InnCH
1,276 m
Auberge du Mont-Blanc
Trient · TMB km 128.4
The largest capacity in Trient, the inn stands at the entrance to the village, on the Martigny – Chamonix road and on…
Elevation profile
1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 kmAiguillette des Posettes 2,201 m
| Waypoint | Altitude | Km |
|---|---|---|
| Trient | 1,279 m | 0 km |
| Col de Balme | 2,191 m | 5.8 km |
| Aiguillette des Posettes | 2,201 m | 9.6 km |
| Tré-le-Champ | 1,417 m | 13.8 km |
The route
From Trient, a sustained climb through forest and then the Tseppes pastures leads to the Col de Balme (2,191 m), on the French-Swiss border. The hut at the col marks your return to France and the arrival of the most eagerly awaited panorama: the whole Chamonix valley, from the Aiguille Verte to Mont Blanc.
The main route then heads for the Aiguillette des Posettes (2,201 m), a grassy ridge with all-round views, before a steep descent to Tré-le-Champ, above Argentière.
Possible variants
- Les Grands variant: a wilder balcony above the Trient Glacier, starting from the Col de la Forclaz.
- Le Tour variant: a shorter, direct descent from the Col de Balme to the village of Le Tour (lifts in season).
- Vallorcine variant: a valley-floor route, useful in bad weather.
Practical tips
- The Col de Balme is often windy: bring a warm layer for your break.
- Argentière (20 min from Tré-le-Champ) has shops, a railway station and extra accommodation.
- The Le Tour lifts (Charamillon) let you cut the descent short in season.
Variants on this stage
- Les Grands variantHard · 9.1 km · 800 m ascent
- Le Tour variantEasy · 6.2 km · 40 m ascent
- Vallorcine variantModerate · 14.3 km · 980 m ascent
Stage map
Where to stay on stage 9?
Accommodation along the stage, at the finish or on its variants, in walking order.
Trient and Col de la Forclaz 4 places to stay
InnCH
1,275 m
Auberge La Grande Ourse
Trient · TMB km 128.4
A family-run inn in the village of Trient, at the foot of the Col de la Forclaz and two glaciers, renting rooms…
Mountain hutCH
1,327 m
©Refuge Le Peuty
Le Peuty (Trient) · TMB km 129.5
A small private hut in the hamlet of Le Peuty, on the edge of the village of Trient, on the path to the Col de Balme…
CampgroundCH
1,330 m
©Aire de camping du Peuty (place de repos)
Le Peuty (Trient) · TMB km 129.6
A municipal camping area set up on the Peuty meadow, next to the hut, which operates without reservations on a…
Les Grands 1 place to stay
Mountain hutCHvariant
2,113 m
Chalet des Grands (Refuge Les Grands)
Les Grands (Trient Valley)
A Swiss Alpine Club (CAS) chalet perched at 2,113 m on the Grands variant, a balcony route between Trient and the Col…
Col de Balme 1 place to stay
Mountain hutCH
2,191 m
©Refuge du Col de Balme
Col de Balme · TMB km 134.1
A hut set on the Franco-Swiss border at the Col de Balme, the tipping point between the Trient valley and the Chamonix…
Le Tour, Tré-le-Champ and Argentière 11 places to stay
Mountain hutFRvariant
1,910 m
Gîte d'alpage Les Écuries de Charamillon
Charamillon (Balme area) · TMB km 136
A former alpine farm converted into a hut, a quarter of an hour's walk from the Charamillon gondola arrival point, on…
HotelFRto be confirmed
1,460 m
Hôtel L'Olympique
Le Tour · TMB km 140.1
A small one-star hotel (9 rooms in 2022) in the village of Le Tour, not far from the Charamillon gondola station. It…
GîteFRvariant
1,466 m
Chalet Alpin du Tour (FFCAM)
Le Tour · TMB km 140.2
A large Alpine Club chalet in the heart of the hamlet of Le Tour, at the foot of the glacier of the same name, where…
GîteFR
1,395 m
Auberge La Boërne
Tré-le-Champ · TMB km 142
An 18th-century alpine chalet nestled in the hamlet of Tré-le-Champ, exactly where the TMB comes down from the…
GîteFRvariant
1,350 m
Gîte Le Moulin
Montroc (Les Frasserands) · TMB km 142
Housed in a former 18th-century farm and mill in the hamlet of Les Frasserands, this gîte is 200 m from Montroc-Le…
HotelFRoff route
1,280 m
Hôtel Le Dahu
Argentière · TMB km 143.2
A family-run hotel with 16 rooms in the center of Argentière, with balconies facing the Aiguille Verte, the Argentière…
GîteFRto be confirmed
1,245 m
Gîte Le Belvédère
Argentière (route du Plagnolet) · TMB km 143.3
A gîte listed at 501 route du Plagnolet, between the center of Argentière and Les Chosalets, with some fifty places in…
HotelFRoff route
1,298 m
©Hôtel de la Couronne
Argentière · TMB km 143.3
Founded in the 1860s, this is one of the oldest hotels still operating in the valley, right in the center of…
HotelFRoff route
1,226 m
Les Grands Montets Hôtel & Spa
Argentière · TMB km 143.3
A four-star chalet-style hotel to the south of the village of Argentière, near the Grands Montets cable car. An indoor…
CampgroundFRoff route
1,230 m
Camping du Glacier d'Argentière
Les Chosalets (Argentière) · TMB km 144.3
A two-star campground in the hamlet of Les Chosalets, at 1,230 m, facing the Argentière glacier. TMB hikers on foot…
HotelFRto be confirmed
1,225 m
Hôtel-restaurant Les Randonneurs
Argentière (opposite the Grands Montets) · TMB km 144.3
A simple hotel-restaurant opposite the Grands Montets lifts, south of Argentière, presented as a budget address with…
Vallorcine 4 places to stay
GîteFRvariant
1,300 m
Gîte Saint Louis
Le Morzay
A rustic chalet in the hamlet of Le Morzay, in Vallorcine, next to the Ferme des 3 Ours and run by the same…
GîteFRvariant
1,303 m
Gîte Mermoud
Le Morzay
A hamlet house with a beam dated 1723, at Le Morzay, between the two Vallorcine stations. Small capacity (15 places)…
CampgroundFRvariant
1,300 m
©Camping des Montets
Le Montet (Le Buet) · TMB km 138
A nature campground at the place called Le Montet, between Vallorcine and Le Buet, at 1,300 m altitude. Tents are…
HotelFRvariant
1,340 m
Hôtel du Buet
Le Buet
A hotel-restaurant in the hamlet of Le Buet, on the Col des Montets road, right next to the railway halt. Its 23 rooms…
Lac Blanc and La Flégère 1 place to stay
GîteFRoff route
1,199 m
Gîte Le Nouveau Grassonnet
Argentière (Les Grassonnets) · TMB km 145.7
A large chalet completely renovated in 2014 in the Grassonnets district, south of Argentière, run by the association…