Tour du Mont Blanc | Stage 11 - to Les Houches | TMB 2016

[@mikeholt7881]

Hi, this is by far the best coverage of the TMB I've seen on KZbin. Beautifully done! I'm doing the anticlockwise Courmayeur-Chamonix section starting the 2nd of June and hoping that there isn't TOO much snow! Deep respect for taking the Fenetre d'Arpette option; I would have loved to do the same but don't want to push my luck......wild camping all the way!! :)

[@GermanDiManzo]

Ohhhh wild camping! THAT is to respect! Thank you so much for your words about the videos. Enjoy your TMB adventure! :-)

[@vladislavvelchev]

Nice trip, thanks!!!

[@silkegrunenwald5198]

Gorgeous trip - best wishes from Germany

[@someoyou]

Very nice series, one of the best on TMB

[@GermanDiManzo]

Oleg, thank you very much!!

[@JJ-mf8ru]

I've watched your whole series thrice already. Best video I've come across that gives you a feel for the experience of hiking. Going in July this year, same number of days as yours, with one rest day in the middle, clockwise. Because of your wonderful video, I have also decided to document our trip, instead of just hike. Makes for better memories, right? Thanks German!

[@GermanDiManzo]

Awesome! Would love to see how it looks 'from the other side'. Hope you upload some of your experience to KZbin ;-) I will subscribe to your channel now ! (No pressure! haha). And yes, it's nice to have your own 'documentary' :-) We will be hiking in Cinque Terre soon (or more eating and drinking wine I guess..) so maybe a video might come out from that experience too. Good luck in your journey! July will be here soon.

[@JonnyTwofifty]

A Superb series of videos, thank you so much.

[@jamesmorris7394]

Well done it looks fantastic. I'm hoping to do the tmb next July . Your video's have been very helpful thank you.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you James! Hope next summer travel gets a little more normal and we can get out there :-)

[@jamesmorris7394]

@@GermanDiManzo I do hope so . I've done lots of hiking in the lake District near my home but need to do the tmb.

[@Cc-pf6fg]

These are the best TMB videos! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this. Very impressive.

[@camillewandelt2932]

Thank you German Di Manzo. Your videos of TMB are very well documented and helpful. I watched the whole set twice. I can see why you had a spendid trip!

[@frankoley6826]

Very well done! Thank you for sharing. I start my Tour Du Mont Blanc in September so I am watching everything I can, I can hardly wait.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Frank Oley I'm familiar with that anxiety! You will have a wonderful time for sure. This is a trip you will keep telling people about for quite some time. Enjoy!!

[@frankoley6826]

@@GermanDiManzo Thank you again. I will be watching some of your other videos as well. You did a fantastic job on TMB, it is the best I have seen.

[@ozdicsoda]

Hey German. Just watched your videos of the TMB. I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you for sharing. Great video editing, great pictures, sympathetic companion. It's a pity that only the first video was 60fps, but still this is one of the best hiking recording can be found about this magnificent hike IMO. Keep up your good work. Greets. Attila

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thanks a lot for your words Attila! Might be something with KZbin servers? All are uploaded with the same quality. I wish I could go and re do them in 4K now. :-) I wish there were more hikes like the TMB to do too!

[@ozdicsoda]

@@GermanDiManzo 60fps brings really 3D, that's why I prefer even to the 4K. I'd love to see your 4K videos though (you have good eyes for taking great shots). You should do the Haute Route/Tour de Matterhorn/Tour de Monte Rosa some day. Around Zermatt you can find the highest hiking trails in Europe (Barrhorn, Oberrothorn) and many more short/long hiking trail. Hopefully I can see your new videos from the Alps soon. Regards. Attila

[@GermanDiManzo]

@@ozdicsoda oh yes. I know what you mean. I should experiment again with 60fps. I did shoot my latest ones in 4k 60fps but went for 24fps in post for the 'cinematic look' . Thanks for the recommendations, I would love to hike new routes soon.

