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Simply Savoie

Guided walking – snowshoeing – via ferrata in the French Alps with Mark Tennent

Sustainability

Is the Tour du Mont Blanc Sustainable?

The Sustainability of the Tour du Mont Blanc in Question

I guided several American groups hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc during the summer. The amount of people on this classic trekking route is amazing. It is clearly a great success however is the Tour du Mont Blanc sustainable?

Key Issues

Toilets

Look behind any large rock or amongst the trees close to the path and you will come across human waste and toilet paper. It’s hideous.

Erosion

The path is severely eroded. Given the many years that the Tour du Mont Blanc has existed you can expect erosion however walkers need to be educated.

Hikers on the Tour du Mont Blanc need to be educated to avoid taking short-cuts especially where paths zig-zag. These short-cuts create more channels for surface run-off that is quickly eroded after heavy rain. The fragile soil and plant life are unlikely to ever recover.

Walkers also need to learn to avoid walking immediately to the edge of the existing path. Walking immediately parallel to the path simply spreads the erosion in a ?ribbon? effect.

Mountain bikes, or as they are known in France VTT (Velo Tout Terrain) exacerbate and accelerate the rate of erosion. My observations show that they frequently avoid the drainage channels and rocks designed to take water off the path. By doing so they create a new channel for the water that simply by-passes the channel making it redundant; unable to do its job.

Watching a group descend from the Col du Grand Ferret they clearly had no regard for the erosion they were causing and spreading it across the mountain. I feed that mountain bikers are similar to downhill skiers; not real mountain lovers but those in search of an adrenaline buzz in a man-made environment.

Etiquette in the Mountains

In the mountains the etiquette has always been that those going up have priority over those going down. It’s common sense and courtesy really as it’s harder work going up hill. Whilst guiding an American lady this summer finding it hard going I was setting a slow pace for her. An American coming down the path indicated that I should move out of his way. I just stood there and politely reminded him of this mountain etiquette to which he said I was the first a***hole he’d met on the Tour. Charming.

Drones on the Tour du Mont Blanc

I can see the attraction of a drone and the amazing footage that one can obtain. However for those in the vicinity the buzzing like a demented bee is very intrusive. During a Tour du Mont Blanc this summer I was sitting with the group at the Col du Grand Ferret when a group of mountain bikers arrived. One of their number then got out a drone and launched it.

Potential Ideas for Improvement

Dry toilets

Putting in place dry toilets in locations where, currently, there are no toilets could help. There needs to be a move to construct bio matter type toilets in places where people tend to congregate e.g. the Col du Bonhomme (where there’s already a wooden shelter); Col de la Seigne or just below adjacent to the Casmatte; Col du Grand Ferret; Col du Tricot.

Leave No Trace

The use of zip-lock bags for toilet paper and / or human waste should be encouraged.

?Tourist Tax?

A levy for companies with groups on the TMB could be used for putting money back in to provide additional facilities and provide money to pay for ?wardens?.

Create the ?Mont Blanc National Park?

Despite its world renown the Mont Blanc massif has no special protection. National Park status would bring with it a level of regulation backed up by national park wardens. Yes, the TMB passes through Italy and Switzerland as well however even if the other countries did not agree, it would create an upwards pressure.

Why NOT to go to a ski resort in summer

If you are ever planning to enjoy the French alps in summer my recommendation is NOT to go to a place that is principally a winter ski resort. Why?

“Ghost Town”

The place can be like a ?ghost town?. Many of the big resorts make their money in the winter and the summer is sadly just an after-thought. This is clear when you find that most of the shops and cafes are all shut or at best just open from early July to the first week of September. I remember starting out from Val Thorens one August and couldn’t find a single cafe open for a coffee!

Do you enjoy living in the midst of a building site? Another reason is that summer is just about the only time the resort can do construction and maintenance work. The result is sprouting cranes, concrete mixers and builders working frantically to complete new projects while the weather makes this feasible. Dust and noise may be your constant companion.

Industrialisation

Do you enjoy unspoilt nature. Ski lift pylons sprouting amongst the alpine pastures or the bulldozed ski runs partially partially covered with the grass that may have survived being covered in heavily compacted snow. Artificially produced snow from the ?snow cannons? lining the side of the winter ski runs has a averse effect on the types of grass and flowers that will grow. Bull dozed tracks criss cross the ski area to allow maintenance of the ski paraphenalia. The only ?developpement durable? here is the copious amounts of concrete.

Up and down! Ski resorts may be high up with only one road up and down connecting them with the valley bottom. If you want to do anything else than stay in the immediate area of the resort that may be great but otherwise you will find yourself driving up and down the switch back roads to and fro from the valley bottom before being able to visit other neighbouring areas.

