Hiking from Courmayeur to Rifugio Maison Vieille

Today’s hike is actually a small part of Tour de Mont Blanc (TMB). At our hotel in Dolonne- Courmayeur, they suggested taking the ski lift to Rifugio Maison Vieille, but we said we wanted to walk up there as the plan was to do a half-day hike from the town anyway.






























The ascent from Courmayeur to Rifugio Maison Vieille is about 750 m.

The initial part after the town is a nice path zigzagging in a forest. The trail is good, but the continuous ascent so steep that the French would classify it as rando sportive. We met several hikers descending along the trail, but only us ascending because the TMB is usually done anti-clockwise. After the forest the trail continued along an easy dirt road in alpine meadows.

























For us, it took about 2h 15min from Dolonne-Courmayeur to Maison Vieille, where we had lunch. We opted for well-made polenta with mushrooms or sausages plus a mixed salad. The service was friendly, they spoke good English and the restaurant seemed to be popular among local workmen as well as hikers. All in all, it felt like more authentic local cuisine than in most restaurants down in Courmayeur.
















After lunch the wind increased and there were more clouds, so we decided to head back to Courmayeur although climbing to Mont Chetif (2343 m; picture above) was planned initially. About 750 m almost continuous ascent was nevertheless a good workout in beautiful surroundings and fresh alpine air.