TMB Stage 4: Descent Through Val Veni, from Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur

After 20-odd hours in the air travelling from Australia, after the drive from Geneva through the tunnel, after three days of mountain passes and high-altitude refuges, Stage 4 of the Tour du Mont-Blanc is the day the effort starts to feel worth absolutely every bit of it. You wake at the Rifugio Elisabetta, the south face of Mont Blanc is still in shadow, Lac Combal sits glassy below, and the day ahead is mostly downhill through Val Veni, the corridor that alpinists call "the Himalayan face of Mont Blanc."

This isn't a col-crossing day. The drama is different here, lateral rather than vertical. You walk at the base of the massif, not above it. Italy's longest glacier, the Miage, rolls ten kilometres of rock-covered ice just above the trail. The Brenva face looms to the north-east. And at the valley's end, Courmayeur is waiting: espresso, sunshine, gelato, and that easy Italian warmth that makes arriving feel like a genuine celebration after everything that came before.

We, the mountain guides Altimood, know that for Australians doing the TMB, this arrival carries extra weight. You've come a very long way to walk this circuit, and Courmayeur is the moment the halfway mark clicks into place. The town is small but proper, full of life, and absolutely no one is going to judge you for sitting on a terrace with a polenta concia and a glass of local wine at two in the afternoon.

This guide covers the full route from the Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur: terrain data, the Mont Favre variant, the strange geology of the Miage glacier, the history of the Brenva face, accommodation, and what to do once you roll into town.

The Route: Profile, Map and GPX

• Distance :↔ 14.9 km
• Dénivelé positif :↗ 471 m
• Dénivelé négatif :↘ 1370 m

Stage 4 at a Glance

Note on stage divisions: in 7-day itineraries, this stage is often merged with the end of Stage 3, heading directly from Col de la Seigne to Courmayeur. The route described here starts from the Rifugio Elisabetta, the most common breakdown in the classic 11-stage version. Some guidebooks split the section further by adding an overnight at Maison-Vieille (Col Chécrouit), creating a shorter day.

Lac Combal and the Start of Val Veni

The trail drops from the Rifugio Elisabetta towards Lac Combal, a lake the Miage glacier's alluvial deposits are slowly filling in, year by year. On a calm morning, the still surface mirrors the south face of Mont Blanc in a fleeting, imperfect reflection. The moment doesn't stick around long before the sun warms things up and a breeze gets going.

The lake sits in the hollow of a glacial basin edged with wetlands. It's a fragile environment: the peat bogs shelter rare plant species, and the trail hugs the right bank to protect the most sensitive zones. About fifteen minutes of flat walking through here, a genuine luxury by TMB standards.

The Miage Glacier: Italy's Longest Glacier

The Miage glacier doesn't look like what most people picture when they think "glacier." No sparkling seracs, no gaping crevasses: this ten-kilometre river of ice is completely covered in rocky debris, making it look like a vast, slowly shifting boulder field. It's the longest glacier on the Italian face of Mont Blanc and one of the largest debris-covered glaciers in the Alps.

That rock blanket is actually working in the glacier's favour: it insulates the ice from solar radiation and slows melting down significantly, which is why the Miage extends to a lower elevation than its "clean" neighbours. But the ice is very much there under the stones, and it makes itself felt. Surface collapses create temporary lakes on the glacier, and sudden floods have shaped the Val Veni's history more than once.

From the TMB trail, you follow the glacier's left bank without ever setting foot on it. Information panels along the way explain the glacial dynamics. For hikers keen to get a closer look, an unmarked lateral path climbs the moraine and opens up a view across the glacier's chaotic surface, take care, as there are no waymarks.

The Allée Blanche: Walking Beneath the South Face

The Val Veni goes by another name on historical maps: the Allée Blanche. This fifteen-kilometre glacial corridor runs east to west, connecting Col de la Seigne to Courmayeur. It's been one of the Alps' main transit routes since antiquity, the Romans used it to reach Gaul via the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard, a few kilometres south.

Walking through the Allée Blanche, the south face of Mont Blanc stays with you the whole way. The contrast with the north side, the face you see from Chamonix, is striking: darker, more vertical, rawer. In 1774, the scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure explored this face with guide Jean-Laurent Jordaney and was the first to describe Val Veni's moraines scientifically, contributing to the invention of the word "moraine" in its modern geological sense.

The Brenva Face

Look north-east and the Brenva face fills the horizon. Standing 1,500 metres tall, it's a mix of rock, ice and hanging seracs, one of the great Alpine walls. It was first climbed in 1865 by Adolphus Warburton Moore, Frank Walker, Horace Walker and their guide Jakob Anderegg, a feat that opened the era of serious ice climbing in the Alps.

