Stage 1 Les Houches → Les Contamines-Montjoie
A warm-up over Col de Voza, then a long wooded descent into the Val Montjoie.
Updated
- 17.2 kmdistance
- +941 mascent
- −798 mdescent
- 6h53walking, no breaks
- 1,675 mhigh point
- Moderatedifficulty
The walk
From Les Houches the path zigzags up to Col de Voza, crossed by the Mont-Blanc Tramway. It then drops to the hamlet of Bionnassay, below the glacier of the same name, and on through La Villette and Le Champel to Les Contamines-Montjoie.
It is the ideal stage to break in your boots and find your pace. Stronger hikers take the Col de Tricot variant: a suspension bridge over the Bionnassay torrent, a steep climb and a close-up view of the glacier, for roughly 500 m more ascent.
Passes on the way
- 1,650 mCol de Voza
10 water points mapped on OpenStreetMap along the stage (check drinkability on site).
Where to sleep in Les Contamines-Montjoie
- Hôtel Le ChristianiaWebsite
- Chalet du CAF ContaminesWebsite
- Abri
- La Ferme à Piron
- Chalet Nant RougeWebsite
- Gîte les Mélèzes
- Chalet-Hôtel La Chemenaz
7 places listed. Check opening dates and prices with each place. All accommodation on the tour
Good to know
- The Mont-Blanc Tramway or the Bellevue and Prarion lifts can shorten the climb if you start late (seasonal timetables, check them).
- Les Contamines has shops, a cash machine and a pharmacy: the last big resupply before Courmayeur.