We often talk about our carefully-crafted itineraries, designed so that travellers can experience independent travel, while still knowing that they have a strong arm of support nearby. What we talk less about are the people who create these tours, and who know them inside out. Meet our Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) Destination Manager, Jenna Bewsher, who knows the massif like the back of her hand, and shares her top tips and insights on taking on the iconic long-distance trail that circumnavigates it. We also love Jenna’s strong voice on why sustainable tourism, slow travel and freeing yourself of ‘stuff’ really matters to her.
Tell us a bit about your background, Jenna
I’ve always done a lot of travelling, as I come from a very travel-centric family. My mum was raised in Uganda, and travelled in many African countries, and my dad was a tour leader and driver of trucks that took travellers across the Middle East, Central Asia, Nepal and amazing places like that. So I was introduced to travel quite early. As soon as I left university, I spent a year travelling all over Europe, and then ended up working in the adventure sports industry. I’ve always been outdoorsy, so that role came pretty naturally to me.
What was your journey into the travel industry?
As much as I love adventure sports, working in that sector is all encompassing and I realised that I wasn’t actually finding time to travel myself. So I side stepped into travel because it meant I was still able to do something I loved, while also finding time to do my own travels.
Have mountains always been your thing?
I grew up very close to North Wales and Snowdonia, and spent lots of time walking there, and so I’ve always been drawn to mountains on my travels. I have been a winter sports regular in the Alps too, and these mountains have always had a special place in my heart . Of course, as Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the mountaineering hub of Europe, it’s a big part of why I love the range.
Why do you love being a destination manager for the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB)?
What I love about the TMB is that it makes the massif so much more accessible to all. It’s amazing how many people don’t know about it. Of course they know about Mont Blanc, but they don’t realise that they can circumnavigate it without any mountaineering skills. It’s still a challenging trail, but it is achievable if you have a good level of fitness and train for it. It also gives a lot of people an opportunity to be in that mountain landscape and engage with the mountain community. It’s just a case of, if you’re determined, and if you’re fit enough, you can do it. I love supporting people in that adventure.
What time of year did you do the TMB?
We went in mid-September which, for me, was perfect. The majority of people want to go in July and August when it’s warmer. But I think that’s a bit of an oversight because, for me, September, or indeed June when we also offer tours, is the perfect period of time for hiking. We still got so many beautiful sunny days, with temperatures between 15-20C. So yes, it’s cooler, but then you’re not sweating constantly on those tough days. I also loved the morning mists that cleared slowly, revealing the dramatic landscapes bit by bit. And, on top of that, I got to see the first snow of the season, which was really exciting.
Was the TMB quiet in September?
It was actually quieter than I expected. In general, I like walking in remote places with not too many other people around. I feel like it adds to the magic of it all. The TMB routes are easy to follow though, in terms of navigation, which is reassuring when there aren’t others around. Of course, there are a lot of people on the TMB, because it’s one of the most famous long-distance trails in the world. But, in September, we often walked for up to an hour without seeing another person at all sometimes. I tend to start off around 08.00 as it’s quieter then, with most people hitting the trail around 09.00. It’s more variable weather in September, and so I noticed that the trails suddenly got quiet if the fog came in, or there was a rainstorm. But I don’t mind hiking in variable conditions.
Where did you see snow?
We saw snow on a couple of days. The first was right at the beginning of the main Tour du Mont Blanc circuit, while hiking up from Les Houches to Les Contamines over Col de Tricot. And then we also had overnight snow and got to walk through it while on the way to Lac Blanc, and then again on the way up to Col du Brevent. I was well prepared though, with microspikes in my daypack all the time.
What was your favourite part of the TMB?
For me, it’s definitely the fixed ladder section, on day 10 of the complete circuit. It goes from Le Tour over to Planpraz, following ladders and timber-braced steps across steep rocks. Not everyone likes this section, however, especially if they have a fear of heights, and so we organise an alternative lower route along the Petit Balcon Sud to Chamonix for customers who don’t love ladders.
Who were you travelling with along the TMB?