Prices. As they say here the prices inflate along with the altitude. The ?Huit a huit? superette, if it’s open, has a very limited stock along with high prices.

Amusement Park in the Mountains

The ?Disneyland des Alpes? – to me Disneyland would be hell on earth and yet many ski resorts seem hellbent on the ?Disneyfication? of the mountains. Sadly the winter ski clientele are largely composed of the ?want it now?, ?instant gratification? generation with no real ?feeling? / connection with the mountains that need no man-made embellishment necessary. The epitomy of this ?enfer? is the ?Folie Douce? – outdoor discos on the ski slopes with pounding music with a bass that can be heard across the valley. This leaves aside the alcohol fuelled debauchery. No thanks.

Recommended Places

Here’s a few of some of my favourite places. Pralognan-la-Vanoise, Beaufort, Areches-Beaufort, Talloires.

The Tour du Mont Blanc ? Amongst The Madding Crowd

Walking the Tour du Mont Blanc on two occasions this summer my most striking impression was of the crowds. Guided walking groups were everywhere; from all parts of the globe. Clearly there’s a high demand for organised treks of the Tour du Mont Blanc. The Tour du Mont Blanc (or the TMB for short) has become a ?bucket list? item in the same way as the climbing of Mont Blanc itself.

It’s a fantastic trek but If you are seeking peace and tranquility you are unlikely to find it on the Tour du Mont Blanc. If you are still keen it may be worth considering prior to mid-July or September. One limiting factor for an ?early? TMB is that the high cols (passes), that reach around 2500 m, may hold large areas of snow into late June. This may mean having to cross large snow fields that may be frozen hard in the morning. Here a slip may have serious consequences. An ice axe and even crampons may be required to cross safely (and of course the knowledge to use them effectively). A second major factor is accommodation. Mountain refuges don’t typically open until the latter part of June, and close again in the latter half of September. Of course you can stay in more comfortable accommodation in the valleys. September, frequently a good month weather-wise, also sees various tourist services shutting down or on a much reduced timetable.

Please remember there’s much more the French Alps than Chamonix and the Mont Blanc massif, still with magnificent scenery and mountains, but ?off the (very) beaten track?. The Vanoise (outside the ski resorts) and the Beaufortain immediately spring to mind. Further afield there’s the Ecrins and the Queyras.

Despite the crowds tt was good to meet Florence and Bernadette, two ?Accompagnatrices? (Mountain Leaders) working for the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix. They were guiding a group of Alaskan women who were very much intent on enjoying themselves away from home.

Are Mountain Bikes Sustainable in the Mountains?

I enjoy cycling, mainly on the road, and some mountain biking however I have reservations about the use of mountain bikes on footpaths (there’s a clue in the name) in the mountains.

I encountered mountain bike riders on the TMB and my reservations were towards were reinforced.? ?Fragile? ground e.g. soft ground or areas covered in alpine plants is rapidly damaged by the passage of just a few mountain bikes. Their passage is immediately obvious on the ground; groooves cut into the ground providing channels for water and subsequent erosion. Yes, the passage of walkers also causes erosion however not at the same rate. Studies have been carried out although the objectivity of some must be called into question. Alpine vegetation, especially above 1800m has a hard time surviving with a very short growing season). Any damage will take a long time to recover; if indeed it ever does.

Conflict with other, existing, users is also an issue. I had walked past a substantial flock of sheep climbing to the Col de la Seigne. A small group of mountain bikers road at high speed through the herd of sheep scattering them across the hillside. The shepherd was understandably upset, shouting at them.

The same mountain bikers then headed down the path towards me. I stayed on the path. The traditional etiquette in the mountains is that those descending give way to those coming up; as clearly it’s more of an effort. The expectation of the mountain was that I would ?jump? out of the way. Sadly it appears that the mentality of (at least some) is similar to that of car drivers with cyclists ? might is right.

It’s interesting to read that there’s a ?Mountain Bikers Charter? that clearly states that pedestrians have priority and to pass slowly or even get off. I chatted with a French Accompagnatrice from the Chamonix Guides bureau (who was on her 12th Tour du Mont Blanc of the year) and I was pleased that she was entirely in agreement over incompatibility of mountain biking on the TMB.

I don’t believe that mountain bikes in the mountains is a sustainable activity apart from on prepared and designated trails. The Vanoise National Park already forbids mountain biking apart from on a few name tracks. Why? The Park feels that mountain biking and the peaceful enjoyment of the park by walkers is not comptable. I happen to think they are right.