and resources we found helpful in planning the trip.

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