TMB Stage 9: Trient to Tre-le-Champ via the Col de Balme

At the Col de Balme, Mont-Blanc reappears. After days spent circling the massif through Italy and then Switzerland, it is suddenly there in front of you — vast, glacial, almost improbable. It is the most affecting moment of Stage 9 on the Tour du Mont-Blanc, and quite possibly of the entire walk. The third and last frontier is crossed: you are back in France, back in the Chamonix Valley.

Mountain walking guides, we know this col in every sort of weather, and the panorama still catches us off guard. Even walkers on their second or third TMB stop at the top and simply look. This article sets out the full route from Trient to Tre-le-Champ, with the variants, accommodation options, and the historical threads that give this stage its particular resonance.

The Route: Profile, Map and GPX

• Distance :↔ 12.9 km
• Dénivelé positif :↗ 1065 m
• Dénivelé négatif :↘ 906 m

Stage 9 at a Glance

The key moment: at the Col de Balme, Mont-Blanc reveals itself in full, directly ahead. After days of catching it in profile or from behind, seeing it head-on is genuinely arresting. If the weather is fair, this is one of the finest panoramas on the TMB.

The Ascent: Trient to the Col de Balme

You leave Trient (or Le Peuty, if you stayed there) on a woodland path that gains height steadily on the south flank of the valley. The climb is sustained but never technical. The trail first passes through conifer forest, then gives way to alpine pastures as altitude increases.

The gradient is even throughout — none of the exposed scrambles or loose scree of the Fenetre d'Arpette the day before. It is a straightforward, honest ascent that affords time to glance back and watch the Trient Valley recede below. On a clear morning, you can still make out the ridgelines flanking the Glacier du Trient, a parting glimpse of the previous stage.

The Col de Balme Refuge

The Col de Balme refuge (2,191 m), set just beneath the col, marks the Swiss-French border. It is the last Swiss building on the TMB. Hot drinks and meals are available, making it an ideal place to pause before descending into France.

The col itself is a broad, grassy saddle open to both sides. Northward: Switzerland, the Trient Valley, the Valais. Southward: France, the Chamonix Valley, and as a backdrop, the Mont-Blanc massif in its entirety.

The Col de Balme: (Yet Another) View That Justifies the TMB

From the Col de Balme, the gaze takes in the entire north side of the massif. The Aiguille Verte (4,122 m) presents its finest face, capped with glacial ice. Les Drus, the Aiguille du Midi, the Dome du Gouter, Mont-Blanc itself — all arranged as though on a relief map. On a clear day, one can even distinguish the Mer de Glace threading between the Grandes Jorasses and the Aiguille Verte.

It is here that the TMB fully makes sense. You have walked for eight days around this mountain, observed it from every angle, across three countries. And now it stands directly before you, almost close enough to touch. Those who have completed the full circuit grasp, at this moment, the true scale of what they have done. Those setting out from Chamonix do not yet know what awaits them. Those returning understand precisely what they are leaving.

The Posettes Ridge: A Worthwhile Detour

From the Col de Balme, the path descends initially to the Col des Posettes (1,997 m). From this intermediate col, a variant allows you to climb back up to the Aiguillette des Posettes (2,201 m), a detour of roughly an hour. The vantage point offers a 360-degree panorama: the Mont-Blanc massif to the south, the Rhone Valley to the north, the Aiguilles Rouges to the east. It is one of the least-known viewpoints on the TMB, and one of the most expansive.

The ridge is straightforward and safe in dry weather. It is, however, exposed to wind and must be avoided in a thunderstorm. From the Aiguillette, you continue the descent along the ridge directly toward Tre-le-Champ.

Michel Croz: The Guide Born at the Foot of the Col

Descending the Col de Balme on the French side, the path passes close to the village of Le Tour (1,453 m), a small hamlet wedged at the head of the Chamonix Valley. It was here that Michel Croz was born in 1830 — one of the foremost mountain guides in the history of alpinism.

In fewer than five years, Croz amassed the most celebrated first ascents of mountaineering's golden age: the Barre des Ecrins, Mont Dolent, the Aiguille d'Argentiere, the Grandes Jorasses, Mont Viso, the Grande Casse. His most steadfast roping partner was the Englishman Edward Whymper, with whom he accomplished the majority of these climbs.

On 14 July 1865, Croz and Whymper reached the summit of the Matterhorn by the Hornli Ridge, pipping an Italian party approaching from the opposite flank. The descent, however, ended in disaster: a member of the party slipped, the rope snapped, and four men fell to their deaths — Croz among them. He was 35. His grave in Zermatt bears the inscription: "He perished not far from here, a man of courage and a faithful guide."

Walking through Le Tour today, very little marks this remarkable life. A handful of old stone houses, a cable car, climbers bound for the Glacier du Tour. But for those who know the story, the place takes on a rather different character.

The Albert Ier Refuge: A Climbing King

Above the village of Le Tour, the Albert Ier refuge (2,707 m) keeps watch over the Glacier du Tour. Its history is an unusual one. Financed by the Belgian Alpine Club, it was inaugurated on 29-30 August 1930 and named after King Albert I of Belgium — a keen mountaineer and club member who attended the opening in person.

