UKC

I'm giving serious thought to doing the TMB this year and am currently planning shortest viable distances between huts and refuges without making the day ridiculously short. OK, might take me two or three day longer that the normal but I can live with that.

Can anyone recommend reasonable, cormfortable accommodation in Les Houches and Courmayeur. Ideally I would like to leave some spare clothing etc at Les Houches.

I'm planning on taking the bare minimum on the trek consistent with safety.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

In reply to mypyrex:

I have stayed at Refuge Michel Fagot in Les Houches which is very good, central to the village and you can leave your travel clothing etc.

Haven't stayed in Courmayeur centre as stay at Refuge Maison Vielle which is about 30 minutes out of Courmayeur or you could stay at Refugio Gorgio Bertone about 30 minutes the other side of Courmayeur.

Any further advice just ask

In reply to robert-hutton:

Thanks for the reply. Any idea how far in advance I would need to book accommodation in the huts, gites and refuges? I know that in the Pyrenees you can sometimes book at a few hours notice although sometimes I've had to book two days ahead. Also, in the Pyrenees, if you are staying in a particular hut the guardian will often phone your booking through to the next one if you let him/her know where you are going.

I used to love it before you had to book. You could just turn up and you could sleep almost anywhere. Much more fun.

In reply to mypyrex:

Hi , it depends when you are going and how many in your party, in the peak season late July to early September you will have to phone early morning to reserve a place.
But very few guardians will turn you away we did it last year and not booked once.

In reply to mypyrex:

Hi , it depends when you are going and how many in your party, in the peak season late July to early September you will have to phone early morning to reserve a place.
But very few guardians will turn you away we did it last year and not booked once.

In reply to robert-hutton:

Thanks, that's encouraging. I had visions of having to book days or weeks in advance. I think it gives one far more flexibility.

Just like the good old days before huts had phones That would make life easier.

I'm planning on going solo so that, as an old fart, I don't hold anyone else back because of my slow pace.

In reply to mypyrex:

Hi, I'd second the Refugio Gorgio Bertone, much nicer staying high and out of Courmayeur, plus you are already part way up next days climb. The food was great too, I'm sure virtually all of it was home grown.

In reply to robert-hutton:

Bertone is a great place but it's more like 1h30 from Courmayeur not 30 minutes. This is something Pyrex might want to take into consideration if it's at the end of his day, given his earlier worries about his fitness...

In reply to jon:

Thanks for that comment. It's what I was thinking. Also I was planning a rest day in Courmayeur.

In reply to mypyrex:

Courmayeur is a great place for a break, unless you truly hate people. Here's a tip from last summer - Refuge Lac Combal (or something like ) is great, an easy stage before Courmayeur: it's recently been upgraded and more like a hotel than a refuge but with refuge prices and is a great alternative to the overcrowded Elizabetta.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:


Thanks for that very interesting and useful info. It doesn't seem to be named on my map but there is a building marked just below the 2000m contour roughly where the Glacier de Miage veers to the north east. Googling brings up http://www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/index.cfm/cabane-du-combal.html
I assume that's it.

In reply to mypyrex:

Yes you correct