Longshot hiking question, Tour du Mont Blanc
My experience is from 1997, so perhaps not relevant, and I was of course 18 years younger, but on the Italian side there were several trail options. None of them required roping that I recall, it wasn't more technical than strenuous portions of the Appalachian trail. There is snow but not at lower elevations. Cold at night.
If you are looking for technical climbs, that year we did some crazy great faces in the Savoie region of France near Aix les Bains. I don't recall the name of the mountain, but it overlooked a gorgeous lake. I took one of the scariest falls of my life that year there. Plenty of height and just beautiful rock face. Also had thermal hang gliding. I believe we went in late July or mid-August.
Sounds like you have a great trip ahead of you. Cheers-
I was in Chamonix when I was about a year older than my son is now. Beautiful! I'm more looking to survive, @rowerg, than have one of the scariest falls of my life. Though that does sound exciting-ish. I have no experience with technical hiking that requires ice axes, etc., so doing something like that without a guide would not be wise. Not even sure we'll be able to pull this trip off, but hoping we can make it happen! We're also considering shorter and/or less logistically complicated hikes, but my son, not surprisingly, really would like to do this one.
I have an old friend who lives in Argentiere and am happy to put you in touch.
@eliz, that would be great, if my research comes up short (or if we actually pull it together)! Thanks. . . .
I have some friends (women over 60, but in good shape with plenty of hiking experience) who did this last summer. I'm trying to get in touch to see if they have any words of wisdom, but I think that the answer is that if you are in good shape and have good hiking experience, you should be able to do it. Would you be hiking with a guide or on your own?
Preferably on our own, because I think we would like it better, and because the guided trips are very expensive. It's nice to have everything organized for you, but I think that we should be able to figure it out. Did your friends go with a group, @sac, or on their own?
Some of the guided trips include "transfers," and I need to figure out whether they're skipping some parts to keep the trip shorter, or because some sections aren't interesting, or because those parts are treacherous. I can live with the first two; not sure I trust myself if it's the third.
I believe that they hired a guide, but I don't know the details regarding how much of the planning they did vs what was handled by the guide. If I am able to get more information, I will definitely share it.
I heard from one of my hiking friends and she said:
"We had snow in July and the guide had to do some workarounds. None of it was "technical" though. Just regular trails."
and
"The guide did all the planning. Her name is Hilary Sharpe."
Thank you. It's the need for workarounds that worries me. Maybe I'll see if there's a group that doesn't break the bank. I'll google Hilary Sharpe up in the meantime.
Looking to plan a hiking trip for an older teenager and an adult. The benefits of this one are that you can travel light, as food and lodging are available along the way. Trying to figure out whether we're capable of it. We've done plenty of hiking, but not ten days straight, and not in the Alps. Anyone know how technical this one is? Wondering about snow, how well the trail is marked, etc. I can google, but it would be amazing to hear firsthand.