The Brenva is also known for its collapses. In January 1997, an entire section of the face broke away, sending two million cubic metres of rock and ice into Val Veni. The shockwave crossed the valley and hit the opposite slope. Tragically, two skiers in the valley below lost their lives, a reminder that this side of Mont Blanc remains a powerfully unstable mountain. The scar from that collapse is still visible from the trail in dry conditions.

The Descent to Col Chécrouit and Maison-Vieille

After the flat stretch at Combal, the trail descends gradually into the valley. The landscape shifts: moraines give way to pastures, larches start appearing, and you begin to hear cowbells. Val Veni is an active summer alpage, and herds of Valdostan cattle move up here each season.

The classic TMB route climbs to Col Chécrouit (1,956 m) along a balcony path with sweeping views down the valley and over the Miage glacier. It's a pleasant stretch, steady gradient, open views.

Refuge de Maison-Vieille (1,956 m)

At Col Chécrouit, the Refuge de Maison-Vieille is a solid pit stop. The terrace faces Mont Blanc directly and serves what is reliably one of the best Italian coffees on the TMB. Hikers who want to split the stage can sleep here; those pushing to Courmayeur have about 700 metres of descent still ahead.

Mont Favre Variant (2,433 m)

For hikers after a bit more elevation and a bigger view, the Mont Favre variant branches off the main trail after Lac Combal and climbs to the rounded summit of Mont Favre (2,433 m). The panorama from the top takes in the Brenva face, the full Miage glacier, and the entire Italian chain of the Mont Blanc massif. The descent rejoins the classic route at Col Chécrouit.

This variant adds roughly two hours and 400 metres of extra elevation gain. It's worth every step in clear weather, in fog, though, the summit adds effort without adding anything to the view. When conditions are good and we're guiding the TMB, this is the route we take every time: the view from the top onto the Brenva face is one of the circuit's best moments.

The Descent into Courmayeur

From Col Chécrouit, the path down to Courmayeur winds through larches on a well-graded forest track. The gradient is steady, no technical ground, but your knees will definitely feel the 700 metres of descent over roughly five kilometres. Poles out if they're not already.

The trail emerges at the first chalets of Dolonne, a neighbourhood of Courmayeur, before crossing the Doire Baltée and dropping into the town centre. The shift from mountain track to pedestrian street is immediate, a few steps and you're surrounded by boutiques, gelato shops, and café terraces. Coming from the Australian bush or from a long-haul flight followed by days of trail, it's a bit of a sensory adjustment.

Courmayeur (1,224 m): The Halfway Mark of the TMB

Courmayeur isn't just a stage stop, it's a proper mountain town with real character. A historic resort in the Aosta Valley, it has hosted Mont Blanc's first explorers, the golden-age alpinists, and generations of skiers. The name likely comes from the Latin curia major, the great court, a nod to its medieval administrative role.

For the TMB hiker, Courmayeur is a turning point. It's the first real town since Les Houches (or Les Contamines, depending on your standards). There's an ATM, a pharmacy, a launderette, a supermarket, and restaurants where polenta costs less than a soft drink at a mountain hut, a very welcome situation.

It's also the right time to check your gear, sort any blisters, and have a proper hot shower. Of all the towns on the TMB, Courmayeur is the one where a rest day feels most justified if you can afford the time, and for anyone who's come all the way from Australia for this, you probably can.

The Skyway Monte Bianco

From Courmayeur, the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car climbs in two sections to the Pointe Helbronner (3,466 m). The rotating cabin gives a 360-degree view of the Mont Blanc massif, the Grandes Jorasses, the Matterhorn and the Grand Paradis. At the top, a panoramic terrace and an ice cave let you experience the high-mountain world without a rope or crampons.

It's a half-day detour unrelated to hiking, but it puts the scale of what you're walking around into perspective in a way that's hard to match. The ticket (around €50 return) and summer crowds are the main considerations. Our advice: go early in the morning, before the tour buses arrive.

Accommodation for Stage 4

In Courmayeur

Courmayeur has a solid range of accommodation, from camping to four-star hotels. The most practical options for TMB hikers:

• Central hotels: several properties welcome TMB hikers, with luggage storage and laundry options. Expect €80–150 per night for a double room in high season. Book ahead for July and August.
• Hostel / gîte: the Gîte Le Randonneur du Mont Blanc, in Val Veni, is a more affordable option.
• Camping: Camping Val Veni sits at the edge of Courmayeur towards Val Veni, reachable on foot from the trail.