I was travelling with my partner, Ben. I do like to do some solo hiking sometimes, but I don’t think the TMB is great to take on as a solo traveller if you don’t have lots of multi-trekking experience. Also, we don’t offer TMB tours for solo travellers, for safety reasons. From experience, there are definitely sections where it can feel quite isolated. On the section from Les Houches to Les Contamines, for example, it got pretty foggy, and it’s also forested, and it really helps to have a walking companion. We got afternoon storms too, which just hit super quickly, and when there are two or more of you, you can put your brains together and work out what to do.
Also, sometimes when you’re travelling solo, you might not be the first person to notice the weather changing. The more people you have with you, the more likely you are to notice these things and act accordingly to stay safe. Apart from that, the TMB is so spectacular that it’s great to share it with someone, stop and say “Oh my God. Like, isn’t this beautiful?”.
Was there anything about the TMB that took you by surprise, in a good way?
Honestly, I wasn’t prepared for just how incredible the views really are. Because you circumnavigate Mont Blanc on the TMB, you get to see it from all angles, so it changes all the time. There’s one particular section, between Cormayeur and Val Ferret, both in Italy, when you’re walking on this balcony trail, overlooking the valley. You’re up high, and walking parallel to Mont Blanc all the time, with vistas in every direction. If you look behind you, there’s a vista down towards Courmayeur and over into other mountain regions. And looking forward, you have La Fouly with a different landscape of rolling hills, dotted with glacial streams and mountain huts. So, yes, you know the views are going to be good, but they still shock, in a totally good way.
And in a bad way?
It didn’t surprise me as I know it’s one of the big tourist hits along the Tour du Mont Blanc, but Lac Blanc is a little disappointing, because it’s so commercialised and crowded. It’s an easy day trip from Chamonix, and it is beautiful of course, but it’s also just a big commercial hub, and that’s a bit of a shock. Especially compared to the remoteness you feel on most other days.
Did you have a favourite mountain hut?
We didn’t stay there overnight, but I did love Rifugio Bonatti, which is on that same hike that I gushed about before, between Courmayeur and Val Ferret. It’s a very traditional mountain hut, adorned with flowers, but it also has the most spectacular views. We planned a quick stop, but we ended up spending over an hour there and didn’t want to leave, for no reason other than it was just so, so beautiful.
What was the mood on the massif?
Lovely to be honest. Everyone says hello, bonjour, ciao or whatever. It is funny, however, because you can tell what time of day it was by people’s response to your greeting. We all start off incredibly enthusiastic, and very smiley. But as we got towards the end of the day, people were still lovely and said hi, but you could see those energy levels dropping right off!
Was there one particular person that you met on the TMB whom you will always remember?
Not one particular person, but honestly, I was bowled over by how friendly our accommodation hosts and people working in restaurants or cafes were. It was coming to the end of the season and, having worked in adventure sports, I know how tired people get towards the end. But there was none of that. Everyone was so kind, enthusiastic and clearly loved what they did. You felt like they were deeply knitted in the community, and that was really touching.
There are different ways to approach the TMB, but which one is your favourite way to tackle it?
I think that if you have the privilege of time, it’s worth taking your time to do it, and truly immerse yourself in places along the way. I understand the temptation to power through, but by adding rest days into your itinerary, you get to take in the magic of this place. I stayed on for a week after I finished, and worked remotely from Argentière, and I loved that. We can add any rest days into our customers’ itineraries, in the middle, beginning or end, and I honestly couldn’t recommend that more highly, if you have the time.
Did you do a lot of training for the TMB?
We do quite a lot of multi-day hikes, swimming and surfing, so we are reasonably fit, but I did have to train harder for this. Also, I’ve just recovered from a tendon injury from earlier in the year, so it was really important to make sure I actually had the strength. Even as someone who is active, the TMB has so many consecutive ascents and descents, and you have to prepare your joints for that. Most people actually get joint rather than muscular issues, so it’s not always about fitness levels. In fact, the days are not that long compared with other multi-day hikes. The paths are good, but they can be very rocky, so you need to make sure that you are sure-footed, and that your ankles and knee joints are ready for those. The terrain and routes are such that even really minor injuries will make continuing with your tour almost impossible.
How should travellers manage their expectations about the TMB?