Four years later, on 17 February 1934, the king was killed in a fall from the Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, near Namur, whilst climbing alone. A king who died on a rock face — the story speaks to an era in which the mountains held a fascination that cut across every stratum of society, right up to the throne.

In 1850, during the Little Ice Age, the Glacier du Tour descended to the level of the present-day village at 1,450 m. Today its snout sits considerably higher. The refuge, renovated in 2013, remains a key staging post for alpinists bound for the Aiguille du Chardonnet or the Aiguille d'Argentiere.

The Descent to Tre-le-Champ

After the Col de Balme (or after the Posettes detour), the trail drops to the Col des Posettes and then reaches the hamlet of Tre-le-Champ (1,400 m). The descent crosses alpine pasture before entering a larch wood. The path is well waymarked and without technical difficulty.

Tre-le-Champ is not really a village — a few houses, an inn, a car park. It is a staging point, a junction between the Chamonix Valley and the Vallon de Berard. For TMB walkers, it is principally the departure point of the next stage, toward Lac Blanc and the Refuge de la Flegere.

The Vallorcine Variant

One may also descend from the Col de Balme toward Vallorcine (1,260 m), following the Eau Noire torrent. This variant adds approximately 45 minutes but has considerable charm: Vallorcine is a valley in its own right, connected to France by the Col des Montets road yet whose waters drain toward Switzerland. The village retains an isolated, almost secretive character, well removed from the activity of Chamonix.

Accommodation at Tre-le-Champ and Surrounds

• Auberge La Boerne (Tre-le-Champ): gite d'etape with dormitories and rooms, half-board. The standard address for TMB walkers at this stage. Convivial atmosphere.
• Refuge du Col de Balme (2,191 m): for those wishing to split the stage or enjoy sunset at the col. Dormitories and meals.
• Hotels in Argentiere (3 km): the neighbouring village of Argentiere offers a wider range of accommodation and dining. Accessible on foot or by shuttle.
• Gites in Vallorcine: should you take the variant, several gites and hotels cater to walkers.

Booking advised in July and August, particularly at Auberge La Boerne, whose capacity is limited.

Practical Advice

Water and Resupply

Water is available in Trient at the start, then at the Col de Balme refuge. A few streams flow on the French side early in the season, but they may dry up by August. Carry at least 1.5 litres. There are no shops in Tre-le-Champ. For provisions, Argentiere (grocer, bakery) is reachable in roughly 45 minutes on foot or by shuttle.

Weather and Timing

The Col de Balme is exposed to wind. In overcast conditions, the Mont-Blanc panorama disappears — and with it, the principal attraction of the stage. Should the forecast suggest a clearing around midday, it is worth adjusting your departure time. Setting off early (07:30-08:00) remains the soundest approach to avoid afternoon thunderstorms in summer.

The Posettes ridge should be avoided in stormy weather (exposed ridge, no shelter).

Difficulty

The stage presents no technical difficulty. The climb from Trient is lengthy but steady (roughly 900 m of ascent). The descent to Tre-le-Champ is gentle. It is a moderate stage, well within reach of any walker who has already managed nine days on the TMB.

Common Questions About TMB Stage 9

Is the Col de Balme worthwhile even in poor visibility?

Without the panorama, the Col de Balme loses much of its draw. Yet the border crossing — the sense of returning to France — still resonates. And the ascent through the Valaisan pastures has a quiet appeal of its own, view or no view. In thick cloud, the Vallorcine variant provides a more sheltered alternative and the chance to discover an unspoilt village.

Can one combine Stage 9 with Stage 10?

It is feasible but demanding. The sequence from Trient to Tre-le-Champ to the Refuge de la Flegere totals around 20 km with 1,900 m of ascent. Certain seven-day itineraries do combine them, but it makes for a very full day, particularly at this point in the trek. In our TMB in 7 days, we manage this section differently to spare the legs.

Where does the Arve rise?

The Arve — the river flowing through Chamonix and Bonneville before meeting the Rhone at Geneva (107 km in all) — rises in the Mont-Blanc massif. In descending from the Col de Balme, you enter its catchment. During the Middle Ages, corvee labour was organised to reinforce its banks with fascines. A column raised at Bonneville in 1826 portrays the Arve as a goddess, subdued and enchained.

What Comes Next on the TMB

From Tre-le-Champ, the next stage leads along the Grand Balcon Sud facing the Mer de Glace, with the possibility of ascending to Lac Blanc (2,352 m). It is one of the TMB's shortest stages, yet perhaps its most photogenic.

You have just arrived from Stage 8, Champex-Lac to Trient via Bovine or the Fenetre d'Arpette — the agonising choice is behind you. To place this stage within the full route, the complete Tour du Mont-Blanc overview details all 11 stages, variants and logistics. Should you prefer to walk the TMB in comfort with selected accommodation and a dedicated guide, the TMB in 7 days with Altimood condenses the finest of the circuit into a single week.

Further Reading