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On the Knife Edge

Do I need trekking poles on the TMB?

28/2/2019

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You don’t need trekking poles on the Tour du Mont Blanc. In fact, you don’t need trekking poles anywhere. Plenty of people hike all over the world without them and have few problems. However, in my opinion, they are desirable: a very good idea indeed whether on the Tour du Mont Blanc or any other mountain hike. And here’s why:
  • You are less likely to fall if you use them: this seems pretty obvious right? By using four limbs instead of two, you are more stable and less prone to fall. That is a very good thing on a multi-day trek like the TMB when an injury can send you back home on a plane, wasting months of planning; 
  • You can walk further and longer with them: you will be sharing your load amongst four limbs instead of two. This means that there is less force going through your legs and that helps to conserve strength. This benefit is not to be underestimated when you are carrying a heavy pack that you are not used to; and 
  • They reduce knee injury: walking in the Alps by definition involves long climbs and descents as you pass between valleys over high altitude mountain passes. The downhill sections are hard on your knees, particularly if you are not used to it. For me, the main benefit of poles is to take good care of my knees on the relentless descents.
Now some people will tell you that they also improve posture, making you walk more upright, which in turn helps with respiration. Others will tell you that they help strengthen your back muscles but I don’t know about any of that. All I know is that when using poles, I am less likely to fall over, get tired or injury myself. That is all I need to know to convince me to use them.
Do I need trekking poles for the Tour du Mont Blanc?
Do I need trekking poles for the Tour du Mont Blanc?
So what are the downsides of using poles?

Well some people find that they get in the way: if you do not place them right then you can trip over them. However, I believe that is just a matter of a little practice. Others say that they make you burn more calories so you need to carry more food. This seems logical but I do not think that it makes that big a difference. And then there is the matter of the extra weight but with the introduction of carbon poles this is not a massive issue. In summary, I believe that these issues are vastly outweighed by the benefits.

One pole or two?

If you have taken on board what I have said above, then it will seem obvious that two poles are best. However, one pole is definitely better than none. In fact, I only walk with one pole these days. A few years ago, I had a shoulder operation and I got into the habit of using only one while going through rehab. I am always concerned about giving that shoulder too much work so I still use one, swapping between arms periodically. The advantage of using one is that you always have a hand free. But if I could, I would use two without hesitation.

Should I use the wrist straps?

My answer is emphatically yes! The straps can be used to take most of the weight off your fingers and hands, reducing strain. Your wrists, which are stronger, do much of the work. Straps also help reduce blisters on your fingers and palms because you do not need to grip the pole so tightly. However, poor quality straps can also cause chaffing.

The straps should be worn the same way as those on ski poles: you put your hands up through the straps rather than down. This means that if you fall then you are less likely to break your wrist as your hands can come free of the poles more easily.
How to use the straps
How to use the straps
A walker using poles on the Tour du Mont Blanc
A walker using poles on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Telescopic poles or folding poles?

Telescopic poles collapse by pushing the sections into one another. Normally there are three sections and they tend to be very robust, lasting for years. Folding poles usually have four sections connected by plastic covered string. The sections do not fold up beside each other and so the folded pole is wider than the collapsed telescopic pole and tends to be less durable.

For decades, I used telescopic poles but once I bought a folding set, I never looked back. Although, they are less durable, the folding pole has two key advantages:
  1. Telescopic poles when collapsed are too long to fit inside the small 35 litre backpacks commonly used for Alpine trekking. This makes like difficult when you want to take them on a plane because post-911 there is no way that you are going to be allowed to bring those poles into the cabin. If it won’t fit in your pack then what do you do? Of course, if you are going to carry a 50-65 litre pack then size will not be an issue; 
  2. Folding poles are commonly made of carbon and so they are very light. I love carbon. My leki Micro Vario Carbon poles weigh 240g each. And although they are probably not as robust as aluminium poles, I have had them for years and, trust me, they are very strong. Everything is going carbon these days and no matter what anyone tells you, millions of people are using carbon poles. They are a little more expensive it is true but not massively so.

A folding carbon walking pole
A folding carbon walking pole
What are anti-shock poles?

Anti-shock poles have shock absorbers built in so that the stress on your arms and wrists is reduced. There are various different mechanisms: one of the earliest was basically to have a spring within the pole. This was quite heavy. However, nowadays there are some really cool lightweight systems. My poles have a neat piece of shock-absorbing rubber within the tip and it really works. Some say that the shock absorber affects your contact with the ground but I have never found that.
What is the best material for the handles?

