180km Hiking The Epic Tour du Mont Blanc ⛰️ (Part 2)

180km Hiking The Epic Tour du Mont Blanc ⛰️ (Part 2)

For the next 9 days, I’m attempting one of the 
most iconic hikes on Earth. No need to worry. No need to panic. This is the tour de Mont Blanc. 
180 km circling Europe’s tallest mountain. This very second is one of the best moments of my life. 
My journey begins here in a small French village not far from Shaman. And the hike will take me 
across three separate countries, France, Italy, and Switzerland. [Music] Have you ever seen 
such a beautiful morning in all of your life? Along the way, I’ll face over 10,000 
m of elevation, scorching summer heat, sudden alpine storms, and the mental 
battle of putting one foot in front of the other day after day with the hopes 
and dreams of finishing this epic hike. The TMBB is just pure magic. This is 
going to be an emotional roller coaster. and I’d love for you to join me. [Music] Right, let’s begin. [Music] Good morning. Good morning. Just wiping 
the tears from my eyes because it’s cold, not because I’m emotional. Although I have 
just been watching the ultimate marathon runners doing the TMBB. So here we are doing 
a 9-day walk of the tour and at the same time last night the UTMBB started the ultra marathon 
the most famous race in the world and they’re doing the entire tour in one day running 
it. So, there are thousands of runners and uh they’re making their way up the hill there. 
There’s a refugeio perched on the edge of a cliff. That’s where we’ll be walking this morning, 
but we ain’t running up there. So, good luck, boys and girls. I wanted to give a big shout 
out to this refugeio. Caban dumb here on the Italian side was just fantastic. Fresh coffee, 
delicious food, great breakfast, great service, great staff, and with the location of just 
at the lip of this incredible glacia. It was fantastic. I could have stayed there for days. 
But alas, we’ve got some hiking to do. Today, we’re going up and over this mountain down into a 
big town, the Italian version of Shaman, and maybe have a spot of lunch. And then we’re heading back 
up into the mountains to our refugeio. It’s just going to be a lovely sunny morning and uh we’re 
going to try our best to stay out of the way of all of the ultramarathon runners. Nearly just 
stacked it. Um all of the ultramarathon runners who are passing us by. So, let’s just hope we 
can hike without getting in their way too much. Look at this. The beautiful lavender flowers 
are out. the greens of the summer, the whites of the glacias that stay up there at that high 
altitude all year. Look at the blue of the lake. Incredible. And just around the corner,   I rejoined the TMB and was soon joined 
by all of the ultramarathon runners. They’d just completed the high mountain pass 
from France into Italy through an almighty storm in the middle of the night. So, let’s stay 
out of their way as much as possible. Let them recover as we soak up uninterrupted views 
of Mount Blanc. [Music] Half of me wanted to just stay still and admire the views and go 
slow, but I had to keep going and get out of the way of these hikers who were trying to make it 
to the next checkpoint before the cutoff. So, these guys have been running for 12, 13 or 14 
hours now. They’ve been running through the night, through the rain. And so for them, this is 
probably the first time the sun is hitting their faces since last night anyway. So they’re 
just taking this moment to take off some layers, refuel before they crack on all the way 
up there. Let’s give them some support. And all of these people you see 
here, they’re really struggling.   They’re really far back. Let’s go, Hong 
Kong. And if they don’t make it to Kayer, the next town, in the next few 
hours, they will be eliminated. Not only was it magnificent this morning, 
the weather, the views, but to be able to   hike alongside these ultra marathon runners, 
it was so motivating. It was so uplifting. There’s a beautiful rainbow. A nice moment 
for the hikers and the runners. I just got signal and I’ve been checking some of the 
stories from last night. Uh sound really, really brutal. These guys have been through it 
last night by the sound of things. To think that it’s actually possible to do the TMB in 
one go without sleeping is just a marvel. Over 2,000 runners started this race the previous 
day and at this point they’ve been on the trail now for over 12 hours and it’s starting to show. 
Okay, I just had a lovely chat with that English fella apparently last night when they were doing 
that pass. Snow going across their face. Freezing cold snowstorm. And apparently it was dark, it 
was cold, it was freezing and it was miserable. And uh they’re actually there’s a few Americans 
that we just spoke to as well. Most of them are in good spirits because the worst part’s over. They 
said they ran through the night, through the rain, through the snow. And they said that once 
we get down the other side of this mountain, that’s pretty much the halfway point. And uh 
they’ll get a nice feed in the town there. They have the big station with lots of food. They 
have those stations every 2 hours apparently. But   uh there’s a big one in the town. And then 
I continue further up. Not quite sure where I’m staying tonight, but somewhere in that 
valley. Mount Blanca is now hiding. But what a view. What an incredible view this 
is. Over 2,000 people started the race and just over half of that will actually 
finish. That’s how brutal this race is. So, my job was to hike in safety, capture 
some of the views for you because it was   one of the highlights of the TMB. But like I said 
before, stay out of the way as much as possible. As I stopped here for a little snack and a 
rest, these racers were looking knackered, and if they didn’t hurry up, they would be 
eliminated. And for the next few hours, I   took turns in just soaking up the views and having 
welldeserved rests. And on the downhills, whenever the racers were running past me, sometimes I just 
felt like joining them. And as a test to myself to see if I can actually keep up with them. 
Let’s go, buddy. Even if it is for 5 minutes. As I hiked and sometimes ran down this 
mountain, we all made our way down to Kayier. Okay, we made it all the way 
from up there somewhere into the town. Let’s find a spot for lunch. Let’s 
resupply and then let’s uh continue. Hey [Music]   Let’s go, Mike. [Music] It’s a really pretty little village, actually. 
