2013 Tour de Mont Blanc, our way...

1 – 9 July 2013
Tour Team Seven: Eli, Brage, Gaute & Bjørn Lytskjold. Wenche, Ragnhild & Rune.

Photos from our tour: Click HERE
GPS track of our tour: Click HERE

The Tour Track: Read & violet lines: Day stages. Yellow lines: Bus, taxi or cable car. 
Open the live French map service HERE

Sunday 30 June 2013
Wenche, Ragnhild & Rune arrive Oslo Airport Gardermoen by car, from Sogndal. Takeoff with Lufthansa at 16:15 via Hamburg to Genève, where we land at a bit after schedule, 20:30. The pre-booked www.Alpybus.com waits for us outside.

Bright Swiss Night near Lausanne 

Driver Alejandro brings us safely to Champex (2:15 hours, price CHF 360, cash only). Arriving our place in Champex at 22:45: Gîte Au Club Alpin www.auclubalpin.ch. Owner Marie-Christine Crettex gives us a friendly welcome. The kitchen is closed, after all it is Swiss bedtime. Despite late arrival she fixes a meal the hungry Norwegians like: Bread, cheese, chips and beer.
Rooms are OK, but could need an upgrade... We pay (credit card) and hit the beds just before midnight.

Monday 1 July 2013
Champex (1470) - Gîte de la Léchère (1700) www.lalechere.ch
18 km. Ascend: 750m Descend: 400m. 6 hours.

Breakfast 08:00 ; bread, müslie, cheese, ham... Weather is fantastic. So is the setting of Gîte Au Club Alpin, neighbor to Lac de Champex. Little Canada they call the area; lake, forest and peaks. Then Corinna shows up! She was our favorite hut warden when ski touring Berner Oberland in April/May 2013. Today Corinna is on vacation with a friend, living just across the road. Very good to meet again.

Best Swiss welcome by Corinna & friend, Lac de Champex.

After buying bread at the bakery and other supplies next door at the tiny supermarket we are ready to leave at 10:15. First part is along the little lake, then we continue on good trail through the forest down towards the main valley, Val Ferret. 

Val Ferret, La Suisse

A pleasant forest walk. Down in the valley we have to follow the main road for 300m, then at the village Isset we cross the river and head on following dirt roads and trails through welcoming landscape with meadows, farms and villages. At Praz de Fort we cross the road again, follow the forest trail to La Fouly. We have our lunch break on a clearing just beyond the creek Ruisseau des Planereuses. A bit NW of La Fouly we stop at a climbing park buying ice cream& coke, before walking to the shops in La Fouly. This is the last supermarket before heading high.
From La Fouly we follow the road for 700m, then cross the bridge at La Clou walking the trail up to our destination, Gîte de la Léchère (1700). 

Gîte de la Léchère, Val Ferret

Léchère is a very nice place to stay, thanks to warden Elisabeth Joris and the small well made cabin. We go for beer and coke outside in the sunshine. Dinner is served 19:00. Paying with credit card before going to sleep in our “compact” but nice dormitory.

Tuesday 2 July 2013
Gite de la Léchère (1700)m - Grand Col Ferret (2537) – Rifugio Bonatti (2026) www.rifugiobonati.it
16 km. Ascend: 1100m Descend: 800m. 7 hours.

Val Ferret, above Gîte de la Léchère

Good Swiss breakfast at 08:00. Fantastic weather. Ready for takeoff at 09:00. From Gite de la Léchère we follow the trail across the bridge over the creek Le Merdenson. We miss the first juction for Pramplo, ending up with the other nive option:The trail heading south just before the bridge crossing river Dranse de Ferret. Very nice trail. At Alpage de la Peule (2071) we stop for coke/water/coffee at summer farm/alp/bergerie. 

Alpage de la Peule (2071)

Must be a very good place to sleep over; Alpage de la Peule.
Above La Peule it is into the real mountain world. And the snow. Summer came very late this year. We arrive very early. From 2300m we walk on snow all the way to Col Grand Ferret (2537). No problem, the trail is well beaten and the snow is firm.

Col Grand Ferret (2537)

Grand view into Italia from the pass, including the peaks west of us: The impressing Grand Jorasses. To the north Mont Dolent (3820) dominates; border peak between Italia, Switzerland and France. Then we move on, on the Steep but good path leading down to Italian Val Ferret. Our plan wasto stop for lunch at Rifugio Elena (2062), but the cabin is not still winter closed. We continue along the trail just south of the house and go for lunch in Arp Nouva (1769).

