TMB – Day 1 – Les Houches to Refuge de la Balme

After 12 months of planning, we were off! A 27.5km day, and we couldn’t wait for our first mountain hut overnight experience of the tour, at Refuge de la Balme.

• The route – via Col de Voza, Col de Tricot, Chalets de Miage and Les Contamines
• Distance – 27.5km
• Elevation gain – 2071m 
• Elevation loss – 1352m
• Duration – 7hrs 45 mins with 1 hour stop for lunch, sheltering from rain

Departure from Chamonix to Les Houches

The sun was yet to hit the streets of Chamonix as we stepped outside the Lykke Hôtel at 07:05 am. A fresh blue-skied day greeted us, the snowy massif of Mont Blanc glistening high overhead. We were taking the 7:15 am train from Chamonix, which would get us to Les Houches in 20 minutes. While we’d considered running this first part, we were uncertain how we would cope with the overall volume of mileage. In the end, we decided it was safer to take the train. Also, with the weather forecast due to close in later, we preferred to head higher sooner rather than later. 

Setting off from Les Houches to Col de Voza

From Les Houches station, it’s a bit of a walk following the road up to the TMB start arch. Arriving here was pretty exciting; other TMB starters were milling around, and after the obligatory archway pictures, we were officially off!

From the arch, the route continues along the road. After passing through a short tunnel, we reached the steps on the left that start the climb up to Col de Voza. A few hikers veered off here, presumably to shortcut this first climb by taking the Bellevue cable car. We’d heard this part was not the best, but there was no way we were taking the lift. It was a bit of a slog, though; I could soon feel the altitude, so a worrying taster of what was to come!

It was still early as we reached the Col de Voza, and shortly after, the Hotel Bellevue at 1800m. With more blue sky than wispy clouds, we had views of the jagged peaks across the valley. The Mont Blanc massif peered across the forested mountains in the foreground. Just after the hotel, we managed to miss the sign to the Col de Tricot. Luckily, we quickly realised our mistake – basically, don’t cross the railway line. We recrossed the track back to our original side and headed across a short meadow into the woods.

The rope bridge

We were on a nice single-track runnable stretch. Apart from a couple of rocky sections with chains, there was nothing very challenging. At this point, we spotted a race sign indicating 2km to the finish. We were heading in the opposite direction to a 20km race! As my husband was already dreading a rope bridge up ahead, we desperately hoped we’d be able to cross before the runners hit it. Luckily, we reached it well before the race leaders. Instead, we came across a pile-up of large rucksack-hikers moving very slowly. I managed to push my way through, making apologies due to my acrophobic husband. The bridge itself was better than he’d expected (as I’d predicted). But sadly, I have no pictures of our actual crossing of it, as it was all a bit tense.

Up and over Col de Tricot

Then began the climb to the Col de Tricot at 2120m. This was a busy section, but there were plenty of passing places. We reached the col just over 3 hours into our day. Just as the first runners appeared to shouts of ‘allez allez!’. We paused for a quick sit-down on a rock, sharing a rice energy bar as we watched the front racers pass by. The steep descent from the col was extra challenging with a mass of ascending runners to dodge as well as descending hikers. Despite this, I surprised myself by trotting a fair bit and quite enjoying myself.

Lunch at Chalet le Truc

As we reached Chalet Miage at the bottom of the descent, the weather started to change. Looking at the impending clouds, we decided to press on with the 180m short, wooded climb to Le Truc. Here, we stopped at Chalet le Truc for a lovely lunch. We optimistically picked an outdoor picnic table and ordered coffee, soup and a large salad to share (in that order). The first drops of rain hit just after finishing our coffee, so we hastily moved inside. The second we sat down, the heavens opened. We spent a leisurely hour over lunch as the rain battered on the windows. The atmospheric wooden dining room with a big, stone (unlit) fireplace was soon packed as everyone sought shelter.  