Corre is a stunning little village here in Italy. ancient architecture, delicious food 
and restaurants on every corner. Loads of places to resupply, and a great spot 
on a day like today to just take it easy, take a few hours off being on the 
hiking trail. [Music] [Applause] [Music] So, let’s go find a cool place 
to hang out, find some food,   and treat oursel a little bit as this is the 
first big town that we’re passing through. Children, wait. [Music] Going to 
travel the water. See the wild. [Music] Okay, that was a lovely, lovely, 
welldeserved relaxing afternoon in that beautiful town. A great bit of lunch and just 
a relaxing few hours listening to that angel singing her heart out in the piaza. Right, 
we’re heading to Refugeio Baton. Says it’s about an hour 45. And with it being such 
a gorgeous afternoon, what’s the rush? Yeah, the hike up out of Corair to my refugeio 
for the night was a brutal 800 meter or so climb, but I was glad to get this section 
done at the end of the day. And the views along the way up to my refugeio 
were simply out of this world. [Music] [Music]   So yeah, welcome to Refugeio Baton, 
home for tonight. And at 2,000 m, really high up with incredible views 
of Corayair down below and all of   the mountains that we’ve been hiking 
over for the past few days. [Music] Okie dokie. I’m settled in at Refugeio Batoni 
and it has quite the view which is certainly an understatement. I mean this is probably the 
best view from a refugeio that we’ve had so   far. There’s Mount Blanc up there with wisp and 
snow coming off the peak. That’s where we came from today down that valley. And there’s the town 
that we hung out this afternoon. It’s business as   usual here in this refugeio. They have lots of 
rules. Um, you know, keep your backpack outside, take your shoes off, keep it clean. Here’s a coin. 
You get 4 minutes of hot water in the shower. So, you’ve got to be very efficient when you have your 
shower. Dinner is at 7:00. Breakfast is at 7:00 in the morning. And we have to be out of here by 
8. So, it’s just a nice way to end your day is having a meal with some new hikers, with some 
friends, making friends, making memories here on the TMB. And yeah, I’ll catch up with you 
again tomorrow. We got a quite an easy day in comparison. It’s a long flat four or five hours 
and then a big climb. Right, see you tomorrow. [Music]   There’s a big group there that have a big mule 
carrying goods and foods. That is an option, by the way, if you’re doing the TMBB. You can join 
a group tour with a guide and a mule, and the mule will carry some of the load, but they all still 
have to carry their own bags. But uh not something I’m interested in, but maybe you guys want to 
lighten the load. I navigate on maps.mme, but the trail is very well signposted, except for right 
here. I didn’t know whether to go that way or this way, but maps.mme is telling me go that way. And 
since we’ve got such beautiful weather and since once we do get over this little mound, it should 
be nothing but highlight after highlight. [Music] If your main reason for doing the TMB is to 
take incredible photographs of landscapes and to soak up and create memories in one 
of the most beautiful places in the world, then pray for good weather 
on this section of the hike. [Music] For this 10 km stretch, it’s mostly 
flat and acts as a bit of a balcony. On the right hand side, you’ll have a hill and on 
the left, you’ll have uninterrupted views of Mount Blanc and the Mastiff itself. And thank 
the gods, the weather today was beautiful. And just when I wanted to have a sit down 
and to relax and really soak up the views, there was this beautiful wooden 
bench just perched here perfectly. And while I had a quick drink and a little 
snack, I thought it would be interesting for   this section of the video anyway to have 
no music and no voice over from me. Just a 90-second section of the video where 
you can just hear the sounds of the TMB. [Music] Okay. M I
[Music] [Music] Okay, that refuge was amazing. Great staff, 
incredible lunch buffet, and just a nice place to relax, man. Had a nice hour here. Half 
an hour in the waterfall, soaking my feet, soaking up the sun on the grass outside, 
enjoying this absolutely incredible valley. Woo. And of course, putting off the inevitable, 
which is the hardest part of today, which is uh hiking up this mountain behind me, up 
and over into Switzerland about another 6 km. I wouldn’t mind a little bit 
of cloud coverage actually cuz it’s started to get quite brutal. I’ve applied 
sun cream for the fifth time today. [Music] If you’ve ever done a multiple day 
hike, then you’ll know after a few days,   you start to build up strength and 
endurance. And after that beautiful morning session and a great lunch and the 
weather still being absolutely glorious, I was feeling happy. I was feeling 
motivated. I was feeling strong and powerful. This was one of the highlights of the TMB. 
And if you couple that with the views all around us today, I mean, it was an outof body 
experience. This doesn’t happen very often, but I’m walking down a valley in Switzerland. 
There are marmuts running around. There are birds flying. And my music is on fire. There’s limp 
biscuit. There’s oasis. There’s the red chili peppers. So many great memories from these songs, 
these concerts that I’ve been to as a young man. all of my memories of being young and just 
being just into so much rock and roll and it’s blasted in my ear as I’m walking through the 
Swiss Alps coming into my 40s and it is just such a moment of like I had no idea who I was 
when I was in my 20ies. No idea of where to go, no idea what I was going to end up doing. 
I was confused. I was drinking. I was   working in bars and I was just an absolute 
nightmare. I was having a good time though, don’t get me wrong. If I could have just 
told myself, Patty, when you’re nearly 40,   you’re going to be making money. You’re going to 
be having a business that lets you go to the Swiss Alps to rock out to this kind of music. And you 
know, all you have to do is share it with the the people that watch you. Share the experience, 
share the thrill, share the ups and downs, give them information, but also just let them 
smile. And I’m doing that now. And I just want to say a big thank you. This is one of those moments 
where it all just comes at me. The emotion of life and this very second. This very second is 