[@sertaobuda]

Great video, congratulation!!! I will follow this route

[@GermanDiManzo]

Obrigado!! Have a great hike! This is an amazing experience :-)

[@JoseLuisPontijas]

Muchas gracias Herman! Tour spanish is indeed very Goodness. You can't miss El Camino, and you could choose a starting point just to hike 10/12 days, like León See you hiking!

[@seamushand8439]

Hi German - just dropped in again to relive the walk. Your videos as so nice! Seamus

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you Seamus!!! Glad the videos are fulfilling their purpose! I've watch them too again over the holidays hehehe

[@TheBritshadow]

I have loved watching this set of videos. I will be doing the TMB at the end of 2019 and this has been the most insightful set of posts that I have seen so far. I can’t wait for Aug. Thank you👍

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you!! Glad to hear you like it! I know the feeling of watching everything that is out there in KZbin while waiting for our next vacation. Doing the countdown myself for our next adventure.. at least is already March!

[@CRyan71]

I'm sure I've commented already on your videos. I've just completed the full TMB and I've just looked back at all your videos again just for the memories. Your story is told beautifully. I hope to upload some video in the weeks to come.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you Garry for your comment! I'm sure you had a great TMB and a unique experience as well. Looking forward to see your video. It will trigger some memories for me too!

[@Weluton]

Thanks for the great videos. Beautifully done! Now I know what to expect when we do it!

[@marielouiseslottjensen9008]

Thankyour for an amazing series of videos from your TMB. I would love to go myself once in the future - it looks absolutely amazing: )

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you Marie Louise! Hope you can experience it soon!

[@yaelh85]

i loved it all, thank you so much :)

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you Yael for 'walking' with us :-)

[@spookycat3667]

Hi German , thank you so much for sharing your adventure on the TMB. What a wonderful series of videos. I want to hike the TMB in 2020 & this was very informative . I wanted to ask ,did you take a extra rest day in Courmayeur ? Also is there a certain pack size you would recommend ? Thank you again & good luck on any future travels.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you!! We did have a rest day, laundry day at Courmayeur, If you watch the Courmayer video at minute 5:14 there's an extra minute of what we did in town. (not sure if the link works here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZXVYnysZp2jpq8 ) Pack size, mine is 65 liters, Vale's 55 and both served very well. I was carrying some extra 'luxury items' like a small tripod. I could have been fine with a 55 too. Weight wise I was about 10-11 Kgs with about 2 liters of water, I was carrying half of my Camelback as there are many opportunities to refill along the way.

[@CRyan71]

Thank you so much. I did wonder was there one website that all accommodation can be booked or had to contact each refuge individually. I'm excited about the trip. Pity it's many months away

[@GermanDiManzo]

We did Booking.com for Chamonix and Courmayeur and then we reserved from the website I mentioned before or by email for those that didn't have online reservation. We didn't have an issue at all but I heard you might need to follow up on some of the 'reservation by email' places if you try to book to early as they are busy or close for the winter.

[@JoseLuisPontijas]

Hi German, many thanks for your very nice videos and explanations. They are very useful for me because I will hike it this August. Your videos are so relaxing that I use them sometimes just to relax myself!By the way, some of my friends are not willing to hike the whole track. Are there buses that link the villages you cross during your hike? That way they could recover by skipping some legs.Many thanks again. Cheers from Madrid!

[@GermanDiManzo]

Yes, you can certainly skip certain stages by bus. They might like to start from Les Contamines instead of Les Houches. Courmayeur, Champex, Trient, Argentiere will be easy to be access by bus. Check The Book (Kev Reynolds guide) as it has the stops marked in the maps and also points out a certain places were they can take a ski lift down to town, for example in the Elisabetta to Courmayeur stage. (Ya iremos por tus tierras a conocer el camino de Santiago! Buen camino! Realmente cada dia vale la pena!)

[@saugatasen2008]

Excellent video. will this be good to do in early October 2019 ?