In simple terms, there are three types: cork, rubber and foam. Cork (its rarely real cork these days) is the nicest to use: very comfortable and less likely to give you blisters. But it is quite heavy. Rubber handles, in my opinion, are the worst. I find them uncomfortable to use for long periods and most likely to cause rubbing. I hate them. Foam used to be horrible but these days if you buy good quality poles, you should get good foam. My current poles have foam handles and they are excellent: I have walked thousands of km with them and I have never had a problem.

Everyone’s hands are different though so my advice is to go to a shop and try them out. It’s not the same as walking the 170km of the TMB with them but some comfort issues will be immediately obvious. Remember though that there are loads of cheap poles out there and the handles are unlikely to have been made with good stuff: when you have blisters after about 100km, you may wish that you had bought more expensive ones!
​
So there it is: one fool’s views on the use of a stick!
Our new guidebook to the Tour du Mont Blanc
Our new guidebook to the Tour du Mont Blanc
Our book includes Real Maps for each stage: IGN 1:25,000
Our book includes Real Maps for each stage: IGN 1:25,000
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What if I cannot get bookings for the TMB? Part 1

19/2/2019

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The Tour du Mont Blanc is an experience of a lifetime. No two ways about it. The scenery is exquisite, the refuges are just lovely and there is a wonderful sense of camaraderie amongst the TMB trekkers. Indeed, if the weather gods deliver clear blue skies and you are lucky enough to get accommodation, it will be an experience that you will never forget.

It is not a surprise therefore that you are competing with thousands of others to secure the gold dust that is bookings for the best refuges. And such is the popularity of this astounding trek that not everyone will get bookings. Nothing good in life is easy these days particularly when it comes to trekking and travel.

So what happens if you are one of the disappointed thousands? Do you simply wait until the end of the season and try to secure that alpine experience for the following year? Well that is what many do: the Tour du Mont Blanc is a famous bucket list trek after all. However, I think that is a shame. Now I am not suggesting that you should not try to book the TMB again the following year. What I am suggesting though is that the TMB is not the be all and end all of the Alps. I am telling you that there are plenty of other treks which are just as good if not better.

The TMB is the one that everybody knows about because it is a circumnavigation of the most famous peak in the Alps: the mighty Mont Blanc. The Mont Blanc Massif is the highest group of mountains in the French Alps. But can you tell me what is the second highest massif? Or the third highest? I didn’t think so. The Alpine chain is absolutely huge and the Mont Blanc Massif is only a tiny portion of it. I guarantee that if you did any one of a hundred treks in the Alps, it would be an experience just as rich and fulfilling as the TMB. And most of these treks do not attract the volume of visitors that descend upon the TMB: not because the scenery is inferior but because the TMB circles the highest mountain in Western Europe and bucket lists like the word “highest”.

So why wait for 12 months when you can have a magnificent Alpine experience straight away? The difficulty is knowing where to start so let me help you with a few suggestions.

Walker’s Haute Route
The otherworldly Lac des Dix on Stage 6a of the Haute Route
The otherworldly Lac des Dix on Stage 6a of the Haute Route
The obvious alternative, which many of you will have heard of, is the Walker’s Haute Route (WHR). This is often considered to be the sister trek to the TMB and many argue (with justification) that it is scenically superior to the Tour du Mont Blanc. It overlaps for a few days with the TMB but it is a linear route (rather than a circuit) taking you on an epic adventure between the two great mountaineering centres of the Alps. Starting in Chamonix beside Mont Blanc you walk all the way to Zermatt in Switzerland which is overlooked by the absolutely stunning Matterhorn. In between, you pass the greatest collection 4000m peaks in the Alps. And the glaciers! Oh the glaciers! They are everywhere!
The magnificent Grand Combin keeps you company for days on the Haute Route
The magnificent Grand Combin keeps you company for days on the Haute Route
​​That is the good news. The bad news is that the Haute Route is also quite busy. Not as busy as the TMB but busy all the same. But it is slightly easier to book the Haute Route so if you have failed to secure TMB accommodation, then often you can still get sorted on the WHR. It is, however, a bit harder than the TMB: 206km compared to the 170km of the TMB; with 14,000m of height gain as opposed to 10,000m for the TMB. It therefore takes longer than the TMB but you do not have to do all of it. It enjoys the same camaraderie between trekkers and I prefer it to the TMB. So don’t overlook this one.