one of the best moments of my life. And I just thought I’d randomly share that with you. Right, 
let’s get to this refugeio. Let’s have a shower. Yeah, what an epic day. And I made it down to 
our accommodation. We were staying in a converted dairy farm. So, we were sleeping in a barn, but it 
was beautiful. The food was incredible. They had the best food on the entire hike. And the best 
part was they had this delicious homemade ice cream straight from the raw cow’s milk into the 
ice cream machine itself. Pure heaven. What a day. I’ll never forget it. [Music] And in typical TMBB 
style, I woke up the next morning and the weather was absolutely shite. It might be miserable, 
but it’s still absolutely incredibly beautiful. And just like that, the Swiss Alps has some more 
plans for us involving crap weather. Have a look at this. It was blowing a gale. It was pissing 
down rain all night. And uh we’ve woken up to a terrible forecast of lots of rain, lots of wind. 
Luckily, it’s just a bit drizzle in the minute, but we’ve all had a lovely breakfast and 
uh we’re all starting to leave in drips   and drabs. [Music] First slip and fall of 
the day thanks to this slippy little ledge here. And I kind of graze my arm on the rock. 
Oh, that’s going to be a nice little shiner, as we say in England. Bit of a bruise. 
Looks like it’s pierced the skin. Okay, dust yourself off. Stay alert because it’s going 
to be a slippy one. [Music] Trying to imagine what this valley would look like yesterday because even 
now it’s magnificent. But I have to say it is it’s amazing to be back in the Swiss Alps. Thank you 
so much to all those people that watched my series two years ago now hiking from Interactan over to 
Zamat. That was such a such a great memory and it’s great to be back here in the Swiss Alps. 
So if it looks like I’ve been mud wrestling, it’s because I’m ashamed to say there was a few 
slip and tumbles on the way down there. It was   very slippy, very muddy, and uh I slipped and fell 
on my ass. I’m ashamed to say, probably around seven times. It was quite funny because I didn’t 
get hurt, but it could have been a lot worse. I hope everyone’s okay coming down that hill 
today. I mean, have a look at the state of me. Got mud all up my sleeve. mud up all one side. Um, it’s all part of it. [Music] Okay, well deserved coffee and a toilet 
break thanks to that lovely little cafe here in Lafouli. Apparently, you can get 
a bus from here all the way to pretty much where the refugeio is today. And there’s 
quite a few people taking the bus because they’re cold and they’re wet. But this 
is the TMB. So, I’m here to do the hike, ladies and gentlemen. No cable cars, 
no buses. Thank you very much. [Music] [Music] I’ll slow motion it. Yeah. Yeah. What I 
love about the TMBB is that such a social hike if you want it to be. I was just hiking and bit cold, 
bit miserable, and I got caught up by four hikers that I stayed with last night and on the first 
night. And because it’s a loop and everyone has their accommodations sorted, sometimes you’re 
staying at the same refugeios, so you see the same people on and off. sometimes on the trail, 
sometimes at lunch, sometimes in the evening, over dinner. And so you build relationships. And when 
you are feeling a bit down, a bit cold, a bit wet, a bit battered and bruised like me, you can hang 
back, have a coffee, and then join a few people. Build up your morale, build up your good energy, 
have a bit of a chinwag, and then when it’s time, you go ahead and you just get to hike alone 
again. And just like that, the sun’s come out to play. I mean, it is, you know, it’s trying 
its best, but uh yeah, we’re just hiking along this gorgeous river valley, and there’s a 
bit of sunlight coming through to warm us up. [Music]   Looks like the clag is coming back. We might be hiking through the 
fog. [Music] The atmosphere is incredible. It’s like hiking through 
a cloud, but it’s hot and humid. Thankfully, this section here 
has a chain that we can grab. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] I have to say this forest is enchanted. 
It is. It is magnificent. Have a listen. If only you guys could smell it. just so amazing. I know smell doesn’t translate on YouTube, but 
I wish it did. $65,000. So, this gorgeous little Swiss village was the home of a delicious cheese 
and mushroom omelette, a delicious cappuccino, but they didn’t take hard and I only had €20 
on me. Thankfully, one of the other hikers on the TMBB paid for me, and I’m going to get 
the cash point down in the next town. Um, look at this, guys. I just I have no words. I 
come back. As I say, I’ve done lots of places. Right, we’ve made it to Sheamx, a scenic 
little village on the lake. Good spot for me to go to the ATM to get some cash because 
I owe one of the hikers some money for lunch   and I need some cash on hand. And another 
excuse maybe to get a Twix bar or something, something sugary. Not far now. We’ve got to 
kind of like go up that cloud filled valley, get on the variant, and then our refugeio 
for the night is is a little bit up there. I’m tempted to hang out at this lake for a 
bit, but not much going on. Look at this. [Music] Woo! Home for the night is just around 
the corner. Can you believe it? Look at this. Come on now, Switzerland. Stop taking the piss. All right, ladies and gentlemen, that is going 
to be a wrap for part two of the TMB. I’ve just checked into the Arpete and I’ve got a lovely 
little bunk bed and uh there’s an American guy in there having a nap, so I’m not going 
to film it. But I had the best shower,   the best shower of the entire hike. This place 
looks fancy. I’ll show you some footage now of the buffet dinner that we have later and the 
buffet breakfast tomorrow. And we have an exciting part of the TMB tomorrow. We’re going up 
super high for an adventurous variant. Apparently, there’s some scrambling involved and climbing 
ladders. Hopefully, the weather plays game when we can do it. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a a bit 
of a boring loop around. So hopefully we get to do something really epic in the next episode. 
And yeah, thanks for watching part two of the TMBB here from Italy over into Switzerland. And 
the final part will be documenting the exciting variant. Another couple of days in Switzerland 
before we head back into France to finish it. Hopefully we can finish it in one piece. So tune 
in and watch part three right here, right now.

