The trip

LEVEL ****

Elevation gain: +/-600 to 1100 meters on average per day.
Walking time: 4 to 6 hours per day.
Type of hike: The route often follows rocky paths. While it does not present any particular technical difficulty, even on the last day for the summit ascent, this trek is physically demanding and requires the ability to handle nearly 1000 meters of positive elevation gain per day over an entire week.
Snow will still be present along the route until at least the end of June. You will likely walk on long stretches of snow, which makes the trail a bit more challenging. Mountaineering boots, gaiters, and trekking poles are mandatory. Be prepared!

Ascent of Ruitor (3486 m): walking with crampons, no particular technical or vertigo-inducing difficulty, but it is a long stage of walking on a glacier.

It is necessary to be in good general physical condition. Regular endurance exercise such as walking, running, or cycling for 3 to 4 hours per week is recommended. Your physical preparation will make your trip easier and will allow you to enjoy it even more.
Discover the description of the hiking levels by clicking here: hiking levels.

GUIDING

The number of participants is between 6 and 14, supervised by certified professionals (a mountain guide and a high-altitude guide). At the beginning of the season, the number of participants may be reduced depending on snow conditions. The mountain guide or high-altitude guide may need to modify the program to adapt it to the participants' level and/or natural conditions. They remain the final decision-makers.
As a thank you, It is usual to tip your guide at the end of the trek, according to your satisfaction. It is not mandatory but, it is very appreciated.

ACCOMMODATION

5 nights in dormitory in mountain refuges or gite and 1 night in a 2-4 person room. All accommodations are equipped with hot showers. However, due to increasingly recurrent periods of drought, access to showers is not guaranteed.

MEALS

Breakfast and dinner are provided in each accommodation. Picnics are included and are carefully prepared daily by your mountain leader, comprising a variety of healthy salads and local products. Please inform us about your food allergies and special diets at the time of booking. We do our best to accommodate special diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.). However, we encourage you to bring some additional products for your own picnics.

MAPS

1/25000 Valsavarenche-Val de Rhême-Val Grisenche N102, Edition Instituto Geografico Centrale
Carte TOP 25 n° 3532 ET - Les Arcs & La Plagne (PN de la Vanoise) | IGN

Practical information

ACCESS TO DEPARTURE POINT

Meet Sunday at 11.30 am at Soudara carpark (end of the road), in La Thuile, Italy.

Optional round-trip transfer organized by Altitude Mont-Blanc in a minibus, additional cost to be booked at registration, €50 per person.
Meeting point at 9:45am in front of the Chamonix SNCF train station for a 1h15 drive.
If you are driving, there are several free parking spaces in the village of Les Houches, Prarion area. Meeting point at 9:30am in front of the Jacquier bakery at Prarion, Les Houches. You will meet your driver there.

BY TRAIN
From Aosta via Turin or from Chamonix via Paris (Paris Gare de Lyon > Chamonix).
Timetables should be checked with SNCF.

BY CAR
VIA THE COL DU PETIT-ST-BERNARD
If you are coming from the southern half of France, take the A43 motorway to Chambéry, then the A30 to Albertville and continue to Bourg St Maurice. Cross the French-Italian border at the Col du Petit St Bernard (a very good mountain road), then reach the village of La Thuile. At the center of the village, just after the Ruitor bridge, turn right onto the road towards La Joux. Continue to the end of this road where you will find a large car park.

VIA THE MONT-BLANC TUNNEL
From Mâcon or Lyon, take the A40 motorway towards Geneva. As you approach Chamonix, follow signs for the Mont-Blanc Tunnel and Aosta. In Italy, do not take the motorway (green signs), but follow the national road towards Aosta until you reach the village of Pré-St-Didier. Then, turn right towards the Col du Petit-St-Bernard and continue to the village of La Thuile. At the center of the village, just before crossing the river, turn left onto the road towards La Joux. Continue to the end of this road where you will find a large car park.