Lunch at Chalet Val Ferret, Italia

The trout dish served at Chalet Val Ferret www.chaletvalferret.com we will talk about for a long time...
From Arp Nouva there are different options for getting to our place for the night, Rifugio Bonatti.

Heading for Rifugio Bonatti, Val Ferret, Italia

We go for the trail zigzagging up behind Chalet Val Ferret. Tough climb in the start, up to the old summer farm Arp Nouva di Meiten. From there on the trail follows more or less the contour line all the way to Bonatti, high and dry above the valley, with grand views towards the mountains on the other side: Grandes Jorasses. Mont Blanc should also be seen on a clear day. However the clouds cover the giant. But: I spot“crazy” Rifugio Dalmazzi where my good friend Fabrizio is the warden right now. What a setting!

Rifugio Bonatti (2026)

Arriving Rifugio Bonatti (2026) well before dinner, a popular, nice and busy cabin on the Tour the Mont Blanc (TMB) Trail. The cabin is run by positive and efficient Elena. We get our own very nice room. And get ready for dinner at 19:15. The dining room is packed and noisy, the food is not too impressing.
But: The atmosphere is nothing but positive, even though we leave the table hungry.
Before going to sleep: Nice talk with Swedes walking TMB with the Langley, including guide Niclas and Polish born Alexander (saying: “if it’s a problem for Niclas that he is served too much grappa ‘back stage’ when paying the bill, why not try delegating a bit more, time to time!”

Wednesday 3 July 2013
Rifugio Bonatti (2026) – Rifugio Frassati (2540) www.rifugiofrassati.it
10 km. Ascend: 900m Descend: 400m. 5 hours.

It is raining outside. And rather foggy. All the others have left. We have – against all odds – managed to get our breakfast served as late at 08:00. The staff is not too happy about the idea, but gives in. The pass we plan to cross today will be the highest on our trip: Col Malatra (2928). Weather is wet.

Navigating in the rain. Gaute & Ragnhild

Visibility is ‘fogged up’. Snow limit is far too low. The trail will be tricky to find and follow. And: The Bonatti staff tells me that nobody has been through the pass this summer by foot: “There is too much of the snow you see! Very much. One group tried last week, experienced mountain guys. They had to turn back…” Still I think it is a good idea to go for it.
After paying our bill (cash only) we leave Bonatti in the rain at 09:00, heading SE up Vallone di Malatra. Beyond 2250m we are walking mostly on snow. Our GPS with topographic map and downloaded tracks is good support. Despite not seeing the trail too much we know that it is somewhere below the snow, according to the GPS… Steep zigzagging up first real climb towards the pass Colle Malatra before the trail levels out a bit at 2650m. Rain has stopped by now. Before going for pass we have our Bonatti sandwiches. 

Snowy hike towards Colle Malatra (2928)

Fog is hanging low around us. Guided by the GPS –and our good skills (!??) - we easily climb up to the right passage through Colle Malatra (2928). The east side of the col look much worse though. Steep, and packed with deep, deep snow. No signs of the trail at all, or of the valley floor below us. Fog is really thick. We brought only one ice axe and 4 pairs of walking poles. Sharing the equipment we start the very slow and careful descend, backwards, step by step. The snow is of good quality, enabling us making good steps.

Focused in the fog. Not that easy...

It is a bit scary (“Type 2 Fun” as TMB friend Nicola characterized this kind of experiences: Blood scary when doing it. Good fun talking about later), so we are more than happy when we finally reach the foot of the snowy descend. Name of the valley we now are in is Combe des Merdeux.

Summer Snow Specialists: Ragnhild, Wenche, Rune, Gaute & Brage

All the way down to the cabin we walk though a very foggy winter landscape. The Rifugio Frassati is misplaced on the (Kompass hiking map 85, Mont Blanc, Monte Bianco) and not marked in our GPS map, so we wander around a bit before finding it. Rifugio Frassati (2540), built a few years ago, is a huge cabin sitting close to a small pond. A fancy building with a very special crew receiving us extremely heart-full...