​
Tour of the Ecrins National Park (GR54)
The wildflowers are staggering in the Fournel Valley on the GR54
The wildflowers are staggering in the Fournel Valley on the GR54
A less obvious alternative is the GR54. It is my favourite trek in all the world, making a circumnavigation of the Ecrins Massif, the second highest range in France. It may be second to the Mont Blanc Massif in terms of height but not by much. And once you see it, there is no chance that you will notice that, for this is majestic high mountain terrain. And in my opinion, it is a much more real Alpine experience than the TMB. Much of the trek heads through the pristine Ecrins National Park which inexplicably gets only a fraction of the visitors that cram the Mont Blanc Massif each season. It is a truly remarkable place: a wilderness of snowy peaks, lovely pastures, incredible lakes and beautiful hamlets and refuges. Furthermore, you are much more likely to see wildlife in this protected region: chamois and ibex are regularly spotted. The path is just as good as the TMB and it has been recently waymarked so I find it to be easier to navigate than the TMB.
The incredible Tour of the Ecrins National Park
The incredible Tour of the Ecrins National Park
​It is about 180km so it is a bit harder than the TMB but not prohibitively so: it takes around the same length of time. And it is much easier to secure bookings. Or if you wish to camp then you will be delighted to learn that wild camping is permitted almost everywhere in the park: a rare thing these days. In my humble opinion, this is a bucket list trek. Your friends won’t know where it is but who cares as you will be doing something very special?

But I hear you say, I am new to trekking and do not want to do a trek even a little harder than the TMB. And I reply: “no problem! There are plenty of treks of similar difficulty or slightly easier. But you are going to have to wait until my next post to be appraised of this secret. To be continued.....

Walker's Haute Route: Chamonix to Zermatt

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Tour of the Ecrins National Park

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Packing for an Alpine trek: Five things I would not be without

11/2/2019

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It is not that hard to find a packing list for a trek such as the TMB as there are heaps of them posted on the internet. Much of the contents of the lists will be similar but there are sometimes a few quirky items to be found. Trekkers are creatures of habit and most have their own little foibles: a few small items that they would not be without.
​
As many of you will now be aware, I am obsessed with pack weight. Accordingly, the purist in me likes to think that I have no foibles, carrying only what is absolutely necessary to trek safely and efficiently. The reality, however, is not quite so ascetic. So what are my foibles? What are the things that I don’t want to do without?  
The TMB: taking a break in front of Mont Blanc
The TMB: taking a break in front of Mont Blanc
GR54: The Ecrins National Park has many beautiful lakes
The GR54: The Ecrins National Park has many beautiful lakes
Pack size for the Tour du Mont Blanc
The GR54: Refuge de Vallonpierre
The GR54: Refuge de Vallonpierre
How to do the TMB without advance booking: Part 1
The Walker's Haute Route: hiking in front of the Matterhorn
The Walker's Haute Route: hiking in front of the Matterhorn
The TMB: fabulous views into the Rhone Valley
The TMB: fabulous views into the Rhone Valley
  1. Ear plugs: I am not breaking new ground with this one! You will find these on many people’s packing list.  Many of you will be staying in dormitories on your trek. There will be many other people in these dorms. And you would have to be mad as a bag of cats to believe that you will be lucky enough to avoid people that snore for a period of 10 days or more! I once met a trekker who snored so badly that he carried a bag of earplugs and offered them to those in the beds near him! True story. Trust me on this one: you need to bring some. The yellow foam ones are cheap and light but I believe that there are now fancy-ass noise cancelling Jedi ones. I have not tried these myself yet. 
  2. ​Moleskin: you could say that I am lucky in that I rarely get blisters these days. 15 years ago, I was fortunate enough to find a set of boots that fitted me really well. Since then, I have never worn any other model of boots: I am now on my twelfth pair (Meindl if you are interested). However, it is not all luck. Some years ago, on an Alpine trek, I happened to mention to another hiker that I thought I might have the beginnings of a blister. The kind soul handed me something that I had never seen before: a moleskin pad which you stick on your foot. I had used Compeed blister plasters before with mixed results but the Moleskin really works for me. Any time I feel the tiniest makings of a blister, I stick one on. And then, I change it every morning for the rest of the trek. I am quite sure that most of the time I don’t really need it but it has become part of my trekking regime: perhaps even superstition. Well it works for me and I won’t be without it. Fortunately, a roll is very light!  
  3. Anti-inflammatory gel: this could be another of my superstitions, but I always carry a small tube of Volterol gel for strains or knee pain. Anytime my hypochondria tells me that I am in grave danger of my joints imploding, I slap a load on. And in no time, I feel much better. It could be a placebo but it works for me. My lawyer tells me to advise you to make sure that you are not allergic to the gel you take with you!
  4. Protein bars: now there is some science behind this one! Many sports scientists tell us that, for 30 minutes after finishing endurance activity, the human body is best able to absorb protein. This means that if you eat protein and carbs within that period then it gives your body a better chance of recovery before the next day. Accordingly, part of my trekking routine is to eat a protein bar as soon as I stop for the day: before checking in to a refuge or setting up camp. I have been doing this now for 5 years and I believe that it helps my recovery. Have you ever got really cold at the end of a long trek? Well that means your body wants protein and carbs. Again it’s a thing that works for me. I bring six of them. After the sixth day I try to buy some more but if I cannot find them then I do without: my body has usually adjusted to the trek by then anyway so recovery is less of an issue.  
  5. Great big heavy camera: yes I know that the iphone takes 12mps and that you can take some staggering photos with it. However, I just love looking through an old school viewfinder. This is my true foible (folly perhaps) for my Canon DSLR and case together weigh 2kg, nearly 25% of my total pack weight. It is heavy but it is part of the trekking experience for me and I love it. Maybe this explains why I am obsessed with making everything else so light!
 So what are the things that you cannot do without on a trek?
The newest guidebook to the Tour du Mont Blanc
The newest guidebook to the Tour du Mont Blanc
Real Maps are included for each stage
Real Maps are included for each stage
Numbered waymarks link route descriptions to the maps
Numbered waymarks link route descriptions to the maps
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How to do the Tour du Mont Blanc without booking in advance: Part 2

