Stage 5: Courmayeur → Rifugio Bonatti

The route

You leave Courmayeur via the hamlet of Villair and a path that zigzags up through the larch forest. The climb, steep but shaded in the morning, comes out at the Rifugio Bertone (1,989 m) and its panoramic terrace looking out over Mont Blanc and the Val Veny.

Then begins a long, almost level balcony traverse along the flank of the Mont de la Saxe. Across the valley, the Dent du Géant, the Grandes Jorasses and the Planpincieux Glacier file past: for many, this is the finest balcony path on the TMB. The trail crosses several alpine pastures before reaching the Rifugio Walter Bonatti, named after the famous mountaineer.

The Mont de la Saxe ridge variant

From Bertone, fit hikers can follow the Mont de la Saxe ridge over the Tête Bernarda, an even airier route. See the Tête Bernarda variant.

If Bonatti is full

The Rifugio Bertone lets you split the stage. You can also drop down into the Val Ferret (Lavachey, Planpincieux, Arnouvaz), where several hotels and chalets are served by the shuttle bus from Courmayeur.

Practical tips

• Bonatti is booked up months in advance in summer: it is the hut to book first.
• There is little water along the balcony: fill your bottles at Bertone.
• The Val Ferret shuttle bus can take you back to Courmayeur from Arnouvaz if anything goes wrong.