The fantastic crew at Rifugio Frassati (2540)

The three-four families - including 10 (?) children and a granddad - work voluntarily for a week or two every summer. They are all members of OMG(!), Operazione Mato Grosso (raising money and carrying out human aid in Brazil). They have only us to take care of today, very eager to tell us that we are the first group coming via Colle Malatra this season! We believe them. “Mama mia, you are very very brave and clever…!” Brave, or maybe stupid? Soon we enjoy a big Italian lunch: Cheese, prosciutto, lardo, bread, beer and coke. Then it is time for a long Italian siesta on the cold sleeping rooms upstairs. Winter is still sitting in the walls. Back down in the big dining room we enjoy the family life around us.


The atmosphere is nothing but positive and friendly. I wish badly that Italian was a language I could understand and speak, these people know how to live the good life. Dinner is a new highlight, served at 19:00. Before going to bed the lady serving us asks:“You want breakfast 05:00, yes?” Laughter and big smile when we go for 08:00. Bed time for us at 22:00. Outside it is clearing up...

Thursday 4 July 2013
Rifugio Frassati (2540) - Finestra di Serena (2547) - Cheverel (1500) www.cheverel.it 

20 km. Ascend: 700m Descend: 1700m. 8 hours.

Waking up 07:30 under a big blue sky! Breakfast at 08:00. We order some additional ham and cheese to make the meal a bit more Nordic, as well as sandwiches for our lunch. There will be no places to refill during the walk.

Rifugio Frassati (2540)

We pay our bill (cash only) and greet farewell to the unique Frassati Team at 09:30. Around the cabin snow still present, but after a few minutes we walk on green meadows down the valley Comba des Merdeux. So many flowers. Big and fascinating view. We stick to main trail (Alta Via 1) until we reach the

The valley named Comba des Merdeux

houses/ruins of Tsa de Mardeux, high above the river running below us in the narrow gorge. Below the “hamlet” we mess a bit before finding the trail down to the bridge at Rots (1784). Next to the river it is time for a break and to fill up the water bottles; the day is getting hot. The narrow trail (9A on the Kompass Map) towards the ruins of Berruard is well defined the first part,

Something in common: 1954 :- )

then it disappears in the scrub. We find it again a bit higher up. From out trail up high we now look down on the major highway coming up Val del Gran San Bernardo, with trucks heading for Switzerland.
Just south of Berruard, inhabited by a lone goat only, we end have problems to find the crossing of the creek running in a narrow gully. This is obviously not the most used Alp trail around. At Arp du Bois (2044) we are back on better trail again, walking through pleasant forest and boulder terrain. Lunch stop close to the tree line (2100m) and bottle refill. Nice and gentle ascend towards the pass.

Heading for Colle di Serena (2547)

At 2300m we leave the summer conditions, from now on it is once more mainly of snow covered stretches. We arrive the pass Colle di Serena (2547) after 5 hours walking. A short stop taking in the view, then it is downhill following the very nice trail No. 4 on the east side high above of the valley Comba di Planival.

High above Valle d'Aosta

For the first time we see the top of Mont Blanc! Bigger and whiter than anything else around. Reaching Ors Desot (2100) it is a warm walk down and down and down on dirt road and tarmac, all the way to our place for the night: Albergo Cheverel (1500).

Bjørn & Nic. Albergo Cheverel

Our hero of the evening is Nic at Albergo Cheverel. He has a unique sense of humor and morbid jokes get straight to our hearts; the tired and thirsty Norwegiansl. After a wonderful shower (first one since Champex) we are ready for dinner at 19:30. They really know how to cook at this place! Happy and filled up we are ready for bed at 22:00. It has been a long and warm day. Nico, we’ll keep in touch. We’ll be back. In Albania!

Friday 5 July 2013
(Taxi from Cheverel via Morgex to Arpy)
Arpy (1700) – Col Cormet (2832) - Rifúgio Deffeyes (2485) www.rifugiodeffeyes.it 

15 km. Ascend: 1150m Descend: 500m. 7 hours.

Getting up at 07:30 to a new and sunny day at Albergo Cheverel. Downstairs a big and tasty breakfast is waiting. Just what we need. Time to pay (credit card, €55 per head including meals). Friendly Nic has booked a taxi for us at 09:00.

"I was more than 80 times on Monte Bianco/Mont Blanc", says our nice taxi driver.

Our driver is a smiling local character. “Oh yes, I know Monte Bianco that we see up there. I was more than 80 times on the top. Guiding...” We are only freshmen here.

Shopping in Morgex

At Morgex we stop and shop food for lunch and snacks. Then we take a new taxi up the winding road to Arpy (1700), where we start our walk at 11:00. Through nice forest on dirt road and good trail up to Lac d’Arpy (2068).