A rainy descent through Les Contamines

With no sign of the rain stopping, we put on our waterproof jackets and set off down to Les Contamines. This was a very runnable section on an increasingly wide track. Having decided against the waterproof trousers, we could pick up quite a good speed without overheating and flew past lots of miserable-looking hikers sheltering under trees or trudging slowly. We arrived in Les Contamines, with rivers running down the street. Rain hammered overhead, and lots of people stood huddled under the overhanging roofs. We pressed on regardless, strangely enjoying the wet conditions. Along the valley, we were mostly running alongside the river towards Notre Dame de la Gorge, passing soggy donkeys with the biggest ears in the world. 

Next stop, Refuge de la Balme

Suddenly, the rain started to ease off. As we started our ascent towards Refuge de la Balme, we were delighted to see mountain tops emerge again as the weather cleared. We’d resigned ourselves to no views for at least a couple of days, given how bad the rain was! 

After following the stony forested track up to the chalet-style Refuge Nant Borrant, it was only 2.5km to go to the Refuge de la Balme. The path gradually opened out into meadowland where we passed a herd of French cows with bells. And there was our first glimpse of our overnight accommodation. Nestled on a meadow plateau in the sunshine, we arrived at the Refuge de la Balme much earlier than expected, at around 3:30 pm. We happily collapsed on the sunny terrace with a cup of herbal tea and a huge slice of blackcurrant flan (gluten-free chocolate cake for my husband).

Night 1 – Refuge de la Balme 

The hut had a drying room, but with everyone leaving the door open, it wasn’t that effective. I headed for the couple of long washing lines instead, swaying in the breeze in the rapidly weakening alpine sunshine. But there were no pegs. The biggest challenge for the rest of the day was to somehow dry out our wet gear. How to hang our pants on the line without them flying off over the French Alps?  

After sorting out our bags and taking a quick shower, a 6.30 pm dinner was quickly followed by lights out at 9:00 pm. 

What we loved:

The up-in-the-mountains location, with rugged mountain views and cosy ambience. It more than makes up for any shortfalls.

What we didn’t love:

The very basic breakfast and lack of flip-flops! This was the only mountain hut not to provide flip-flops. As we were travelling so light, we didn’t have our own. It was only a minor inconvenience, but it was made worse due to the wet ground after the rain. Getting to and from the toilets, shower and dining room wearing either our dirty socks or wet running shoes was pretty unpleasant. In fact, my socks never recovered!

Accommodation: 

We were lucky to book a private room with a washbasin. It was a very cosy chalet-style room, a decent size for a refuge, with wood-pannelled walls and a comfy double bed. To fight against bed bugs, when we arrived, we were given a plastic box for our personal belongings. All rucksacks must stay in the drying room, so you decant valuables or anything you need overnight into the plastic box. 

Facilities:

Basic but fine. There were 4 showers with hot water and 2 toilets. Not many for the number of guests, but we never had to wait long. They were all located around the back of the main refuge near the drying room. As everyone arrived at different times, we didn’t have to wait long for a shower. 

Meals:

Dinner was served at 6.30 pm in the rustic dining room in a standalone hut. Everyone is told where to sit; we were with an American couple for our first communal dining experience of the trip. It was fun to chat, swapping stories of our days and sharing plans for our respective trips. Dinner was good. 3 courses – soup with a slice of cheese, mushroom and leek pasta (GF option: rice with lentils & goats cheese), lemon cake (GF option: slice of chocolate cake).

Breakfast was very basic and chaotic, as it was laid out as a buffet in a tiny room with everyone arriving at the same time. 

Visit the official Refuge de la Balme website here.

Read my Day 2 blog post from Refuge de la Balme to Cabane du Combale here!

See our full TMB route here.

My Switzerland travel memoir

My love affair with the Alps began when I moved to Switzerland to be a holiday rep. You can read about my repping adventures in my travel memoir – It’s a Wunderbar Life. Click here for sample chapters.