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Mont Blanc Circuit


Discover the culture of 3 countries! A beautiful and culturally rich tour of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps that includes breathtaking views, fabulous cuisine and charming culture. Experience some of the most magnificent scenery in the Alps as we hike around Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe.

Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful and culturally rich hiking tours in the world, our Mont Blanc circuit is sure to be an unforgettable experience. Set in the heart of the Alps this majestic mountain is the tallest in Europe and our tour will travel around it through France, Italy, and Switzerland. We will visit a number of cities and villages including Geneva, Chamonix, Courmayeur and Champex just to name a few. Combined with a European guide, our Backwoods Adventures guides will be with you every step of the way.

We will spend our evenings at inns and lodges along the route. We will have our breakfast and dinner at local eateries. Lunches will either be in small villages that we pass through or we will picnic with the Alps as our scenery.

We will travel by plane, mini bus, chair lifts, and the power of our own two legs. After two weeks of hiking, you will appreciate the enchantment that this European jewel has to offer. From the abundance of wilderness to the rich history and culture of three separate European nations, it's easy to see why this has become a Backwoods Adventures favorite.

What’s Included?

The price includes international and domestic airfare, all hotels and most meals, and guide fees. Yes, you can (almost) leave your wallet at home - the price is ALL inclusive! This is a unique feature of the Backwoods Adventures trips as most companies price their trips on land cost only

What’s not included?

Personal gear and clothing for your personal use on the trip; alcoholic drinks at meals, guide tips (should you choose to tip your guide): additional charges in hotels such as laundry charges, etc.; additional activities outside the designed trip; airport and immigration taxes (in some situations); passports; travel insurance; any medical costs; and any costs associated with leaving the trip early by your choice. The trip price is figured on double room occupancy; however, single occupancy is available at an additional charge.

Tips

During your Backwoods Adventures experience your leaders work 24 hours a day for the duration of your trip ensuring that you have a great time. If you feel they gave you an excellent experience, and you wish to leave a tip for them, it is greatly appreciated! Certain Backwoods Adventures trips will require the additional assistance of porters, drivers, or other local staff members to assist with the overall operation. These are hardworking individuals who also stay on task 24 hours a day and assist in any way necessary. It is not mandatory to tip, but, it does highly supplement their pay, therefore, again is greatly appreciated.

Trip Leader

A unique feature of Backwoods Adventures is that you can talk directly with your guide. Please call or email Joe Koehly (316.200.5780 ~ jkoehly@backwoods.com) with any questions you have regarding this adventure.

Excess Baggage

Each airline has its own baggage regulations; most will charge for overweight baggage. Check with your international airlines to determine their baggage weight limitations and excess baggage fees. Most international flights allow two bags per person that can weigh 70 to 100 lbs. For domestic flights, remember that the weight limits for baggage is much less. Please check with Backwoods Adventures for this weight if your trip includes domestic flights.

Meals

At Backwoods Adventures we know that well fed travelers are happy travelers. We aim to please your palate. Since we will be staying at huts or lodges on the entire trip we will have our breakfast and dinner at local restaurants or cafes. Lunches will either be in small towns or villages that we pass through or we will grab some light fare to take with us and enjoy our lunch picnic stile with the Alps to gaze at while we eat.

Accommodations

Our accommodations will vary based on our location. However, all hotels and lodges are among the highest rated in the country both for location and amenities. Most hotels will provide single rooms (double occupancy), however there is the possibility of dormitory arrangements in a couple of locations along the circuit, depending on availability.

Travel Insurance

It is strongly suggested that you have comprehensive travel protection insurance. Trip insurance can include coverage for medical emergencies, coverage for trip cancellation due to your own accident or illness, or all of the above. We recommend this insurance as Backwoods Adventures cannot be responsible for covering these types of individual situations. Should you choose to purchase this insurance, please carry your confirmation information with you on your trip. Please provide us with the name, policy number and emergency contact number of your chosen insurance company.

Health

Some of the activities that you may choose to participate in while in Europe are strenuous and should not be undertaken if you have any health conditions which may put you at risk. You are strongly advised to consult your physician for a thorough medical check-up and clearance before attempting the trip. If you are over 50 years old, talk to your doctor about doing a "stress EKG". Should you require any medication whatsoever, you must provide your own and be able to administer it yourself.

Visa Requirements

No Visa is required for travel while in Europe. You should carry a photocopy of your passport, insurance information and emergency contact numbers with you at all times. You should leave a copy of this information with a friend or relative at home.

 


Trip Dates: 
2013 Dates Coming Soon!
  • Or, book a custom adventure trip.


    • Total Days: 15

    Price: $6,750.00 (Airfare Included)

    Activity Level:  1 2-3

    At Backwoods Adventures, we have trips for every skill level from novice to expert. These guidelines will help you select the level of adventure that's right for you. If you have questions about whether you are physically ready for a specific trip, we work with personal fitness trainers familiar with our trips that can assist you with your training program. Feel free to contact a trip guide.


    Level 1:Requires no particular fitness level and no special skills and there is the option to just hang out!

    Level 2:Requires a moderate fitness level, equivalent to 2 to 4 hours of physical exertion.

