Tour du Mont Blanc Day Five – Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur

Dawn brings with it another gloriously sunny day on the Tour du Mont Blanc. We are now in the Italian Alps and the rising sun is shining directly down Val Veny casting long shadows and turning the rivulets and pools of Lac de Combal into silver ribbons and mirrors laid out on the valley floor. Our stay at the iconic Rifugio Elisabetta has been a good one and the experience is stored in the memory for future happy recall.

It was a punchy little climb up to the lodge yesterday and as Isaac Newton noted ‘what goes up must come down’, so it is an equally sharp drop down from the rifugio to join up with the main route that leads down the valley.

We fill up at the water trough by a little shrine, catholic I would imagine that we passed yesterday and then it’s just a question of walking down the long straight highway of a track to Combal. The walking is easy on a gravel path, built by the Italian army apparently and Steve and I set a good pace.

Easy walking doesn’t mean boring views however and we are surrounded by a panorama of jagged mountain peaks. The sun is out, the sky is blue and there are clouds but they certainly don’t spoil the view. White and fluffy, like the sky has been stuffed full of cotton wool balls. Altocumulus is the technical term and they add to the overall feeling of space and beauty in the valley. The sound of birds, distant waterfalls and the crunch of our boots are the only noises that disturb the stillness.

In no time at all we arrive at Lac Combal which is where the uphill walking starts. Putting off the inevitable we decide that a morning coffee is needed and head to the Cabane du Combal.
And I’m glad we did. Tucked away at the foot of Glacier du Miage it is a gem of a rifugio.

I had booked reserve accommodation here just in case I couldn’t get into Elisabetta. It has a good reputation and is certainly more comfortable, modern and spacious than Elisabetta but the location and reputation of the higher rifugio always meant that was my first preference.

The coffee is good and in a window box I get to see edelweiss. I don’t know a great deal about flora but I know edelweiss is only found in the high mountains in fairly inaccessible places. It is also greatly respected among the military because of its hardiness and is the emblem of several mountain regiments. I am not great at spying out small details on walks. So, in the absence of my wife whose ability to spot things that are practically invisible to the human eye is legendary, Steve has taken over the mantle as ‘spotter of small things’. And I have asked him if he can keep a look out for edelweiss on the trail. (Sadly the window box edelweiss is the only time we get to see it).

After coffee it’s time to head uphill. Crossing the bridge over Lac Combal I see a bird on the lake nicely framed against the Pyramides Calcaires. It’s a steep climb out of Val Veny and as height is gained the views across the valley start to excite the senses.

Just before a stream I spot dozens of little blue butterfly’s, all flitting just above the ground like they have just woken up. The internet tells me they are Chalkhill Blue, male and females. I’m chuffed to have seen these and not walked straight past them, my spotting skills must be getting better.

By the time we reach a small shepherds hut marked on the map as Arp Vieille Damon the bulk of the ascent is out of the way and the main event of the day has arrived. The views across the valley to the Mont Blanc massif are quite simply stunning and we get to enjoy them practically all the way to Courmayeur whilst walking along a high level balcony path traversing the hillside. Quite rightly this section is regarded as one of the highlights of the whole TMB.

This is mountain walking at its finest. Incredible and breath taking views go on for mile after mile with little effort involved. I bask in the scenery and enjoy every footstep.

As we get slowly closer to Courmayeur I notice an increase in the amount of people on the trail. Just as an ocean going vessel, as it nears land starts to see seagulls and drifting vegetation so the TMB walker as they near a chairlift starts to see picnic baskets and inadequate footwear. I remember that today is Sunday and as with Bastille Day, families are out enjoying a sunny picnic in the mountains, made accessible by cable car.

We join in with the picnickers at Lac Chécrouit and enjoy a rest at this small mountain lake with good views. Wine, sandwiches, pasta and salamis are pulled out of baskets around us whilst Steve and I make do with cake, chocolate and water.

From Lac Chécrouit it’s a short walk downhill to Rifugio Maison Veille where we enjoy a couple of ice cold cokes. Here another decision has to be made. It’s three and a half miles and a descent of 2,500ft down into Courmayeur from Maison Veille on a not particularly picturesque path amongst the ski lift paraphernalia. This would take us a couple of hours at least. Or we could take the chairlift and cable car which would get us into town effortlessly in fifteen minutes.

The chairlift/cable car combo wins and for the first time in my life I find myself trying to slide my bottom onto a swinging moving chair whilst at the same time not letting go of my rucksack, all in seconds before it swings out over an abyss. Half way down we switch to a cable car which is less fraught with danger. We share the cable car with Michael who we met at dinner in Nant Borrant. By early afternoon we are in our room at hotel Bouton d’Or, effectively giving ourselves half a day off and time to relax, recuperate and enjoy the comforts of an en-suite bathroom and clean sheets.

We have to find our own dinner tonight as we are not in a refuge so we head out early evening to have a look around. Courmayeur is a small, fashionable upmarket Italian town which I guess is probably busier in the winter as ski resort. We find a restaurant in the less high end part of town and as we are in Italy I go for a lasagna. We’re in a celebratory mood, the weather has been on our side, the walking is excellent and our bodies are holding up nicely. Nine euros for a pint of Peroni though ensures we don’t celebrate too much.

To Read More About My Hike Along The TMB Click Here

Route Map, Walk Stats, Geolocated Picture Gallery and 3D Flyover Video Below.

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