For our last day, we were heading for our TMB finish in Chamonix. This turned out to be almost as long as our longest day and, without doubt, the hardest. There were two steep climbs, and a lot of the route seemed pretty technical. It’s hard to say how much of this was due to our now very tired bodies. There’s no doubt it would have been a much easier day on fresh legs.
- The Route – via Col de Balme & L’Aiguilette des Posettes, Tré le Champ, Tête aux Vents and La Flégère
- Distance – 29.8km
- Elevation gain – 2052m
- Elevation loss – 2352m
- Duration – 10 hours 23 with 90 mins drinks & lunch stops
A grey start from Refuge le Peuty
It was fairly grey with a welcome coolness in the air as we set off from Refuge le Peuty at 8.00 am. We started as we meant to go on, with our poles out. We’d been a bit apprehensive about this climb of 910m up to the Col de Balme, but after the initial short, sharp shock to the system, the incline became more gradual. We alternated between damp, misty forests and occasional pockets of blue sky. It was a surprisingly fun ascent with an ever-changing view thanks to the swirling clouds.
Decision time at the Col de Balme
We arrived on the Col de Balme summit on the Swiss-French border at around 9.30 am. Exactly the same time as a big white cloud. We fancied a coffee, so stopped at the big stone refuge. From our viewless table on the terrace, we debated whether or not to take the variant route via the Aiguilette de Posettes. Given the optimistic glimpses of blue sky, it didn’t take long for us to decide on this higher and more challenging route. We knew we had a long day ahead to reach Chamonix, but we also had no deadline imposed by having to reach a mountain hut in time for dinner. Plus, we were keen to make the most of our last day.
Teasing views on the Aiguilette de Posettes
It was definitely a spectacular route via the Aiguilette de Posettes, even though we never quite saw the entire panorama in its full glory. The gaps in the clouds continued to tease us. As we climbed up through the shrubs, bushes & rocky ridges, the clouds parted to reveal distant glaciated peaks for a few seconds before rolling in to hide them once more. Descending from the Aiguilette de Posettes, the dramatic performance by the weather continued. It was strangely rewarding and made for a very memorable section of the route, trotting above the clouds along a gently winding trail through a ridge-like meadow.
Tartiflette in Tré-le-Champ
By the time we’d navigated the tree-root-riden steep descent into the hamlet of Tré-le-Champ, it was late morning. We were ready for an early lunch, and the flower-decked Refuge La Boerne was the perfect spot. The sun was out, and we managed to grab one of the few remaining tables on the outdoor terrace. I had a craving for the potato, bacon and creamy dish known as Tartiflette, so ordering was quick and easy. It was served with salad and went down a treat; perfect fuel for our TMB finish in Chamonix.
Avoiding the ladders to Tête aux Vents
Then the last steep climb of the whole tour was upon us. Given my husband’s vertigo, he’d said right from the start that he was refusing to do the ladder section. So we set off for the variant. I didn’t feel I was missing out on too much, given that the variant joined up with the main route at Tête aux Vents. We would miss the ladder traffic jams and still get very similar views, and as the afternoon ticked on, the clouds were building. Much of the Mont Blanc Massif was already hidden from view, regardless of route.
We’d already spotted the afternoon’s zig-zagged path as we descended from the Aiguilette de Posettes before lunch. The 700m climb was even steeper than it looked, with almost 500m in the first 2km out of the valley. Despite the clouds, the steepness and our weary legs, it was just about enjoyable! Still very scenic with great views down the valley and back towards the Aiguilette de Posettes.
Ibex en route to La Flégère
As we arrived at the Col de Montets, we spotted an adult and baby ibex, grazing on the mountainside directly in front of us. They were completely unbothered by us passing on the footpath just a couple of metres away.
Soon after passing the large cairn at Tête aux Vents (where the ladder variant joins), we got our first glimpse of La Flégère, another UTMB landmark. The trail to reach it should have been lovely and runnable, but my legs were having none of it. And this was with 5 nights’ sleep since starting the tour! For the millionth time, I was in disbelieving awe of those UTMB runners.
The huge concrete cable car station of La Flégère was looking pretty grim as we arrived with a mass of dark grey cloud obscuring Mont Blanc. Luckily, the restaurant was still just about open, so we staggered inside. I launched myself towards the bags of crisps and bought a bottle of bright blue Powerade and a cereal bar. Hopefully, these emergency snacks might give me enough energy to enjoy our TMB finish in Chamonix.
Heading for Chalet La Floria
We’d been so looking forward to this last section. I’d daydreamed of trotting down the forest trail with a big smile on my face. Following in the footsteps of my UTMB heroes, I couldn’t wait to run past the flower-decked terrace of Chalet La Floria, packed with people enjoying an afternoon coffee and cake.
Instead, we began our descent by completely missing the path through the forest and instead taking what would be the ski piste in the winter. Luckily, we realised our mistake before it was too late, but it was a miserable and unnecessary trudge back up towards La Flégère. Setting off again on attempt number 2, we successfully picked up the single track through the forest. Now we were off! Hobbling at snail’s pace down the rocky pathway, inelegantly dodging the tree root trip hazards and stopping every few metres to stretch out our quads.
Chalet La Floria had long since closed for the day by the time we arrived just before 6 pm. As we stopped to take photographs, a runner arrived from the other direction, skidded onto the terrace, turned around and sped off retracing his steps back down to town. I watched with envy.
Our TMB finish in Chamonix
As we continued our laborious descent, we were passed by more sprightly runners. I could only console myself that they were probably not at the end of a 100-mile six-day outing, so at least I had a reasonable excuse for being unable to run.
Finally, we were down in the valley. The forest trail led us out onto the main road and into a sky full of refreshing rain. The UTMB milestone that is the temporary metal footbridge, of course, wasn’t there. But soon after crossing the road, everything became very familiar from our time watching those epic finishers. As we reached the riverside pathway into Chamonix, my legs magically returned to life. Despite the lack of race day crowds, I could well imagine the exhilaration of reaching this last kilometre. At last, my legs were running happily through the evening crowds, dodging on and off the pavements, past the Intersports shop and rounding the corner at La Terrasse. Then a final ‘sprint’ towards the Saint Michel Church. I ran through my own imaginary UTMB finish line, humming Conquest of Paradise in my head. The perfect end to our TMB adventure.
Click here for details of our full TMB route.
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.
Eiger Ultra Trail by UTMB
Read about my experience running the E35 North Face Trail here.