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

At the Col de Balme, Mont-Blanc is back. After days of walking around the massif through Italy and Switzerland, it's suddenly right there — massive, icy, almost too good to be real. It's the standout moment of Stage 9 on the Tour du Mont-Blanc, and quite possibly the emotional peak of the entire trek. You cross the third and final border: back in France, back in the Chamonix Valley. For those of us who've travelled a long way to be here, it's an extraordinary feeling.

Mountain hiking guides, we've been up to this col in every kind of weather you can imagine, and the panorama still gets us every time. Even hikers doing their second or third lap of the TMB stop at the top and just stand there. This article covers the full route from Trient to Tre-le-Champ, with the variants, places to stay, and the cracking historical stories that make this stage something special.

The Route: Profile, Map and GPX

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

Stage 9 at a Glance

The moment you'll talk about at home: at the Col de Balme, Mont-Blanc reveals itself completely, face on. After days of catching glimpses from the side or behind, the full frontal view is genuinely stunning. If the weather plays ball, it's one of the best panoramas on the TMB.

The Climb: Trient to the Col de Balme

You head out of Trient (or Le Peuty, if that's where you bunked down) on a forest track that climbs steadily up the south side of the valley. The ascent is constant but nothing technical. You start in conifer forest, then the landscape opens into alpine pastures as you gain altitude.

The gradient stays even the whole way up — none of the exposed bits or scree fields from the Fenetre d'Arpette the day before. It's a solid, no-nonsense climb that gives you plenty of time to look back and watch the Trient Valley drop away below. On a clear morning, you can still pick out the ridges framing the Glacier du Trient, a last look back at the previous stage.

The Col de Balme Refuge

The Col de Balme refuge (2,191 m), perched just below the col, sits right on the Swiss-French border. It's the last Swiss building on the TMB. You can grab a hot drink or a meal here, and it's the obvious spot for a breather before heading down the French side.

The col itself is a wide, grassy saddle open on both sides. To the north: Switzerland, the Trient Valley, the Valais. To the south: France, the Chamonix Valley, and behind it all, the full spread of the Mont-Blanc massif.

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

From the Col de Balme, you're looking at the entire north face of the massif. The Aiguille Verte (4,122 m) puts on its best display, crowned with its ice cap. Les Drus, the Aiguille du Midi, the Dome du Gouter, Mont-Blanc itself — the whole lot is there, spread out like a relief map come to life. On a clear day, you can even spot the Mer de Glace flowing between the Grandes Jorasses and the Aiguille Verte.

This is the moment the TMB truly lands. You've spent eight days walking around this mountain, seen it from every angle, across three countries. And suddenly it's right there, directly in front of you, almost close enough to reach out and touch. Those who've done the full circuit feel the scale of what they've accomplished. Those starting from Chamonix haven't the faintest idea what's in store. Those returning know exactly what they're leaving behind.

The Posettes Ridge: A Detour That's Absolutely Worth It

From the Col de Balme, the trail drops first to the Col des Posettes (1,997 m). From this intermediate col, a variant lets you climb back up to the Aiguillette des Posettes (2,201 m), a side trip of about an hour. The viewpoint gives you a proper 360-degree panorama: the Mont-Blanc massif to the south, the Rhone Valley to the north, the Aiguilles Rouges to the east. It's one of the TMB's lesser-known vantage points, and one of the broadest.

The ridge is easy going and safe in dry conditions. It is, however, exposed to wind and best avoided if there's any chance of a storm. From the Aiguillette, the descent continues along the ridge directly toward Tre-le-Champ.

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

Dropping down the Col de Balme on the French side, the trail passes near the village of Le Tour (1,453 m), a small hamlet right at the end of the Chamonix Valley. This is where Michel Croz was born in 1830 — one of the finest mountain guides in the history of alpinism.

In under five years, Croz knocked off the most sought-after 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 go-to climbing partner was the Englishman Edward Whymper, with whom he ticked off most of these expeditions.

On 14 July 1865, Croz and Whymper topped out on the Matterhorn via the Hornli Ridge, getting there ahead of an Italian team climbing the other side. But the descent went horribly wrong: one 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 words: "He perished not far from here, a man of courage and a faithful guide."

Walking through Le Tour now, there's not much to signal this extraordinary life. A few old stone houses, a cable car, climbers heading for the Glacier du Tour. But for anyone who knows the story, the place hits differently.

The Albert Ier Refuge: A King on the Rocks

Above Le Tour, the Albert Ier refuge (2,707 m) looks out over the Glacier du Tour. Its history is a ripper. Funded by the Belgian Alpine Club, it was opened on 29-30 August 1930 and named after King Albert I of Belgium — a keen mountaineer and club member who turned up for the ceremony in person.

