Refuge de la Balme walks

On the border between the Mont Blanc, Beaufortain and Tarentaise massifs, this hike will take you through alpine pastures to discover the Lacs Jovets at an altitude of over 2,100 metres.

Lac de la Portette is a beautiful hiking destination in the Beaufortain, at the foot of the Grande Pareï cliff. And as I've always preferred loops to round trips, the Col du Mont Rosset and the return via the Balme refuge offer a nice bonus with views of the Pierra Menta, an iconic peak if ever there was one.

This is a circular loop that starts at 1,600 metres on the Versant du Soleil side of the Beaufortain massif, in a peaceful landscape of mountain pastures opposite the lively resorts of Tarentaise dominated by the Vanoise glaciers. At the beginning of summer, the herds are just beginning their summer grazing, leaving the colourful mountain pastures untouched for a little while longer. The silhouette of the nearby Pierra Menta remains inaccessible to hikers.

Lake Gittaz and the Curé passage.

From Les Contamines-Montjoie; an out and return walk to the Lacs Jovet, joining and following the Tour du Mont Blanc trail for most of the way. There are more challenging alternatives to this walk to make it longer, more circular or technically harder; these are described in the useful information section.

Completed from 27 June to 4 July 2011, with 4 hikers, 2 tents, in almost complete autonomy (food provided for 7 days, only bread and a few items were purchased along the route). The cable car and bus were used to shorten some stages and we needed about a day more to complete the Brévent balcony opposite the Mont Blanc massif. The return to the starting point will be by public transport, bus or train...

stage2 of the Tour du Mont Blanc from the Refuge de Nant Borrant (Contamines Montjoie) to the Refuge des Mottets (Bourg St-Maurice) via the Col des Fours variant.

Tour du Mont Blanc in 9 days.

stage2 of the TMB: from Les Contamines-Montjoie to the Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme.