2025 Tour du Mont Blanc Trail Updates
Every year, hikers from all over the world flock to the Alps to complete one of the most famous multi-day trails, the Tour du Mont Blanc. It is a challenging journey of physical, mental, and spiritual triumph. We aim to help these adventurers confidently plan and safely navigate their journey around Mont Blanc.
Having access to the latest Tour du Mont Blanc trail updates, such as early season snow conditions and route/transport changes, is necessary to be well prepared for the adventure. It helps hikers confirm their gear choice, make any relevant adjustments to their itinerary, and prevent unexpected interruptions to their journey. For over 5 years, The Hiking Club has been bringing this information together and providing expert commentary for the Tour du Mont Blanc
Our trail updates program includes the following information. Scroll down to view the details or click on the link of one to zoom straight there;
TMB Notice board
Trail, transport and accommodation updates that may impact the plans of TMB hikers.
Have an update to share? Email us at info@thehiking.club
In 2024, the tunnel connecting Chamonix with Courmayeur was closed from the beginning of September until the December. This was part of a multi-year reconstruction project to refurbish the infrastructure. Although TMB hikers do not need to use the tunnel to complete the trail, some plan to pass through it as part of their logistics to/from the trail and/or to complete a partial section of the trail.
The refurbishment work is expected to continue in 2025, however, no specific dates have been released yet - It should be listed here when it does. You can see this news article on the 2024 closure here too.
New rules introduced in 2023 required those planning to bivouac (wild camp) in French nature reserves around Mont Blanc to ensure they did so in a permitted location and register with the local authorities. See more information and complete your registration here: https://bivouac.nature-haute-savoie.fr/
2025 snow Summary
As the 2025 hiking season approaches, it’s important to keep a close eye on latest snow updates!
📸 June 15, 2024 by @ztaylor54
less-snow-than-average
Unlike 2024, which saw higher-than-average snow accumulation and a cold May that prolonged the snow-melt, the 2025 winter has brought a below-average snowfall across the Mont Blanc massif and there has already been bouts of warm weather. Despite a huge dump of snow in mid April this still remains the view when looking at the long term averages around Mont Blanc. There is always some new snowfall in May which can significantly change the early season hiking conditions so whilst its looking favourable for June hikers, we’ll have to wait and see.
📸 Refuge Col de la Balme on May 27th, 2022
Comparisons to Previous Years
2024: Cold and wet spring kept high and deep snow-pack well into June. Dry trail by 2nd week July.
2023: Moderate snow year, typical melt pattern, some lingering snow into late June.
2022: Low snowpack, early melt, dry trails by mid-June.
2021: Similar to 2024 — heavy late snow and cold spring delayed melt until early July.
2020: COVID-restricted season, but snow conditions were average.
factors for favourable June Hiking Conditions
We’ve been monitoring conditions closely since 2017 and every year it’s a roller coaster. Some look incredibly promising until huge snow dumps at the end of May dramatically changes the picture. Others have resulted in above average snow fall disappearing by early June due to prolonged warm spells in May. While every year is different, these are some of the factors that can lead to favourable June hiking condition;
A smaller snow pack from the winter months that needs to melt away
Freezing level spending an increasing amount of time above the highest elevation points on the trail (~2,500m) during Spring
Limited new snow accumulation during Spring
Plenty of solar radiation hitting the snow from clear sunny days
Snow on the TMB
See the estimated snow depth along the Tour du Mont Blanc in our planning app
The estimated current snow depth and 48 hour snow forecast layers in our planning app are updated daily and inform hikers where snow is expected to be located along their route. This information is provided through our partnership with ExoLab.
CURRENT SNOW DEPTH
Check the snow conditions prior to your hike to understand if there is snow and its expected depth along your route. You can decide to alter your route to an alternative route with no/less snow or skip ahead with transport.
48 HOUR SNOW FORECAST
Understand where and how much snow is expected to fall along the trail for informed hiking decisions.
