Customer Reviews

Tour of Mont Blanc (A Cicerone Guide)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We hiked the Tour de Mont Blanc (tmb) in August 2003 and used the previous edition of this book. A british couple shared this new edition with us and we could not wait to purchase one ourselves.

This edition is up-to-date and provides excellent information about clockwise and the more traditional counterclockwise routes. Each leg is accurately described with a detailed map and elevation chart. Refuges are listed, giving the hiker information about number of available beds and phone numbers to call ahead for reservations.

Although you can comfortably carry this book in a larger pocket, it contains almost every information you need while doing the Tour de Mont Blanc. This comprehensive guidebook describes the tour in the both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. The suggested itineraries would suit most hikers. Since the book focuses on the Tour of Mont Blanc itself, it includes only few side trips. If you have time for more side trips, you should complement this book with either a local guidebook in French or a good topographic map.

Maps in the book are simple, but useful. I have found them sufficient for most parts of the tour, but they did not help much in few rather confusing places. That is why I sometimes used a real topographic map along with the ones included in the guidebook. Description of trails could be more detailed, but there is an obvious trade-off between the amount of information and the weight of a book. I think the author chose the most practical solution of this trade-off.

The book also offers useful information on accommodation. Both brief descriptions of the "refuges" and the phone numbers (or e-mail addresses whenever available) are up to date. Prices are missing, but you will need to call those places in advance anyway because booking is strongly advised on this popular trek.

Finally, the book also covers various interesting topics, from weather to ATMs. My only criticism here is that the author had mostly the British readers in mind while writing about flights and health insurance. Since the book has become the most popular guidebook among the English-speaking hikers, I hope the next edition will be slightly more international.

I gave this book five stars because it is the most helpful and comprehensive guidebook about the Tour of Mont Blanc I have ever seen. If you try this trek for the first time, "The Tour of Mont Blanc (Mountain Walking)" will make it much easier and more enjoyable. Given that, the price is ridiculously small.

This book is invaluable for anyone considering walking the TMB.

Kev Reynolds approach makes this an easy and entertaining read. Importantly, it holds your hand through the complete walk whether taken clockwise or the more traditional anti-clockwise. As a newbie to long distance walking it was my faithful friend for every one of the 11 days.

My only suggestion is that while the 1:50,000 scale TMB map suggested will get you through, there are some tricky bits, especially for the novice walker that would be a lot easier with a 1:25,000 scale map. They are available as part of the IGN series with the title Saint Gervais les Bains.

I purchased this book 4 months before our trip to hike the Tour Du Mont Blanc. This is by far the most comprehensive hiking guide to the TMB, and I doubt our trip would have been as flawless without it. It was invaluable in making advance reservations at the mountain huts, providing websites and phone numbers.
The maps in the book are fairly simple, but helpful in letting us know what kind of elevation gains we would be making and approximate walking times.
The book was easy to use in that it was broken into stages which we followed fairly closely.
Small enough to fit in a large cargo pants pocket, this book was a worthwhile investment. If you're going to hike the TMB, by all means get this book!

We were on an organised unguided trip of the Tour Mont Blanc. We had detailed notes provided by our tour company but this book supplemented the notes very well. I would not like to do the walk relying soley on this book but you couldn't go too wrong.It was defintely a worthwhile purchase and made this incredible walk even more rewarding.

Everything you need to know about the Tour du Mont Blank and how to plan for it is included in this little book. I love the level of detail given for each stage, such as distance travelled, starting elevation, elevation of the highest point, etc. not to mention the description of the route. The size of the book makes it ideal for carrying along during the hike. This booklet is awesome:)

Used this guide in 2009 and found the detailed info in it to be mostly up to date and accurate. The maps in the book aren't adequate by themselves, but useful for general planning. Several times where we encountered confusing branches in the trail, carefully reading this book helped us to make the right choice. Well worth having.

This book sets the bar for Tour du Mont Blanc books. It covers all aspects of a Tour du Mont Blanc including details about how to get there, details about the trails, details about various places along the way, accommodations and more. It is superb.