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The Tour du Mont Blanc is over 180km through France, Italy, and Switzerland, I explore breathtaking mountain trails, picturesque alpine villages, and stunning glaciers. In this multi-part series, I share the challenges, highlights, and unforgettable moments from this world-famous trek. Whether you’re an experienced hiker or planning your first long-distance hike, this series is packed with tips, gear insights, and real experiences to inspire your own TMB adventure.

From climbing steep passes to wandering through quaint villages, the Tour du Mont Blanc offers a unique mix of natural beauty and cultural charm. In each episode, I cover the trail routes, scenic viewpoints, accommodation options, and local food discoveries along the way. Follow along as I navigate unpredictable weather, meet fellow hikers, and capture every jaw-dropping panorama with cinematic footage. This series is your ultimate guide for hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in 9 days.

If you love mountain hiking, adventure travel, Europe trekking guides, and bucket-list experiences, this TMB series is for you. Don’t forget to subscribe for all 4 parts of the journey and hit the notification bell so you won’t miss the next episode. Join me as I take on one of the world’s most beautiful and challenging hiking trails and uncover everything you need to know to plan your own Tour du Mont Blanc adventure.

Chapters:
00:00 – 1:28 – Introduction
1:29 – UTMB Racers
12:38 – Epic Day 5
22:00 – Miserably Beautiful Day 6

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