Hiking the TMB with my son - Part 1 Les Houches to Elisabetta

In the summer of 2019, my son and I hiked the TMB, camping all the way. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had and something I'll never forget. 'Life-changing' isn't a phrase to use casually, but for me, that's what it was. This video covers the first three days, from Les Houches in France to Refugio Elisabetta in Italy.
There are many incredible videos on KZbin of the TMB with stunning drone footage and time-lapses etc (Harem Hoek's being my favourite - incredible!). I never set out to film the TMB for KZbin. I just wanted to capture the moments and the adventure. So the camera work is often shaky, the audio isn't great (I love the Sony RX100VA but a vlogging camera it's not!) but I'm sharing it to give you a view of what the TMB is like, particularly if you're camping. The next video will cover Refugio Elisabetta to to lovely village of Champex.
#tmb #tourdumontblanc

[@jackG1207]

Thanks so much for sharing your experience!!!

[@RH-ve4po]

Love this! What an amazing parent and child experience. A very natural and enjoyable video, looking forward to part 2 😀

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thank you!

[@tautvydas3364]

"I don't know what he's doing. But he's very valuable and important."

[@GavinMetheringham]

I think my favourite phrase. It certainly will bring a tear to the eye although not sure I'll need to wait 5-10yrs! Thanks for watching.

[@alunhowells2486]

Another great video. Keep them coming! What a great experience. Wonder what the next adventure is.

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thanks Al. More TMB and then all sorts of other good stuff! Stay tuned!

[@rockbeetle]

Whoop - lots of fun 🙂 looked like someone was trekking carrying their bike at one point?!

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thanks. Yep, bikes certainly on stage 3. It was insane! Chatted to them for a bit. The pain of the uphill for the rush of the down. They were just out for the day!

[@RandomInside]

Flip-flops !!!! That is one thing that you really don.t need while hiking and camping.

[@GavinMetheringham]

Haha - sometimes it's nice to carry a little luxury or comfort! We were glad we did!

[@lasamedina5880]

Thank you!!! Amazing!!! Trekking & camping July 2024. Any suggestions?

[@GavinMetheringham]

Hi, I did a tips video too which pretty much sums up my suggestions. But definitely getting as fit as you can and carrying only what you need will make the biggest difference.

[@waynerenshaw-multi-outdoor4521]

Nice vid guys, bad luck on missing your turning point on the 2nd stage, myself and my girlfriend we are doing the Tour Du Mont Blanc in July, I've planned every stage down to the last detail and already sorted out our itinerary... it's definitely worth doing your homework before doing such an epic trek... 😎 really enjoyed watch it and look forward to the 2nd one, question about the camping at Elizabetta , was it OK to camp there and if any information on it would be grateful, as that's one of the stops I was thinking of, before heading to Courmayeur as there's 3 campsites before Courmayeur in Val Veny where you can peel of from TMB to Val Veny .. keep us posted on your next vid Gavin .. and very much appreciated and well done to Sam 👍 Ps just subscribed.. all the best 👍

[@GavinMetheringham]

Hi Wayne. Thanks for the comment and the sub. Totally a school boy error on stage 2 on our part but ironically one of our best memories! I did loads of planning but we just totally misread the map! As did the other couple. Elisabetta worked out I think because we went just before the season started so it wasn’t very busy. I was chuffed as I wanted that ‘wake up to a glacier view’! I think getting there early in the afternoon would be key to getting a space this summer. It’s going to be busy for sure. And that’s if they haven’t clamped down on it. Stage 4 is stunning (Part 2 of the video will be up tomorrow so you’ll see) and the guidebooks say don’t miss it if at all possible. (McCluggage calls it a highlight of the TMB) So even if we had camped down the valley we’d have come back up to continue the hike from Combal. One other option I’ve not seen talked about is if you’re fit and crack on into stage 4 and get up onto the balcony you’ll see there are areas where you could wild camp. My best suggestion is to check it out on google earth in 3D combined with a map and hopefully they’ll be something in the video tomorrow that gives you a sense of the area I’m talking about. The views in the morning would be ridiculous!