Not a customer? Get access via our Complete and Expert Access packages.
WEbcams Along TMB
See real-time video footage along the Tour du Mont Blanc
The Tour du Mont Blanc passes through various ski resorts, which have live webcams showing current conditions, including: Les Houches, Courmayeur, La Fouly, Le Tour, Flegere, and Brevent. Because this is live footage, the video will be black at night time and the current weather may impact the footage too. Most of the webams have a feature that allow you to choose a different time to see footage.
📷 LES HOUCHES
This panoramic webcam is installed at Prarion (1850 m), in the Les Houches ski area. The frame when pointing SSE shows part of the Tour du Mont Blanc trail that goes through the ski area, Col de Voza in the saddle and the Bellevue plateau on the other side for those taking the cable car and/or alternative route via Col de Tricot. You can also see a view of the Chamonix valley when pointing east, and and incredible view of Mont Blanc.
Tip: Toggle the clock to a different time/day to see latest conditions if it’s showing up as black (night-time) or cloudy.
📷 COURMAYEUR
We are lucky to have 3 webcams in this area that shows a considerable amount of the trail in Val Veny. You can click on the little picture in the top right hand corner of the webcam below to see a live video from each of these locations.
This camera is focused on the area where the Tour du Mont Blanc trail goes in the first few seconds…so pause the video at the beginning! This view points up Val Veny to Col de la Seigne, which is where the boarder with France is in the lowest part of the range. The trail runs down the valley, eventually keeping to the north (right) side. After passing Rifugio Elisabetta, it has a brief steep decent to the valley floor where it then follows a track to a junction near Cabane Combal - hidden from view of the cam. Here, the main trail rises onto the Val Veny Balcony and reaches a high point of Mont Farve Spur - which is where the cam footage starts to provide a view again. The immeadiate section coming down from the spur is steep and difficult in snow. The trail continues above the treeline crossing a few bowls before eventually making it’s way into the Courmayeur ski area and the trees. Rifugio Maison Ville can’t be seen through the trees but it is immediately to the left of screen when video starts.
This camera sits above the Tour du Mont Blanc trail that passes along the Val Veny balcony into the Courmayeur ski area. The trail is just below where the camera can see for about the first half. In the middle of the video, the camera is pointed towards Col Checrouit, Rifugio Maison Vieille and Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc. The video spends the rest of the time pointing down the ski runs (TMB trail goes through the top half before entering the trees) towards Courmayeur
After a few seconds, this camera looks at the Tour du Mont Blanc trail between Gite le Randonneur du Mont Blanc back up to Col Checrouit and Rifugio Maison Vieille. It then pans around the to provide a close up view of the ski area the TMB trail descends through, which webcam 2 only shows at a distance. It ends with glipses of Courmayeur in the valley below through the trees.
📷 LA FOULY (2,158M / 7,080FT)
Two things about this camera; (1) It shows an area where the Tour du Mont Blanc passes through, not the trail itself; and (2) It appears to do a 360 degree rotation but it is looping on a 180 degree view. When it is facing ‘Tete de Ferret’, which you can see by clicking on the little red mountains overlayed on the video, the camera is pointed towards Grand Col Ferret which is located immediately to the south (left) of Tete de Ferret. The TMB passes Grand Col Ferret from Italy and crosses a bowl on the south side of Tete de Ferret and then traverses the south side of La Dotse down to Gite Alpage de La Peule where it joins their access track and continues to wind it’s way to the bottom of the valley. The TMB then follows the valley to La Fouly, where the camera is pointed directly down into the valley. So a helpful camera to get a sense for the snow in this area without specifically letting you get eyes on the trail itself.