[@GermanDiManzo]

Saugata Sen thank you! For what I’ve researched, many of the refuges close mid-September, so it’s wise to call them in advanced.

[@CRyan71]

Oh good. So even though all the dormitories will be closed over the winter it's still possible to book at this time for next summer?

[@GermanDiManzo]

I did a quick check for you, and yes, you can reserve today if you want... for example, Relais d A'rpette is taking reservations for June 1st, 2018. www.autourdumontblanc.com/en/index.cfm/relais-d-arpette.html That website will allow you to make reservations online and if not available for a particular refuge, the website/email info to contact them. Also they have the cost info for the different accommodations.

[@CRyan71]

Thank you so much. It was a beautiful journey. And beautifully shot and edited. I watched it all from beginning to end. Did you have all the accomadation booked in advance? I plan to go solo next year.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Thank you Garry! glad you enjoyed it. And yes, we did had everything booked in advanced. I guess going solo will give you more flexibility to find accommodations if you want to go without reservations.

[@CRyan71]

I think I'd like to have all the accomadation booked in advance as I don't want to be going around looking for a place after a long day walking. Had you much training done or would you need very good fitness? Also what was the average cost of accommodation and dinner? I think you guys had private rooms but I'll share in dormitories.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Training wise we did had experience in similar distances (20km / 12 miles) for a few one day hikes (Maybe not carrying backpacks that big). If you feel comfortable with similar hikes you will be ok. Of course you will be doing similar distances, daily, but we did fine following our own pace, taking pictures and a good drink here and there on the trail. Average cost I will say 65 euros, including dinner and breakfast.

[@CRyan71]

Did you book the accommodation far in advance? I dont speak french or italian so best way to book? Phone or e-mail? or will they all have a little English? Did you use a go pro to film or just your phone?

[@GermanDiManzo]

Some we booked over the internet, others by email (English was just fine). I think I did some initial reservations in January/February, almost 6 months in advanced... 99% of the videos were done with a GoPro 4, there are like 15 seconds with an iPhone :-)

[@TheJRD89]

German, wonderful videos. I watched all of them and found them very helpful. I havent looked at all the comments so perhaps I missed it. Did you publish your own recommended packing list? What was the weight of your pack and weight with everything you carried? Thanks so much in advance for your reply.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Hi John, glad it help you out with your planning! I haven't published a packing list (I do have a picture of the content but not sure how to share it). My backpack was something around 10Kg + water.. I found out I didn't needed to fill all 3 liters of water in my bag as there are opportunities to replenish if needed. I had a couple of 'unnecessary items' like a small tripod and battery chargers which I knew I wanted to do this videos. I did bring a really compact summer sleeping bag and liner that was more than enough to sleep at the refuges. They provide blankets I don't even use, but it was a calculated risk. My wife doesn't like cold so she had a bigger, bulkier sleeping bag.

[@TheJRD89]

Thanks German. It seems 10Kg is a good target weight. Did you carry second pair of shoes for when at Hotels? I know refuges have slippers.Could I also asked what specific clothes you carried? How many shirts, pants, jacket etc? Super vidoes. I am planning on going the last 2 weeks or so in July 2018. Probably going alone, though I may have a nephew or two join me. Thanks again.

[@GermanDiManzo]

John, I uploaded my pictures to this Google folder, hope you can see them: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1puGfdO24jPcapFXMHgp_3KL0MWkOEPJt?usp=sharing You will see there that I took this 'water shoes' that I have as additional footwear as they are lightweight. I had 2 pants, 1 short and 1 swimsuit, 3 shirts + 1 long sleeve under shirt. Please ask me if you have questions on what you see in the pics.

[@TheJRD89]

Super helpful. I SO appreciate your videos and your very kind responses to my questions. Nobody else mentions a second set of lightweight shoes but it seems a good idea to me. Especially for hotels and in town to give feet a break from the boots. I was only planning on taking a silk sleep sack and not a sleep bag. Do you think a sleeping bag is needed for the refuges or would the blankets be warm enough? Did you take a blow up pillow?

