The route
Tour du Mont-Blanc
A 165.5 km loop with 9,762 m of climbing: the whole Mont Blanc range, Les Houches at both ends.
Drawn with a pen, line by line
- Distance
- 165.5 km
- Elevation gain
- 9,762 m
- Highest point
- 2,520 m
- Summits, passes and villages
- 65
01
The route in numbers
Indicative figures computed by Plotrek on its illustrative route, with altitudes from a terrain model. They may differ from the organiser's.
02
Reading the route
Three countries, one trail: the Tour du Mont-Blanc circles the range between France, Italy and Switzerland. It leaves Les Houches at 1,000 m and returns 165.5 km on, with 9,762 m of ascent behind it and nearly as much descent. It has been described as an excursion since the eighteenth century, in the wake of the summit's first ascent in 1786.
Going anti-clockwise, the first half strings the passes together. Les Contamines-Montjoie, at km 18, comes before a 1,460 m effort, from 13.8 to 31.5 km, up to the Croix du Bonhomme, 2,434 m. Past the Mottets, the Col de la Seigne, at km 48, opens Italy; the descent reaches Courmayeur at km 67, 1,206 m, before the trail climbs again toward the huts of the Ferret valley.
The Grand Col Ferret, km 89, 2,520 m, marks the summit of the loop and the entry into Switzerland. La Fouly (km 99) and Champex-Lac (km 114) set up the last half: the Col de Balme, at km 135, gives France back, then the Col du Brévent, 2,375 m, overlooks the Chamonix valley before the final descent to Les Houches, at 997 m.
Paths and places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Altitudes measured on the route.
03 · Your poster
The route, drawn with a pen
The relief of the loop around the massif, from Les Houches to Les Houches, takes shape in contour lines: our pen plotter draws it with a pen, line by line. Your name and your dates sit in the cartouche, in A4, A3 or A2.
Shipped from our workshop in Le Bouscat
04
Official information
- Illustrative route redrawn by Plotrek from public data: the course announced by the organiser and OpenStreetMap paths. It is not the official course of the event.
- Altitudes: terrain model AWS Terrain Tiles
- Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Figures and text: Plotrek