📷 LE TOUR (2,180M / 7,152ft)
At time of writing, this camera was stuck on vision from the end of April - so please check the date before relying upon its footage. The camera is in a privileged position at the top of the Tete de Balme chairlift in the Le Tour ski area. When it is looking south east, you can squint to see Refuge du Col de Balme in the saddle of its namesake mountain pass. As the camera pans around clockwise, you can see the Le Tour ski area and Aiguillette des Posettes in the foreground where the Tour du Mont Blanc trail first passes in this view. In the background, you can see the entire Chamonix valley, including Mont Blanc (in the far distance) and the Aiguilles Rouges where the TMB trail traverses to eventually reach Les Houches.
📷 FLEGERE (1,900M / 6,234FT)
This camera is located at the top of the Flegere gondola which connects the ski area with Les Praz in the valley below. The trail passes immediately beneath this camera so it offers vision of the trail on both sides of Flegere. When it is looking up the valley towards Grands Montets (look for the symbols overlayed on the map), you can see the TMB section of the Grand Balcon Sud which is a south facing balcony trail running along at the top the treeline. Above this section of trail is where Refuge Lac Blanc is located so this camera gives a good view of whether there is still snow up there. When the camera is looking towards Mont Blanc, you can see more of the Grand Balcon Sud trail that continues all the way to the Plan Praz ski area.
📷 BREVENT (2,552M / 8,284FT)
This camera is located at the top of Brevent, which is at highest point you’ll reach on the French section of the Tour du Mont Blanc main trail. It offers a wonderful panorama of the Mont Blanc massif, but also amazing intel of the trail conditions in this area. Firstly, you can see back all the way to Le Tour and the camera at Tete de Balme we have linked above (look for the Tete de Balme symbol overlayed on the map). This vision gives you the clearest view of the Grand Balcon Sud trail as it comes enters the Plan Praz ski area. As the camera pans clockwise, you’ll get a great view of the Mont Blanc massif before it comes back onto the mountain range where the camera is located on at Tete de Bellachat. The Tour du Mont Blanc trail goes from Le Brevent to Tete de Bellachat, sticking on the north west facing side of the ridge before going over the top to reach Refuge de Bellachat and continuing onto Les Houches in the valley below. As the camera pans further clockwise, you’ll see some buildings and a big cog immediately in the foreground, behind it to the left is where the trail comes up from Col du Brevent.
Break the Trail
The Hiking Club team hits the trails to capture and share a snapshot of early season conditions with the self-guided hiking community.
For over 5 years, The Hiking Club team has completed a “Break The Trail” journey to provide the first trail report for the legendary trails in the Alps that we support. We share these early-season trail updates for hikers to understand the latest snow conditions, adjust their routes (when necessary), and confirm gear choices.
Our Trail Expert who leads our Tour du Mont Blanc hike is, Brendan Jones, Co-founder of The Hiking Club
When will we share updateS?
During June and early July, we will share trip reports via our social channels. Our focus is on the conditions on the mountain passes, peaks and difficult trail sections, as this is where the most uncertainty exists.
HOW WILL WE COVER ALL THE TRAILS?
Over the course of 6 weeks, our team will cover +1,000km / +600mi. We usually cover between 30-45km / 20-30mi per day and then jump online to post our trail report and deliver customer support! It’s a busy period for us!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL TO GET REAL-TIME TRAIL UPDATES
Past season updates
2024: June 1-5, 2024
Brendan documented his Tour du Mont Blanc journey via social media. Click the below images to see his early season trail updates
Disclaimer: Brendan is an experienced early season hiker with extensive knowledge of the Tour du Mont Blanc. We do not encourage anyone to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc at this time of year. The season officially commences mid June and goes until late September.
2023: May 30 - June 3
Brendan documented his Tour du Mont Blanc journey via social media. Click the below images to see his early season trail updates
Trail Ambassadors
In 2024, over 60 trail ambassadors shared over 500 trip reports via our social channels that reached 200k hikers ❤️
Everything we do at The Hiking Club is to make the end-to-end experience of planning and navigating a multi-day hike easy, achievable, and inspiring. Our trail ambassador program has become a key part of providing confidence to others by showcasing all the different ways hikers experience legendary trails. Whether you hike fast or slow, sleep in a tent or lux, go with a crew or solo, picnic or dine in for long lunches - the community wants to hear how you do it! Every experience on the trail is different and the more versions of a journey we share, the better future hikers understand how to create themselves the best plan and what to expect along the way.
