Mont Blanc Walks: 50 day walks and 4 multi-day treks (Cicerone Walking Guide) (Cicerone Guides) - Softcover

Hilary Sharp

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1852848197 ISBN 13: 9781852848194

Publisher: Cicerone Press, 2016

Synopsis

The 54 walks in this guidebook explore the popular region around Mont Blanc (4808m), the highest mountain in Western Europe, showcasing the very best routes on both the French and the Italian sides of the massif. Includes 50 great day walks of 3-20km, and 4 multi-day treks, taking in a variety of terrain including valley footpaths, airy ridges and via ferratas. Walks are Graded 1 to 3: grade 1 walks are manageable by any reasonably fit person on good, usually waymarked paths, while grade 3 routes are long, tough routes, often without waymarking, making navigation difficult: there could also be some scrambling. Additionally there is often a valley walk that can be done whatever the weather, or on rest days, with children, by bike, or as a run. The major centres of Chamonix and Courmayeur are often busy with holidaymakers, but the area has walks equal to anywhere for views, terrain and variety, with their sublime glaciers, high snowy summits, flower-bedecked slopes and rocky trails. Be it spring, summer or autumn, the sheer beauty and range of the walking here will satisfy any hiker - and there are plenty of facilities for the end of the day.

About this title

Review:

This is a super guide for anyone planning some summer days walking near Mont Blanc. Chamonix and Courmayeur can be extremely busy and this suggests other valley options that have top-class walks and top-class views. In all it features 50 day walks and four multi-day treks, all graded for difficulty and with indications of the best periods for setting out - or not. Handily sized for a rucksack or jacket, it is meant to be used with the IGN Top 25 maps but an overview map is also recommended so you know what is in sight at the top. Good little tips can suggest extras on the route or options to avoid such as a "little southward ridge that gives good walking but has very exposed sections'. Detailed route descriptions are matched with superb photos and sketch maps but a bonus is information on transport links and accommodation. In short, this is an incitement to head for the hills, especially as many of the walks require just ordinary fitness levels. --Connexion, February 2016

All levels are catered for, with some quite low-level walks and a decent number of more challenging hikes into the higher altitudes. The author lived in the Chamonix valley for many years and the guide benefits from her insights. Arguably the most useful aspect of this guidebook is the range of off-the-beaten-track walks. These will allow users to avoid the crowds that flock to the slopes of the Mont Blanc area in peak season. On a similar vein, a selection of four multi-day treks is proposed. Any of these would provide a good introduction to multi-day walking while again avoiding the well-beaten tracks of the Tour de Mont Blanc and the GR5. --Irish Mountain Log, Spring 2016

About the Author:

Hilary Sharp is British, a qualified Accompagnatrice en Montagne (International Mountain Leader) based in France. After 23 years in the Alps she now lives in northern Provence, within easy reach of the southern French Alps. She runs her own trekking business, Trekking in the Alps and Provence (www.trekkinginthealps.com; www.trekkinginprovence.com).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cicerone Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1852848197
• ISBN 13: 9781852848194
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 288