Adventure in the Alps 2016 Part 8: Mont Blanc.... Not just a fancy pen.

We began our visit to the Mont Blanc area with a night in the little town of Courmayeur.  This beautiful little mountain town is known as Italy's best ski resort but in the summer it is bustling with hikers on the Tour de Mont Blanc.  We found a quaint little hotel which offered one of the best breakfast's I've ever eaten.

We spent the morning sightseeing in the town, popping in and out of shops and having a few scoops of gelato.

By afternoon it was time to move on.  We spent our last night in the mountains at Rifugio Torino on the Mont Blanc massif at 10,922 feet.  To get to the hut, we took a spectacular ride on the Skyway Monte Bianco, a cable car offering one of the most incredible rides imaginable.  The lift opened at 11,371 feet at the Punta Helbronner.  By far the most incredible views of the trip, the cable car ride was an adventure in itself.  To be able to access these views without climbing is simply incredible.

We took in the incredible views from the top before going into a tunnel cutting through the mountains and popping us out at the access point to the lower glacier and the Rifugio Torino.

The hut was warm and inviting, full of climbing teams excited for their expedition the next day.  Most would attempt to summit the Dent du Géant (Giant's Tooth).  After we arrived at the hut, storms rolled in and we were stuck inside for the evening.  Mother Nature made up for it the following morning with an incredible sunrise offering views including my favorite mountain far away in Switzerland, The Matterhorn.

After enjoying the incredible sunrise views, we set off down the lift to the trail that would guide us on our day's adventure.  Using a well laid via ferrata trail, we crossed over the Mont de la Brenva and wound our way to an incredible view of the Brenva Glacier and the spectacular Mont Blanc massif.