2025 trail ambassador program
A snapshot of the 60+ trail ambassadors from 2024 that shared over 500 trip reports via our social channels.
We are searching for 100 trail ambassadors to share trail updates with our 20,000+ hiking community.
What will you do?
As a trail ambassador, you will provide “live from the trail” content about trail conditions, route updates, and memorable experiences. This content will be shared with The Hiking Club community to keep fellow hikers up-to-date, including:
What will you get in return?
In addition to helping out your fellow hikers with information that will help prepare them for their hiking adventure, you’ll also receive exclusive The Hiking Club swag, only available for ambassadors!
Who are we looking for?
Solo hikers. Groups of friends tackling an adventure together. Adventurous families with kids of all ages. Fastpackers. Wanderers with their dogs. You name it! We want a diverse group of hikers who represent all the different types of people completing one of the above trails between June and October 2025.
What is the time commitment?
Kick off session: To ensure we set you up for success, there will be a 30 min briefing session in May.
During your hike: Share your trail updates and photos via Instagram (max 15 mins per day)
Preparation resources
Some help from The Hiking Club to prepare for your legendary trail with confidence!
Below you will find a collection of resources that will help you prepare for your legendary trail
1) FOllow us on socials
Our Break the Trail and Ambassador content is first shared via Tour du Mont Blanc Instagram and Facebook page, along with other tips and updates we share throughout the season. Follow our socials can be an easy way to stay up to date rather than coming back to this page (although you should do that periodically too!).
2) prepare for the alps webinar series
Watch our webinars to get your body and gear list ready to tackle your multi-day hike this summer.
PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR THE ALPS WEBINAR
Join Stacey Hardin, Doctor of Physical Therapy, for a 90-minute webinar on how to train for your multi-day Alps hike: big elevation, mountain conditions, back-to-back days. Learn more.
PREVENT BLISTERS SPOILING YOUR NEXT HIKE
Join Rebecca Rushton, podiatrist and owner of Blister Prevention, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to prevent and treat foot blisters during your upcoming multi-day hike.
Join Dr Andrius Ramonas, PhD in Exercise Physiology and Sports Nutrition, Co-Founder of Roam, for a free 45-minute webinar on how to sustain energy on a multi-day hike. Learn more.
3) BE PREPARED WITH THE CORRECT GEAR
It’s best to assume that early season hikers will require micro spikes and poles to reduce the risk of incidents on difficult snow covered sections, including sloped terrain and steam crossings. Download our recommended gear list here
A special note on ice-axes: We are sometimes asked whether early season hikers should take an ice-axe. Unless you have training and experience with them, our position is no. Completing a section that requires an ice-axe changes the experience from hiking to mountaineering. If you are not an experienced mountaineer, organise a training with a qualified mountain guide and/or practice your skills on mountains/terrain you are familiar with. Bringing an ice-axe without this experience may give you false confidence to attempt challenging sections that significantly increases the risk of incident. Our advice is to identify the high risk sections and then turn around to avoid them. If you watch our break the trail videos from previous years, we practice what we preach by avoiding high risk snow sections every year. Needless to say, coming home safe is much more important than walking every step on the trail.
4) PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, CHECK SNOW CONDITIONS ON YOUR ROUTE
General snow updates are good, but identifying snow conditions on your planned route is even better. Use current snow depth data in our planning app to check your planned route and determine whether to change your route to a lower/alternative route or to bring gear to match the expected conditions.
CONFIDENTLY PLAN AND NAVIGATE THE TOUR DU MONT BLANC
Check out our self-guided packages that include everything you need to plan, book, prepare, and navigate your Tour du Mont Blanc adventure yourself!