Lac d’Arpy (2068)

Big landscape up here, and: A lot of people. Hundreds of people; today it is a concert at the lake side, part of an annual Aosta Celtic Festival. We leave the crowd behind, having a rest with fruits and water, then we try to get ready for the steep climb towards Lago di Pietra Rossa. First part is on good trail, but below the waterfall running down from the mountain lake it gets more tricky.

Steep snow patches

It’s the snow again, once more making it hard to spot where to go. In addition it fills up the trail leaving steep, steep snow patches that we have to cross. Once more the GPS becomes a very good friend. Even though the trails on the GPS map have low accuracy time to time it is of great help since most of the way marks are hiding deep in the snow. Lago di Pietra Rossa (2569) is ice covered. We find a dry and nice spot on the ridge west of it. Time for Lunch with a View:

Gaute & Brage. Og Mont Blanc.

The Majestic Mont Blanc Massive fills the NW horizon. We have loads of bread and spread and fruits. Sun is shining. Definitely not too tempting to move one.
From the frozen lake the valley climbs gently towards the next pass: Col Cormet. We see no signs of the trail (No. 15,18), just snow and talus/boulders. The snow is firm and OK to walk one, far better than the rocky small ridges we have to cross every now and then. Snow: We love you, even in July in Italia!

Brage in Col Cormet (2832)

Arriving Col Cormet (2832) 5.5 hours after leaving Arpy (including breaks). The view towards south present a landscape different and “wilder” compared to what we have walked so far. Looks very nice for both hiking and ski touring. Highest peak in this area is Testa del Rutor (3486), sitting close to the French border and National park of Vanoise. From the pass we descend the valley Combassa, sliding on the snow – saving our knees – for a long, long stretch. No signs of the trail at all. At the tiny pond (2417) we cross the tiny ridge to the east to find trail No.15.

Beautiful wild Italian landscape. Heading for Rifugio Deffeyes.

The trail is often exposed and narrow, with chains to grab on to around one of the most tricky corners. Not place to be if snow covered. Luckily most of the white stuff has melted in this SW exposed mountain side.
The last kilometer of our day takes us along main trail to our new castle: RifugioDeffeyes (2485). Fantastic setting. Beautiful mountain cabin. Majestic panorama

Rifugio Deffeyes (2485). Dreamlike

towards the peaks of Testa del Rutor (or Tête-du-Ruitor as the French like it) and Grand Assaly. We find a vacant table outside, and order cold, cold drinks!
Quite a lot of people here tonight. After all it is weekend. Still we get two rooms for ourselves: One for the two snorers, one for the four more quiet sleepers. Dinner and Italian wine is served at 19:00. Bedtime at 22:00. As usual.

Saturday 6 July 2013
Rifúgio Deffeyes (2485) – Passo Alto (2856) – La Thuile (1440) www.chaletalpina.it
15km. Ascend: 400m Descend: 1400m.
Rif. Deffeyes – Passo Alto: 1 hour. Rif. Deffereys – La Thuile: 3 hours

Another dream day as we get up at 07:30. Breakfast is served at 08:00.

Italian breakfast. No place for hungry men!

Three of us prefer to relax at the cabin, while the other four of us are in the mood for walking to Passo Alto east of the cabin.
The hike follows then nice valley Comba de Usselettes and the main trail Alta Via 2. Despite coming rather high it is only short stretches of snow. Just before we reach the pass we catch up with a big group of hikes from 15-20 happy hikers from Milano, proud and happy members of SEM; Società Escursionisti Milanesi. From Passo Alto (2856) they tell us it’s possible to see Monte Cervino – Matterhorn – on a clear day. I manage to spot Grand Combin (south of Verbier). Unfortunately Matterhorn is hiding in cloud banks.

Passo Alto (2856)

Heading back down to the cabin we pick the more southern trail, along the lakes named Lagi di Usselettes. Very snowy all the way, but with a nice view towards Testa del Rutor. The last part of the descend offers a grand view towards Rigugio Deffeyes and the lake below it, Lago del Rutor.

Lago del Rutor next to Rifugio Deffeyes

Back at the cacin it is time for lunch: Pasta con ragu, seved outside in the yard. Time to pay our debt (cash only). 12:00 sharp we greet goodbye and start walking down the valley to La Thuile. We follow the good Alta Via 2 trail down towards Lago del Ghiacciaio – the Glacier Lake. Dramatic and pleasant landscape at the same time.