Along the Route

• Refuge de Maison-Vieille (1,956 m, Col Chécrouit): for those who want to split the stage. Spectacular views, classic Italian refuge atmosphere.

Practical Tips for TMB Stage 4

Water on the Route

Water is available at the start (Rifugio Elisabetta) and at the Refuge de Maison-Vieille. Between the two, sources are scarce in midsummer. Carry 1.5 to 2 litres from the start. In Courmayeur, public fountains provide fresh drinking water around the town.

Weather and Conditions

This stage is mostly downhill on a well-marked trail. The main risk is heat: Val Veni, oriented east-west and hemmed in by high ridges, can get stifling in midsummer, particularly uncomfortable if you're not used to European summer heat. Setting off early from the Rifugio Elisabetta lets you cover the upper section in cooler conditions. If a storm rolls in, the Refuge de Maison-Vieille offers shelter at the halfway point.

Supplies

The last resupply before Courmayeur is the Refuge de Maison-Vieille. In Courmayeur, several supermarkets and shops let you restock for the stages ahead on the Italian side. This is a good time to pick up some Fontina cheese and Valdostan charcuterie for the trail.

Logistics and Access

Courmayeur is connected by regular bus services from Aosta and the Mont Blanc Tunnel. If you need to leave the TMB or require medical attention, the nearest hospital is in Aosta (about 45 minutes by bus). Seasonal shuttles run up Val Veni to Lac Combal in summer, useful if injury or fatigue forces an early exit.

Frequently Asked Questions, TMB Stage 4

How long does it take to walk from Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur?

Allow 5h30 to 7h of walking, depending on pace and breaks. The stage is predominantly downhill (1,450 m of descent versus 480 m of gain), which taxes the knees more than the lungs. Add roughly two hours for the Mont Favre variant.

Is the Mont Favre variant worth doing?

In clear weather, absolutely. The summit of Mont Favre (2,433 m) gives one of the finest views of the Brenva face and the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif. In fog or poor conditions, stick to the classic valley trail, it's already a great walk, and you'll appreciate the saved energy on the stages ahead.

Can I take a bus through Val Veni to shorten the stage?

Yes. Seasonal shuttle buses serve Val Veni between Courmayeur and Lac Combal in summer. Schedules vary year to year. It's a legitimate option if you're tired, dealing with an injury, or want to preserve energy for exploring Courmayeur. Check with the Courmayeur tourist office or the Rifugio Elisabetta for current timetables.

What should I do in Courmayeur when I arrive?

Courmayeur is worth more than just a night's rest. If your schedule allows, a rest day at the TMB midpoint makes good sense. Beyond rest: the Skyway Monte Bianco (Pointe Helbronner, 3,466 m), the Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths (5 km away, accessible by bus), a wander through the old town's cobbled lanes, or a long lunch on a terrace with polenta concia and a glass of local wine, all very much recommended after the effort of getting this far.

Is the Skyway Monte Bianco worth it during the TMB?

It's a completely different experience from hiking. Going up to 3,466 m by cable car gives you an aerial view of the massif you're walking around that's simply not available any other way. The panorama takes in Mont Blanc, the Grandes Jorasses, the distant Matterhorn and the Grand Paradis. Budget half a day and around €50. When you've flown in from Australia for this, the extra perspective on what you're actually walking around is pretty special.

What if the hotels in Courmayeur are all booked?

Alternatives include Camping Val Veni (at the edge of town), the Refuge de Maison-Vieille at Col Chécrouit (above, at 1,956 m), or pushing on to the Rifugio Bertone on the Stage 5 trail. In high season, booking at least a month ahead is a smart move for Courmayeur.

What's Next on the TMB

Courmayeur opens the door to the Italian Val Ferret. The next stage climbs towards the Rifugio Bonatti, one of the best-positioned refuges on the whole circuit, facing the Grandes Jorasses and the Dent du Géant. The variant along the Mont de la Saxe ridge is one of the most celebrated viewpoints in the Alps, well worth the extra effort.

To see how this stage fits into the full circuit, the complete Tour du Mont-Blanc guide covers all 11 stages, variants, ideal seasons, and full logistics. If you'd like to do the TMB with hand-picked accommodation and a dedicated guide, the TMB in 7 days with Altimood brings the best of the circuit together into a single well-paced week, particularly worth considering if your holiday time is limited after the long haul from Australia.

If you've come from Stage 3 from Les Chapieux, you already know the south face from the col. This stage brings you right down to its foot.

Further Reading