One, you can use either lift to access the TMB route, allowing you to either begin or end your circumnavigation from either end of this segment. Two, the lifts also allow you easy egress off the route, if you need to bail out. Three, if you want to head into the town of Chamonix to take a break and recharge or refuel during your hike, you could also use the lifts to do just that. And finally, four, you could use the lifts to hike this segment as a one-way day hike, going in either direction.

However you choose to tackle this segment of the TMB, this portion of the Grand Balcon Sud Trail is an absolutely stunning hike! Running across the mountainside at or just above treeline, the vistas of the surrounding mountains, and especially the Mont Blanc, are to die for! Towards the end of the segment, the trail makes a hard push uphill to the top of the ridge, and from there, the views only proceed to get better and better!

Along this hike, you’ll cross innumerable other trails, and some of those cross trails, which sometimes share a stretch with the Grand Balcon Sud, are some of the top day hikes in the Chamonix Valley. Most notably, Lac Cornu and Les Lacs Noirs are both fantastic destinations, and are worth considering for potential side trips. Both of these side trips would add significant mileage and elevation gain, so if you’re serious about making a side trip, be sure to plan accordingly, and perhaps even adding an extra stop for the night along this section.