[@GermanDiManzo]

You are welcome! That's certainly what I did. I used those extra shoes to walk around Courmayeur in our day off. I think some people like the Crocs for that too, but they seem bulky to me. I had the silk sleep sack and also a summer sleeping bag that packs about the same size (I notice is not in the picture somehow) The only place we slept in that was really cold was Croix du Bonhomme refuge, we were assigned to the dorm that is under the main building and we were next to the door. It accommodates like 30 or more people and it was not vary warm. In the other places we have been probably you can do well with just the silk but it will depend on the weather next year and your tolerance to sleeping in a colder environment. For pillow I just used my jacket, I was committed to sacrifice some comfort for my camera gear :-)

[@d4nch3ng]

hey German its me from the first video. i remember you mentioned a 14 day trip. how long did it really take for you and your group to finish? also, i wanted to follow your guide and im looking at airfares and accommodation. accommodation is something i am afraid of since i will be solo trekking alone. now, can you help me with that? most appreciate it brother!

[@GermanDiManzo]

We flew into Geneva airport, from there we had pre-arranged a bus transfer to Chamonix with a company called Alpybus. We weren't super happy because our particular ride because we had to wait for more than an hour an then they drove to a few places before reaching Chamonix, so it was a long trip after a transatlantic flight. But it was just bad luck in getting the last bus. Our friend get a better ride before us that day with the same company. There are others that you might find online if you want to try. That's the most cost-effective way to get to Chamonix I believe.

[@GermanDiManzo]

Accommodations: 0 - Chamonix our 'base camp' : Chalet Hotel Le Prieure 1 - Les Contamines : Le Hameau de Ptou (HIGHLY recommended) 2 - Croix du Bonhomme : Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme (avoid if you can continue further) 3 - Elisabetta : Refugio Elisabetta ( very nice if you get a room for 6 or so, the big dorm has 3 tier bankbeds!) 4 - Courmayeur: Romantik Hotel Villa Novecento 5 - Courmayeur: Rest day at same hotel. 6 - Bonatti : Rifugio Bonatti (Best rifugio in the TMB) 7 - La Fouly : Hotel Edelweiss 8 - Champex : Relais d'Arpette (it was nice but I would have liked something closer to town) 9 - Col de la Forclaz: Hotel du Col de la Forclaz 10 - Argentiere : Le Dahu (was a great value for the price!) 11- La Flegere : Refuge La Flegere (just ok...) 12 - Chamonix, went back to Chalet Hotel Le Prieure (we left our luggage in storage there too) 13 - Geneva airport Novotel as our flight was very early the next day.

[@malu221]

I'm going this June 22, 2017, is it safe to hike alone?

[@GermanDiManzo]

malu221 I will say it's very safe! You'll see other hikers from time to time and many will be doing the sames stages so they will become familiar. Hope there's less snow this year!

[@andieho4249]

German Di Manzo Thank you for the video， l enjoyed it very much. Hopefully we will not miss the waymarks. Just two of us will do it this August 2017 for 12 days and you looked very relaxed showing the way.

[@GermanDiManzo]

You will be fine, and if not, you will get to know other beautiful areas :-) Just kidding. The trail is well marked, and I guess that was why we get off track for a little bit, we were overconfident and followed other hikers without looking at the signs. That's a good example.. while going to Bonatti, after Rif.Bertoni you will see a lot of people climbing a hill... if you are not going for the high route you need to make a left turn, really well marked, but following the line of hikers will put you in a different, longer route.

[@andieho4249]

Thanks so much for your response. We go all the way to Mont Blanc from Hong Kong and are a bit nervous that we miss the waymarks. Furthermore, we speak no French. I have watched your video a few times and it is the best of all.

[@GermanDiManzo]

'Bonjour', ('Bongiorno' later in Italy) and a smile is all the French and Italian you will need. English was the common language when we had Finnish, German, US and Dutch in the same table for example. You will have a great time! Thanks for your kind words about the videos!