Tour du Mont Blanc Stage 9: Trient to Tré le Champ (original) (raw)

Stage 9 of the Tour du Mont Blanc from Trient to Tré le Champ takes you back into the Vallée de l’Arve of France.

This stage of the TMB has been officially rerouted.

Formerly, the route descended directly from Col de Balme (2191 m) to Tré le Champ via Le Tour. Now, the TMB leads slithers down to Col des Poisettes and then follows the crest of Aiguillette des Posettes, before plunging down to Tré le Champ.

If the weather conditions are poor, it’s best to take the old TMB path to Le Tour.

Col de Balme, France, Tour du Mont Blanc

Trient – Col de Balme – Tré le Champ Trail Map

Trient – Col de Balme – Aiguillette des Posettes – Tré le Champ Trail Description

Trient to Col de Balme (2 hours)

Refuge du Col de Balme, France and Switzerland

Follow the road 15 minutes to Le Peuty, where there’s a campground and a refuge. Bear right on the gravel track that bisects a large meadow. After crossing the Nant stream, the trail enters the forest.

The trail tacks up the forest for a good 40 minutes.

When you emerge above the treeline, the trail aims for the saddle. The ascent is easy enough, though not particularly scenic.

Col de Balme marks the border between Switzerland and France. Refuge du Col de Balme is located on the grassy saddle, just a few meters off the main trail

If it’s windy and cold, Refuge du Col de Balme is a delightful place to take shelter and drink hot chocolate. You can pay in Euros or Swiss Francs.

Col de Balme to Col des Posettes (45 minutes)

Col de Balme to Col des Posettes hiking trail, Tour du Mont Blanc

Return to the junction and hike to Col des Posettes.

Now in France, a dirt path crosses an open hillside with views of the Vallée de l’Arve at the foot of the Mont Blanc range.

The views are utterly fantastic as you descend to Col des Posettes (1997 m).

Col des Posettes to Aiguillette des Posettes (50 minutes)

Aiguillette des Posettes, Tour du Mont Blanc, France

At the Col des Posettes trail junction, follow the sign to Aiguillette des Posettes (50 minutes). If you’re hungry, you can detour 5 minutes to Restaurant Alpage de Balme.

Hike up the grass slope, where cattle graze in summer.

The trail leads to the crest and then follows it to the 2201 meter summit of Aiguillette des Posettes (2201 m), which is the highest point of today’s hike.

Aiguillette des Posettes to Gîte Chamonix Le Moulin (1:45 hours)

Aiguillette des Posettes crest, TMB, France

The Tour du Mont Blanc continues along the rocky spine towards a two-headed mountain group that looks like a darker Sassolungo/Langkofel (Italian Dolomites).

The views continue to impress, but the trail gets increasingly more rugged and uneven.

Eventually, the trail drops below the treeline.

You’ll pass several junctions. Initially, always follow the sign to Tré le Champ.

The end of this stage will be a bit different for everyone, depending on where you’re staying in the valley.

We stayed in Gîte Chamonix Le Moulin in Les Frasserands. We used a navigation app to navigate to our accommodation.

Stay in/near Tré le Champ

Gîte Chamonix Le Moulin, Tour du Mont Blanc

We stayed in Gîte Chamonix Le Moulin, a hostel-style accommodation with 6 dormitory rooms. There are 6 communal showers. Check-in is from 4 pm until 7 pm. The dinner was very good. There are many rules (all understandable) posted about the premises.

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