Lago del Ghiacciaio

 A lot of weekend hikers are out today. Below the lake our trail meets the forest. One the way we pass close to several grand waterfalls running wild now, well fed by the melting snow. Far down in the valley we spot the ski resort La Thuile waiting for us. When crossing the river at 1599m we meet the tarmac road.

Approaching La Thuile

Time for a gelatto at the small restaurant 500m down the road. It is a warm day. Despite walking on hard asphalt the last 4km into La Thuile it is a pleasant walk down the deep valley. At Chalet Alpina the owner Ed Nico receives us in the best way.

Landed. Chalet Alpina, La Thuile

The chalet has a big garden - and a swimming pool! We make sure that swimming season starts. Cold it is, but wet! La Thuile might be a busy place during the winter season, but now big parts of it is totally dead and abandoned. We struggle real hard before finding a supermarket buying beer, coke and snacks (no such stuff available at the chalet today). Finally we find a shop in the gigantic and horrible hotel/apartment complex Planibel. For dinner Ed recommends La Lisse restaurant (www.lalisse.it). A very good suggestion for sure. Trust this man! Book a table if you may, the place was really crowded. After an evening stroll through the village we are ready for bed at 22:30.

Sunday 7 July 2013
La Thuile (1440)– Pré-Saint-Didier (1015)
15km. Ascend: 450m Descend: 900m. 4.5 hours

Ed is ready with a very good breakfast for us at 08:00. We have decided to change the plans for today. The original plan was to take a taxi up the valley named Vallon de la Youlaz, to elevation 2000m, then hike via Colle di Youla (2659) to Courmayeur. However Ed found out yesterday that no taxis could bring us up high: The La Thuile taxis are not allowed to drive on dirt roads… After 6 days on the trail we are not in the mood for an extra 1000m ascend through the forest. Instead we go for the more gentle trail heading NE – via the hamlet Petosan – to Pré-Saint-Didier.

Exit La Thuile

After paying (cash only) we start our walk through La Thuile, then follow local trail No.1 towards Monte del Parco. Most of the trail runs through forest, and for 1.5 km we have to follow the road for Arpy and Morgex. It is not a trail we will recommend or talk too much about later.

Passing through dead quiet Petosan

We have our supermarket lunch before doing the last hairpins down to the big Valle d’Aosta. Then we are ready for entering steaming hot Pré-Saint-Didier, famous for its thermal baths. We skip the bath and head for the bus stop. From here we take a SAVDA bus (timetables at www.savda.it) to Courmayeur. From there we have to enter another SAVDA bus bringing us through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, to France and Chamonix (€ 16 per head). Checking in on this bus is nearly as strict as flying; The Mont Blanc Tunnel security setup is very serious after the terrible fire disaster in 1999. But why are the bus drivers in this area behaving so badly? We have still not met one that had a friendly attitude.The SAVDA bus drops us off outside Chamonix railway station at 16:00.

Chamonix, with Mont Blanc (4810) high above

From here it is a 15 minute walk north to Gîte Chamoniard Volant (www.chamoniard.com) were we have booked rooms (and staid several times before when ski touring Haute Route). Simple, friendly and very cheap.
Thank you Erick Mangin! We’ll be back next year for sure.
Sharing the last evening together this summer we celebrate our fabulous tour (no injuries, no diseases, 100% positive mood) with a good dinner at Restaurant Le Serac (www.leserac.com). Recommended!

Monday 8 July 2013
(Bus from Chamonix to Col de Montets)
Col des Montets (1461) – Chalet du Lac Blanc (2359) www.refugedulacblanc.fr

15 km. Ascend: 900m Descend: 0m. 3.5 hours

Early breakfast at Gîte Chamoniard Volant, before a short tour to town.

Last 2013 Summer Breakfast together. Gîte Chamoniard Volant

While Ragnhild, Wenche and Rune have to leave for Genève and Norway, we – the remaining 4 –take the bus north to Col de Montets and the small museum/restaurant there. Don’t listen to the advices from the lady in the kiosk: “Chalet du Lac Blanc? Oh la la! It is very long. It is very steep. You need very good boots. You need walking poles. It is 4 meters of snow up there!” If this had been our first hiking day we might have given it all up. We politely say thanks for the advice (polite we are), buy some water and starting the sunny and warm climb towards SW. The trail is excellent, and yes: Steep, but very good.

