Running the Tour du Mont Blanc- only for crazy people 🙂
Hi friends! I’m happily back in Austin, and I’m loving sleeping in my own bed. Of course, I could do without the 100 degrees every day. I had an incredible Baltic Cruise with Windstar, and you’ll be seeing these videos in the coming weeks. This week, however, I’m sharing my final day of hiking the Tour de Mont Blanc from Champex-Lac, Switzerland, to Courmayeur, Italy, as well as a bit about the UTMB which is the the Tour de Mont Blanc trail running competition.
Travel Insurance - A Must
I recently heard a story from a friend who had a freak accident during a relaxing trip to the beach. Not only was she hurt, she actually ended up with a concussion. I cannot stress how important it is to have travel insurance; you just never know when something might happen. Book you travel insurance here.
UTMB-Ultimate Tour de Mont Blanc
The UTMB is the Ultimate Tour de Mont Blanc, and it’s happening this week in Chamonix. It’s an epic race for all trail runners, and as a spectator, you can watch it live via the internet. The race began in 2003, and now has more than 10,000 participants. The most famous runner and recent winner is Xavier Thevenard who finished all 160km in 20hr & 44min. Okay, I took 6-8 hours a day to walk, not run 6-8miles a day on my 3 days on the Tour de Mont Blanc and this dude does the entire 110mile circuit in 20hr. How is that possible?
Courmayeur
If you’re looking for a different kind of Italy, away from the tourist cities of Venice, Florence and Rome, you might want to give Courmayeur a try. In the heart of the Alps, just across the border of Switzerland, Courmayeur is a charming town of 3,000 people and is known for it’s incredible snow skiing. I love spending time in Northern Italy with it’s cool alpine weather coupled with all the sass and delicious food & wine you would expect in Italy. You’ll only need a couple days in Courmayeur, and the best time to visit is June-September for hiking, and January-March for Skiing. Looking for a great hotel? Try the Hotel Croux or Hotel Courmayeur. Both are charming hotels! Something to note: Courmayeur is not fancy like Vail or Aspen; instead, you get an old worldc casual feel in the hotels and throughout the city.
Today's YouTube video: Hiking from Switzerland to Italy
This is part 3 of my Tour du Mont Blanc, and this video has the most shenanigans of the 3 days. Honestly, it takes a bit of time for friends to warm up to the camera, and I think everyone was warmed up for their cameos in this video. Enjoy!
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