All walks

A path over the grassy top of Mont de la Saxe, with the snows of Mont Blanc behind.
Photo Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.

The balcony above Courmayeur

Bertone to Bonatti balcony traverse

The signature Tour du Mont Blanc day: a high traverse facing the Grandes Jorasses the whole way.

Hard

Distance
12 km
Ascent
1,000 m
High point
2,025 m
Walking, not counting the bus
5 to 6.5 h

Where it is

A drawn map of the Courmayeur valleys, not to scale. Courmayeur is in the middle, with the massif along the top. Line 924, Val Ferret to Arnouva; Line 931, Val Veny to La Visaille; Skyway Monte Bianco to Punta Helbronner. This walk runs between courmayeur and lavachey.Mont BlancVal FerretVal VenySkywayBertoneBonattiElenaElisabettaCombalCourmayeurLavacheyArnouvaNotre-DameLa VisailleEntrevesPavillonHelbronnerDrawn, not to scale

Reading your answers

How high

1,989 to 2,025 mhigh pointRifugio Walter Bonatti, Rifugio Giorgio Bertone
1,642 mLavachey
1,224 mCourmayeur, Piazzale Monte Bianco

The top stands 801 m above Courmayeur, Piazzale Monte Bianco. Total ascent is higher, because the path rises and falls on the way.

Before you go

Where to stand

  • Lavachey · 1,642 mA bench and the timetable on a post. No shelter from the weather.

What to carry. Boots, poles for the descent, food for the whole day, and a shell. Snow lies in the high cols into July.

If it goes wrong

112One number for mountain rescue, an ambulance, or the fire service. It is free, it works from a phone with no card and no credit, and it can put a translator on the line.

Worth reading before you leave. Soccorso Alpino Valdostano · The regional forecast · Wind and temperature up high

Worth knowing

Finish at Lavachey and ride line 924 home. The last bus down is 19:30 in high summer and 19:10 from 10 September.