6/2/2019

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In Part 1, I wrote about how to “wing it” on the TMB by choosing the less busy times to trek. This week I am going to talk about the second way of walking the Tour du Mont Blanc without booking in advance: camping.
But that’s completely obvious, I hear you say! Everybody knows that you can camp on the TMB! Everybody knows that campers do not need to book! And everyone knows that campers have to carry a load of heavy kit around the whole TMB! Right?

Well not entirely. Whilst everyone knows that anyone may camp on the TMB, many people do not realise that these days almost anyone has the physical ability to camp on the TMB.  Have I lost you there? Well let me explain.

What I mean is that, in the last few years, the developments in lightweight camping gear have been so rapid that camping gear now weighs almost nothing: so now, almost anyone has the physical ability to carry the gear required to camp on the TMB. Not only that, if you carry lightweight camping gear and are careful about the other items you bring, I guarantee that your pack will still be lighter than most other people’s.
I can tell that you are not convinced so let me elaborate.
Camping on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Camping on the Tour du Mont Blanc
How to do the TMB without advance booking Part 1
Pack size for the TMB
When I started Alpine trekking more than 2 decades, I bought a really nice 2-man tent. It was made by Mountain Hardwear and it was really dope. It was the envy of my friends. And it weighed 3.3kg: I still have it and I checked! I carried it on many multi-day treks. It was heavy!

2 years ago on a trip to Colorado, I bought a new Marmot tent: it weighs 0.79kg. I know I am boring you now but bear with me. That is a difference in weight of 2.5kg. Putting it another way, my new tent weighs 24% of the weight of my old one. Now extrapolate that across all the items you need to camp on a trek and you begin to understand just how much weight can be saved.

So what is the minimum kit you need to camp the TMB (over and above what you already need to carry)? And how much will it weigh?
Stage 1a of the TMB: Refuge di Fioux
Stage 1a of the TMB: Refuge di Fioux
On the TMB you do not necessarily need to carry a stove or cooking equipment as there are plenty of shops and restaurants at which to buy food. That means that the minimum gear is as follows:
  • Tent: 0.79kg
  • Sleeping bag: I have a Thermarest Hyperion 0° bag which weighs 0.46kg
  • Sleeping mat: Thermarest Neoair – 0.34kg
  • Trekking pillow - Sea to Summit 0.06kg

So that gives an additional total weight of.....wait for it.....1.65kg! The weight of a bottle of water! That’s it. I am pretty sure that I could extract 1.65kg of unnecessary weight from many people’s packs before adding that camping gear. For example, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I upgraded my pack itself for a weight saving of 0.7kg.

Now it is fair to say that lightweight gear tends to be more expensive than the heavier stuff. But these days the price difference is often not huge if you shop around. And when you compare the cost of the gear to the money you will spend on accommodation in refuges and gîtes, it becomes a completely reasonable proposition.

So to underline the point of this article: 1.65kg extra is not the end of the world, particularly if you can shave a few oz elsewhere. And therefore almost everyone can carry camping gear these days. So almost everyone can camp on the TMB. So almost everyone can do the TMB without advance booking. QED.

And in fact, with gear weighing so little, you could even carry the camping gear just for one or two nights’ camping. So, if there were a few places that you can’t get bookings for, then bring the tent for those nights.

Ok so there are plenty of you who don’t like camping but I can’t solve all the problems!

​Well what do you think?
The newest guidebook for the Tour du Mont Blanc
The newest guidebook for the Tour du Mont Blanc
All our books contain Real Maps
All our books contain Real Maps
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    Andrew McCluggage

    blogs about ​life on the Knife Edge

    Andrew is the CEO of Knife Edge Outdoor Limited. He is also a writer, photographer and committed walker​

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