[@waynerenshaw-multi-outdoor4521]

@@GavinMetheringham cheers for that Gavin will check it, I've seen all your vids and I've loved watching them ... I'll check out stage 4 to .. sorry for the late reply as it never told on KZbin that I had a reply ... all the best on your next mission ... 😉👍🍺🍺🍺

[@moyashisoba]

I didn‘t knew that it’s allowed to camp at Elisabetta. Did you pay for it? Very nice video, I’m looking forward to the next one.

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thank you for your comment! We'd heard sometimes it was possible so we hoped. When we got there, two tents were already pitched so we did too. One more tent pitched later. Not a lot of space there. No cost. We bought drinks in the Refugio.

[@moyashisoba]

@@GavinMetheringham Thank you, that helps a lot.

[@vanhallaadventures]

Also - I’m going to stay in refuges and was thinking to lighten my load I’d only carry snacks with me and my lunch. Are you able to re-stock supplies daily?

[@vanhallaadventures]

I just decided to walk TMB next year. What stage do you think is the most difficult? Are there any days (stages) which you wished you had a rest day prior or after?

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thanks for watching....and a good decision to do the TMB! The 'difficulty' question is a really interesting one. For us, the first stage was really hard, although it's not actually that hard. But we'd arrived in Les Houches at lunchtime and jumped into stage one with heavy backpacks and legs that weren't TMB hiking fit. So it was a slog. La Fouly to Champex we found hard because we'd had a rest day in La Fouly which had thrown our rhythm! And that stage is considered maybe the easiest! I think those two stages are also the least visually rewarding and I know for me if I was stopping regularly to catch my breath having a great view made the break worthwhile. So I think things like the weather, the scenery, how you're feeling are probably more relevant. Most of the stages are a hike up 1000m or so and a hike down 1000m or so. My least favourite section was easily walking down through the forest into Courmayeur. Long and steep and dull. The walk down to Les Houches on the final stage is very long but we loved it. Views were great and we were full of the thrill of finishing by that point!

[@lucassalaberry7218]

I have seen you cannot pitch a tent at Refugio Elisabetta. Did you ask to, and if so, did you have to pay anything? Looking forward to hiking this myself, thanks for recording your experience!!

[@GavinMetheringham]

Thanks for watching. When we arrived there were two tents already pitched. We asked them if they'd asked and they said they had and had bought a drink. We were hiking early July so it was much quieter on the trail. It seems very busy this year and I don't know whether they're clearly saying no now. We were ready to carry on down the valley and bus to a campsite and then bus back to resume the hike the next day if we couldn't camp at Elisabetta.

[@lucassalaberry7218]

@@GavinMetheringham Thanks for the info, I'll keep that in mind!

[@nsmith4343]

How were you able to camp at Elisabetta? I e only read that it is not allowed near the rifugio.

[@GavinMetheringham]

It was certainly one of the question marks I had even when we were walking up the path to the refugio. When we got there two other tents were already up and so we just put our tent up. In the end we didn't eat in the refugio we just had hot chocolate and we ate food we were carrying. I'd seen videos of people wild camping in a few other places so that was our back up, or we'd carry on down the valley. We were fortunate on the timing.

[@nsmith4343]

Thanks Gavin! I’ll keep it in mind when passing by and see if others are camping. Otherwise plan to go further.

[@rawveganfoodforthought2333]

They allow you to camp at Elisabetta?

[@GavinMetheringham]

We were there just before the season started and there were two tents there already so we did. But I don't know if it would be allowed now.

[@rawveganfoodforthought2333]

Oh. Well that was a good idea! Go before they open! But I guess technically it was illegal since it was below 2500m. (I would have done the same.) Thank you for your videos. They are very helpful.