Les Houches - Col de Voza - Col de Tricot - Les Contamines
- Distance: 18km
- Duration: (with breaks): 9h 30min
- Elevation gain/loss: 1480m/1320m
Here we go! It’s 6:30 AM and we are ready to kick off the TMB, which officially starts in the centre of Les Houches (yes, it actually has a starting point). We walked there all the way from the parking lot to find out that we missed a turn in the trail and needed to go back… Ok ok, we need to warm up and get used to our 10kg backpacks, no complaining.
The climb was rather steep and we inched slowly towards Col de Voza (1653m). Our backpacks felt heavy and the hiking sticks did not seem to cooperate. Is this what a dream vacation looks like??
Did I tell you I was carrying 0.5 kg of cherries? Yeah, I got them before the trip and did not want to throw them away. My goal was to eat them while hiking. Silly, silly me.
When we reached Col de Voza (1653m) I announced to Edo that this is the highest point for today. Boy he was not very happy when I changed my mind 5 minutes later and convinced him to take the alternative route via Refuge de Miage, adding 2 extra hours and additional 500m of elevation gain to our itinerary…
While starting our multi-day hike with +7 hours on the first day may sound like a bad idea, I would definitely recommend this alternative route. The views from Col de Tricot (2120m) were great with grand Domes de Miage showing some fine snow peaks. From now on my expectations are only higher, dear Alps!
Just as many other hikers we chilled at the Col de Tricot, which serves as an awesome lunch place. The descent to Refuge de Miage was rather steep with loose gravel, so no rushing.
The refuge sits down in the valley and we stopped there to get a cold Cola before heading to Les Contamines which was still 2.5 hours away. It was a super hot day, so we had to stay extra hydrated and realized that we need to buy more sunscreen as we “saved” weight and got a 50ml tube for two people… Lesson learned, save weight on other items (like cherries), not on sunscreen.
After endless zigzags in the forest we finally descended to Les Contamines and reached our hotel. We did it, the first day in the pocket!
Our bodies were dying though, especially our backs, which turned into wooden planks that refused to move at all. We were so glad we stayed in a hotel and could rest in an actual bed.
Later in the evening a rough alpine storm shook the whole valley, reinforcing our hotel appreciation. Little did we know that the storm will hunt us down the next day…
Day 1 tips
- There's a water source in Col de Voza, so you don't need to start the hike with 2l of water. I carried way too much, making my adjustments to the backpack and weight more difficult than necessary.
- The whole variante trek is very much exposed, so if it's a sunny day, make sure you have at least a hat and plenty of sunscreen. The sun is very harsh in higher altitudes.