Day 9: The final border crossing of the Tour and the first time you'll have seen Chamonix for a week!

Statistics

4 - 5

hrs

1,134

m

1,239

m

14

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Severe

Description

From the Col de la Forclaz, take the path going directly south for 400 metres, following signs for the Fenêtre d'Arpette.

When a path branches off right, signposted for Trient, take this and follow it downhill to the valley floor.

Make your way to Le Peuty, the little settlement at the southern end of the Trient valley, and then take a jeep track that goes due south and into the forest at 1418 metres.

Reaching the trees takes roughly 1 hour from leaving the Col de la Forclaz.

Climb up steeply for 300 vertical metres then emerge out of the trees and climb a further 400 metres on slightly gentler terrain, to reach the Col de Balme (2204 metres) and the French border.

After a busy and action-packed week, the sight of Chamonix below you is somewhat disconcerting! It also provides a huge feeling of achievement and a sense that you are truly on the home straight.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on energy levels) there is still plenty of hiking to go before you reach Chamonix town itself.

There are several options to reach the village of Montroc from the Col de Blame.

Either take the chairlift down (the chairlift station is a 10 minute walk to the south of the col), walk directly down jeep tracks to the village via the Chalet de Charamillon, or (if you're feeling very energetic), descend a jeep track westwards to the Col des Possettes (1997 metres) and then climb up to the Aiguillette des Possettes (2201 metres).

Allow 1.5 hours to get from the Col de Balme to the Aiguillette des Poessettes.

From the summit, descend south down and follow the blunt rib down into the forest.

Continue descending to just below the Col des Montets and then turn left and walk down into Montroc village (1363 metres).

There are plenty of places to stay in Montroc, or the neighbouring villages of Le Tour and Les Frasserands.