If you choose the Chamonix/La Thuile transfer option:
Free parking: Several free parking areas in the village of Les Houches, Prarion area. Meeting point at 9:15 AM in front of the Jacquet bakery at Prarion, Les Houches. You will meet your driver there.
Covered parking: Chamonix Park Auto in Chamonix: 04 50 53 65 71.

End point around 4.30pm in La Thuile. Transfer to Chamonix if option chosen (1h15 drive).
Warning: the tunnel may be very busy on Saturday. Think of a little bit more time if you need to book a bus or train from Chamonix. 

ACCOMMODATION BEFORE AND AFTER

Chamonix - Hôtel de l’Arve: +33 (0)4 50 53 02 31
Hôtel Vallée Blanche: +33 (0)4 50 53 04 50
Chamonix Tourist Office: +33 (0)4 50 53 00 24
www.chamonix.com

La Thuile, Aosta - Hôtel Le Miramonti : +39 01 65 88 30 84
Pré-St-Didier, Aosta - QC Termemontebianco : +39 02 89 74 72 07
Office du tourisme d'Aoste : +39 01 65 23 66 27
www.aoste.ialpes.com
www.lovevda.it

TO CONTACT US

If you are late please contact the agency as soon as possible on: +33 (0)4 50 79 09 16 or +33 (0)6 42 49 76 07

Equipment & luggage

EQUIPMENT LIST

Clothing

• Walking trousers
• Shorts (Bikini/swimsuit, just in case!)
• Breathable or merino wool t-shirts
• Breathable or merino wool leggings
• Fleece or jumper
• Lightweight down jacket
• Wind stopper or Goretex jacket
• Waterproof poncho + gaiters or Goretex trousers + waterproof rucksack cover
• Pair of gloves and a warm hat
• Sun hat or baseball cap
• Walking socks (1 pair per day)
• Sturdy walking boots, already broken in with a good sole stiff enough to support   crampons (no trail running shoes or flexible hiking shoes). Crampons to suit all types of hiking boots will be available, it is not necessary to have glacier mountaineering boots.
• 1 change of clothes for the evening
• A pair of comfortable shoes for the evening

Other Equipment

• Toilet bag
• Quick drying towel
• Sunglasses and sun cream
• Water bottle or Camelback (1.5 litre minimum)
• Knife, fork and spoon
• Plastic lunch box/plate for your picnic lunches (0.40L to 0.50L)
• Plastic cup for coffee
• Small First Aid kit (antihistamine, ibuprofen, Compeed type blister pads...)
• Survival blanket
• Head torch or hand torch
• Sleeping bag liner sheet and pillowcase (blankets provided at accommodation)
• Two adjustable walking poles (highly recommended for the climb to the summit)
• Identity card or passport

BACKPACK

Bring a comfortable backpack of about 40 litres for your personal belongings for the day (warm clothes, waterproofs, water, plate and cutlery for your picnic, sunscreen and your identity papers) and please keep a little room to carry a picnic and snacks.

EQUIPMENT FOR THE SUMMIT

The equipment for the ascent of Ruitor is included in your package (crampons, harness, helmet, and ice axe). A climb at over 3000 meters requires warm gear in case of bad weather (thermal tights, hat, waterproof gloves, down jacket + Gore-Tex jacket, pants, at least hiking pants, preferably mountaineering pants and a headlamp...), as well as a good pair of rigid, high-top boots (no low trail shoes). Trekking poles are essential. You will need to carry this equipment to the refuge on the first day of your trip and can leave it there for the duration of your trek, until the day of the ascent.

LUGGAGE TRANSFER

You are allowed 1 soft, sports type bag, with all your possessions inside, of 10kg maximum per person. Your baggage will be transported on days 3 and 5, by our logistics vehicle where access is not always easy.
Baggage which is too heavy won't be accepted by the drivers, please think of their backs! 

YOUR BACKPACK FOR THE NIGHTS WITHOUT LUGGAGE

On nights 1, 2, 4 and 6, your luggage won't be dropped off at your accommodation. Here are the things to bring with you (about 2 kilos are enough!):

• small toiletries bag
• sleeping bag liner sheet
• change of clothes for the day after (bare necessities!) and comfortable for the evening.