Two things on this really. Don’t look at your daily trails just from a kilometre standpoint, but also take in the elevations. You often stay in valleys on the TMB so you have to go up and come down a lot, and that’s so tiring. The second thing is, you do see a lot of photos of the TMB in perfect conditions. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security with all those lovely summer photos. Yes, you may be hiking in June, July or August, but you are going to get rain, you’re definitely going to have some fog, and you’re almost certainly going to have a thunderstorm or two. We did get plenty of sun in between though, for sure.
What’s the most useful thing you packed and what did you not pack that you wish you had brought?
The most useful thing I packed was a blister stick, which, rather than blister plasters, not only works for blisters, but also for chafing or any hotspots where clothes or your daypack rub etc. I put that on straight away when I felt something, and I think it saved a lot of grief. Also, I’m not a huge pole walker, because I love to do scrambling routes and they get in the way. But I brought them on the TMB and they were a godsend, especially going downhill as they take that pressure off your knees. In terms of things I didn’t pack, on some days I didn’t take my camera, thinking that I could just use my phone. Especially on the first few days to save weight. That was a big mistake, as the phone camera can’t do these views justice.
What do our customers love most about the TMB?
Like me, really, they all talk about the views. We get comments on that all the time. We also get a lot of brilliant feedback about our accommodation hosts and just how friendly and helpful they are. The same goes for our taxi drivers. Like I said above, everyone is just so friendly in this region.
Where was your favourite meal on the TMB?
It wasn’t anything fancy, but we loved a pizza restaurant in a campsite in Val Veny that we passed, just up from Courmayeur. It had been a long day and that pizza just hit the spot. It was also in an incredible spot, with the most fantastic views from its garden. It’s in our trip notes, so customers won’t miss it either. I also want to give a shout out to Boulangerie l’Al’pain, in Argentière, as they do the best focaccias ever.
Where was your favourite wake-up spot along the TMB?
This was another one in Val Veny, where the wake-up views are just mind blowing. It’s called Rifugio Maison Vieille, and it’s on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. I always think that this side of the mountain is more wild and rugged and looks spectacular. On the French side, it’s very forested, with clean lines of snow and glaciers, which are also wonderful, but I love the ruggedness in Italy. Also, it was one of those places where we got that perfect mountain mist, and I love to start walking before that clears, which it usually does by about 09.30. That way, you catch those beams of light pouring through the mist as you start your walk.
What makes you proud to be part of the sustainable tourism sector?
I’ve been very privileged in my life to see a lot of beautiful places. At the moment, there are a lot of things in the world that threaten those places, and I’m just very proud to be part of something that will enable people, and future generations, to experience some of them too. I guess it’s a proud moment to know that you’re actually giving to a place rather than taking away from it. That’s a general theme in my life really, as I am really uncomfortable with over-consumption. I think it’s bad for the world, and bad for people. So generally speaking, I value anything that preserves historical values and nature, rather than that modern concept of doing everything as fast as possible, for quick hits. I think it’s important to just take your time with everything, which is what the concept of slow travel is all about.
And finally, what’s your favourite alternative long-distance trail to the TMB that you hope to take on one day?
I’m very keen to do the GR20 in Corsica. I think it matches my style perfectly, as it’s got some scrambling elements in it and also it’s pretty wild and rugged. I love a trek that’s a bit more tactile than just hiking.
If Jenna’s insights have got your Tour du Mont Blanc fever rising, you can scramble your way through an array of other blogs on the subject including: Everything you need to know about the Tour du Mont Blanc, Expert guidance on preparing for the TMB, and Our top Tour du Mont Blanc alternatives. Please don’t hesitate to talk with any of our adventure specialists for more details on our Tour du Mont Blanc tours, and how we can make them work for you. We also have a detailed FAQ section on that tour page, so scroll down for more information.
Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights
Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit
Tour du Mont Blanc Highlights in Comfort
Hiking Tour du Mont Blanc in Comfort
Tour du Mont Blanc Circuit in Comfort
Classic Tour du Mont Blanc (Centre-based)
Snowshoeing in Chamonix Valley (Self-guided, Centre-based)
