Grand Tour des Combins HHT3-9

Accommodation

Accommodation for the Tour des Combins is in traditional mountain huts, most of them run by local alpine clubs. 

The huts on this route are full of charm but lack luxury. They are very basic, and it is not possible to do this route in private rooms, which is why neither our Classic or Comfort packages are available for this route. There is one night in a very small village, where accommodation is hotel-style in private rooms.

Meals

Half-pension is included at the mountain huts. Half-pension includes a multi-course dinner that is a set menu (usually with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option) and a breakfast that is based around bread, often with various cheeses and cold cuts. Drinks are not included (except for coffee at breakfast). On the last night, accommodation is in a small village, and dinner is not included. On this night, there are nearby restaurants to choose from.

Read about dietary restrictions at the huts

For lunches, there are two options:

1. Huts offer sack lunches that you can bring with you on the trail. We find these to be overpriced and repetitive to breakfast, and this option generates a lot of trash. These can be booked through us as an Add-on to the tour. If you do not pre-book the sack lunches through us, then they should be requested immediately upon arrival at the hut for the following day. Some huts may not be able to honor requests for a sack lunch that was not pre-booked. Huts are generally not very flexible in honoring dietary restrictions with their sack lunches.

1. The second option, and our favorite option, is to bring your own food. Note that there are no grocery stores along the way to resupply, but a small fuel station is available on the last night of the tour.

The Tour des Combins is likely to have the best conditions between mid-July and the end of August. Huts are generally open from late-June until mid-September, which defines the hiking season for this route. We do not recommend starting this route before mid-July.

Here's what conditions to expect at different times of year:

Late June: Huts are open and routes from the valleys to the huts are clear. Problematic snow is likely on the passes and at high elevations. There is a high risk of not being able to complete the itinerary during this time. Even if the passes are clear in time for your hike, they usually clear at the very last minute, and June hikers always have a couple of stressful weeks leading up to their hike as they eagerly wait for the snow to melt in time for their hike. In almost every year, it is not possible to predict what trails are going to be like in June until one or two weeks before. This is true even after a winter with low snowfall.

July and August: Problematic snow can remain on the route through the first week of July, but it is less likely than in June. Summer settles in and days are usually mostly sunny with an afternoon thunderstorm or two. These thunderstorms rarely interfere with hiking itineraries and are not usually problematic. Of course, thunderstorm safety should be practiced. The wildflowers at the higher elevations should be all out by mid-July. Hiking conditions during this time are often favorable, and it’s a great time to be on the trail.

Early September: The first snow of the winter usually falls in the first week of September. The snow rarely sticks around for more than a day, but the visibility can be very low, making navigation problematic, and maybe even impossible, on this one day. Most days in early September are beautiful and perfect, and the thunderstorms are less, but there is a higher risk of snowstorms and conditions that may prevent you from completing your hike during this time. Many hikers have incredible weather in September, but some do not. It’s simply a matter of luck. The later you push into September, the higher the risk that unfavorable conditions (usually snow, but sometimes extremely cold temperatures) can interfere with your hiking itinerary. We notice that customers who are on the trail beyond September 15^th are much more likely to quit their hike early due to conditions. In early September, the wildflower season is mostly over, with the exception of brilliant bursts of fireweed that mark the end of summer.

In all months, it’s reasonable to expect 1 to 2 rainy days on the trail.

To research more detailed information about average temperatures, precipitation, etc., we recommend checking Meteoblue (go to “History & Climate” and then “Climate (modelled)”) for Great Saint Bernard Pass.

Read more about Understanding the hut-to-hut hiking season in the Alps.