Four years later, on 17 February 1934, the king was killed falling from the Roche du Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, near Namur, while climbing solo. A king who died rock climbing — the story says a lot about the era and the pull that mountains exerted across every level of society, all the way to the crown.

In 1850, during the Little Ice Age, the Glacier du Tour extended right down to the present-day village at 1,450 m. Today its terminus sits well above that. The refuge, renovated in 2013, remains a key base for alpinists tackling the Aiguille du Chardonnet or the Aiguille d'Argentiere.

The Descent to Tre-le-Champ

After the Col de Balme (or 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 takes you through alpine meadows and then into a larch forest. The path is well marked and straightforward.

Tre-le-Champ isn't really a village — just a few houses, an inn, and a car park. It's a waypoint, a junction between the Chamonix Valley and the Vallon de Berard. For TMB hikers, it's mainly the jumping-off point for the next stage, toward Lac Blanc and the Refuge de la Flegere.

The Vallorcine Variant

You can also head down from the Col de Balme toward Vallorcine (1,260 m), following the Eau Noire torrent. This variant adds roughly 45 minutes but it's well worth considering: Vallorcine is a valley in its own right, connected to France by the Col des Montets road but whose waters actually drain toward Switzerland. The village has a tucked-away, almost secret vibe, a far cry from the buzz of Chamonix.

Accommodation at Tre-le-Champ and Surrounds

• Auberge La Boerne (Tre-le-Champ): gite d'etape with dorms and rooms, half-board. The classic stop for TMB hikers at this stage. Good atmosphere.
• Refuge du Col de Balme (2,191 m): for those wanting to split the stage or catch the sunset from the col. Dormitories, meals available.
• Hotels in Argentiere (3 km): the neighbouring village of Argentiere has more options for accommodation and food. Reachable on foot or by shuttle.
• Gites in Vallorcine: if you take the variant, several gites and hotels look after hikers.

Booking recommended in July-August, especially at Auberge La Boerne, which has limited capacity.

Practical Tips

Water and Resupply

Water is available at Trient when you set off, then at the Col de Balme refuge. A few streams flow on the French side early in the season, but they can run dry by August. Carry at least 1.5 litres. There are no shops in Tre-le-Champ. For supplies, Argentiere (small supermarket, bakery) is about 45 minutes on foot or a quick shuttle ride away.

Weather and Timing

The Col de Balme cops a fair bit of wind. If it's overcast, the Mont-Blanc panorama disappears — and with it, the main drawcard of the stage. If the forecast shows a clearing around midday, time your departure to suit. Getting going early (07:30-08:00) is still the smartest move to avoid afternoon thunderstorms in summer.

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

Difficulty

There's nothing technical about this stage. The climb from Trient is sustained but steady (roughly 900 m of elevation gain). The descent to Tre-le-Champ is gentle. It's a moderate day, well within reach of anyone who's already notched up nine days on the TMB.

Frequently Asked Questions About TMB Stage 9

Is the Col de Balme worth it even in cloudy weather?

Without the panorama, the Col de Balme loses a fair chunk of its appeal. But the border crossing — the sense of heading back to France — still carries weight. And the climb through the Swiss pastures has its own charm, view or no view. If the fog is thick, the Vallorcine variant offers a more sheltered alternative and a genuinely lovely village to discover.

Can you combine Stage 9 with Stage 10?

You can, but it's a long one. Stringing together Trient to Tre-le-Champ to the Refuge de la Flegere comes to around 20 km and 1,900 m of elevation gain. Some seven-day itineraries do it, but it's a solid day's work, especially on day nine of the trek. In our TMB in 7 days, we handle this stretch differently to save the legs.

Where does the Arve start?

The Arve — the river that flows through Chamonix and on to Bonneville before meeting the Rhone at Geneva (107 km all up) — has its source in the Mont-Blanc massif. Heading down from the Col de Balme, you enter its catchment. In the Middle Ages, organised labour was used to shore up its banks with bundles of sticks. A column erected in Bonneville in 1826 depicts the Arve as a goddess, brought low and chained.

What Comes Next on the TMB

From Tre-le-Champ, the next stage takes you along the Grand Balcon Sud facing the Mer de Glace, with the option of heading up to Lac Blanc (2,352 m). It's one of the TMB's shortest stages, but possibly the most photogenic.

You've just arrived from Stage 8, Champex-Lac to Trient via Bovine or the Fenetre d'Arpette — the tough call is behind you. To see where this stage sits in the overall route, the complete Tour du Mont-Blanc overview covers all 11 stages, variants and logistics. If you'd rather do the TMB in comfort with hand-picked accommodation and a dedicated guide, the TMB in 7 days with Altimood packs the highlights into a single week.

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