    Level 3:Requires a high level of fitness, equivalent to 6 to 8 hours of physical exertion.
    Activities: Hiking & Trekking

    Accommodations:
    Hotel Alpina, 3 nights; mountain inns, 10 nights.
  • Meet Our Guides


    • Mont Blanc Links:
  • French Embassy
  • CDC Health Information
  • Weather for Chamonix, France
  • Travel Insurance


    • Suggested Readings:
    Buy these books at your local Backwoods store or call 1.877.331.4255.

    Around Mont Blanc: A Rother Walking Guide, Eberlein

    49 carefully-selected tours tailored to the pleasure-oriented mountain hiker. Some tours lead close to cliffs and ice, many touch the summits, but none exceeds 3000 m. Also described: the popular "Tour du Mont Blanc" 17 stages which can be walked by novice hikers. For each trip there's a detailed text description, colored hiking map with the route illustrated, a brief trip summary, and color photo. Truly a hiker's valuable companion through the fascinating world around Mont Blanc. $14.95
    Tour of Mont Blanc, Reynolds

    This book describes one of the world's greatest hikes - the circumnavigation of the Mont Blanc massif, 120 miles and 11 days of pure magic. The book is split into 11 1-day sections, going either the traditional couter-clockwise direction, or - for less continuous human contact - the clockwise direction. Small enough to take with you, too. $19.95
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    Area Facts and Details

    • Mont Blanc is the highest mountain the Alps and in Western Europe. The two most famous towns near Mont Blanc are Courmayeur, in Aosta Valley, Italy, and Chamonix, in Haute-Savoie France, the site of the first Winter Olympics.

    • The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc was on 8 August 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel Paccard. This climb traditionally marks the start of modern mountaineering. The first woman to reach the summit was Marie Paradis in 1808.

    • In 1891, Pierre Janssen, a scientific academic credited for discovering helium, envisaged the construction of an observatory at the summit of Mont Blanc. Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel tower, agreed to take on the project, provided he could find strong foundations. A Swiss surveyor dug down 15 m (49 ft) but found nothing solid, so Eiffel gave up. Despite this, the observatory was built in 1893. During the cold wave of January 1893 a temperature of −43 °C (−45.4 °F) was recorded on the Mount Blanc, being the lowest ever recorded there. Levers attached to the ice supported the observatory. This worked to some extent until 1906, when the building started leaning heavily. The movement of the levers corrected the lean slightly, but three years later (two years after Janssen’s death) a crevasse started opening under the observatory and it was abandoned. Eventually the building fell.

    • Begun in 1957 and completed in 1965, the 11.6 km (7¼ mi) Mont Blanc Tunnel runs beneath the mountain between these two countries and is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes.

    • Since the French Revolution, the ownership of the summit has spurred many debates. Previously, the entire mountain had formed part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. In May 1796, the Sardinian king ceded the territories containing Mont Blanc to the French Republic. This act is even more confusing, because it states that the border should be visible from the town of Chamonix and Courmayeur. The summit is not visible from Courmayeur, because part of the mountain lower down obscures it. The convention of 7 March 1861 recognizes the border on the icecap of the Mont Blanc, and therefore makes it both French and Italian. Watershed analysis of modern topographic mapping not only places the main summit on the border, but also suggests that the border should follow a line northwards from the main summit towards Mont Maudit, leaving the south east ridge to Mont Blanc wholly within Italy. Despite the fact that the Franco-Italian border was redefined in both 1947 and 1963, the commission, made up of both Italians and French, ignored the Mont Blanc issue.

    • The summit of Mont Blanc is a thick, perennial ice and snow dome whose thickness varies, so no exact and permanent summit elevation can be determined. But accurate measurements have been made. For a long time its official elevation was 4,807 m (15,770 ft). Then in 2002, surveyors used GPS technology to measure the summit at 4,810.40 m (15,782 ft 2 in).

    • After the 2003 heatwave in Europe, a team of scientists re-measured the height at 4,808.45 m (15,775 ft 9 in), and the peak was 75 centimeters (30 in) away from where it had been in 2002.

    • After these results were published, more than 500 points were measured, to assess the effects of climate change, and the fluctuations in the height of the mountain at different points. From then on the elevation of the mountain has been measured every two years.

    • The interpretation that the heat wave had caused this fluctuation is disputed, because the heatwave is known not to have significantly affected the glaciers above 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The height and position of the summit could have been moved by general glacial forces. At this elevation, the temperatures rarely rise above 0 °C (32 °F).

    • The summit was measured again in 2005, and the results were published on 16 December 2005. The height was found to be 4,808.75 m (15,776 ft 9 in), 30 cm (12 in) more than the previous recorded height.

     

     

    Something Life Changing Is Just One Adventure Away!

    316.200.5780 | EMAIL US

    • "This trip far exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be beautiful, but it was more beautiful than I expected. I knew the good would be good, but it was better. I knew Joe would be good, but then there was Beatrice and Caroline. I knew the group would be good and fun loving…but it was even more fun than I thought!"

      Rich C. – Mont Blanc 2011

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