Finally saying hello to a bouquetin/ibex/steinbock

Reaching the flatter part at 2000m – La Remuax – we have our lunch break, finding a creek to swim. Suddenly we are “attacked” by some we have been looking for the whole week: The bouquetin/ibex/steinbock. 3-4 of them walk around us, grassing peacefully along the trail.

The trail now runs rather flat and gentle until it reaches the tiny lake (2211) below the cabin, offering grand view towards peaks like Aiguille Verte (4122) & Grandes Jorasses (4208), and the glaciers Mer de Glace & Glacier d’Argentière. Mont Blanc is hiding in the clouds now: Rainy clouds are coming in now.

As we start on the final steeper and snowy climb towards the cabin rain is falling. Good to find shelter at beautiful Chalet du Lac Blanc (2359), where the young and efficient staff guides us to our tiny but pleasant room. Time a beer and a siesta. Dinner is served around 19:00. We share table with a lively British couple (Nicola and Niall) and a tuff walker from New Zealand (“Miss Kiwi”). Our new friends help making our last mountain evening memorable and warm.

View from Chalet du Lac Blanc (2359) towards "The Chamonix Valley". 
Center: Aiguille Verte (4122). Right: Mont Blanc (4810)

Outside the sky is clearing up after the summer afternoon showers. As the sun goes down we have a marvelous pink Mont Blanc Massive panorama wishing us all a good night.

Tuesday 9 July

Chalet du Lac Blanc (2359) www.refugedulacblanc.fr – Planpraz (2007)
(cablecar from Planpraz to Chamonix)
10 km. Ascend: 250m Descend: 600m. 3.5 hours

Breakfast is served 07:00. Outside the sky is bluer than blue. We say goodbye to Nicola and Niall who start out for their second and very long TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) day, walking all the way to Trient via Le Tour. We have a far less ambitious plan: Planpraz cable car station. Miss Kiwi, having the very last of her 10 TMB day, asks if she may join us: “I simply can’t read maps. I keep on getting lost every day!”

On the trail from Chalet du Lac Blanc (2359) to La Flégère (1877)  

The five of us are ready and off at 08:00. New record being us. On good trail down to La Flégère (1877), then further on to Planpraz. We meet a lot of hikers, of all ages and nationalities. The accesses to these trails are many and popular. Grand Balcon du Sud is the good name often used about this area, all the way we have the majestic view towards Mont Blanc and the wild landscape on the opposite side of the valley.

The very last pause on "Tour de Mont Blac, our way.."; proud and melancholic.

Our nine days of walking in the Alps are over when reaching Planpraz (2007), leaving me both proud and melancholic. Miss Kiwi sits besides us and cries as well… It has been a unique experience doing this with my family – and some of my good friends.

For a short moment I am close (?) to make a crazy stunt marking the end of the tour, flying down to Chamonix with one of the many paragliders sitting around us waiting for costumers… But no, no, no. We all go for the cable car down to Chamonix.

Heading into Chamonix

In Chamonix it is one more night at Gîte Chamoniard Volant, and a very last evening having excellent food, this time at Restaurant Le Chaudron (www.le-chaudron-chamonix.com).

Wednesday 10 July

Today we are Chamonix tourists: 

Walking the town, cable car to Aiguille du Midi. Then heading for Oslo...

Despite liking it here it is time for heading home. We do our best to top the last day in the Alps by taking the cable car to Aiguille du Midi. Return ticket costs ≈€50, so it is not for free. Still we do not regret, despite the crowds. Being up there on Aiguille du Midi (3800-and-something) is an adventure. How were they able to construct something like this?

Panorama from Aiguille du Midi, looking NE 

The view is overwhelming, no matter which way we look, literally packed with peaks, glaciers, climbers and glacier scramblers. An insane place. Best tourist trap for miles and miles. Safely back in Chamonix town it is time for lunch.

Lunch at Moö Bar & Cuisine, Chamonix 

We try Moö Bar Cuisine close to the railway station: Very good salad bar, and big tasty burgers :- ) Will for sure go back next time I'm in town.
We have booked transfer with ChamExpress www.chamexpress.com picking us up outside Chamoniard Volant 15:40. Reliable, efficient, good price – within 1.5 hours we arrive at Genève Airport.... Farewell Switzerland. Farwell Alps.

Takeoff with Lufthansa 19:45 to Oslo via Frankfurt.

THANKS TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR A FANTASTIC TRIP THROUGH THE BIG ALPINE LANDSCAPE.

A 100% positive mood we kept all the way, both uphill and downhill.

Thanks as well to the good people that received us so well!