Athletes and Be Active ambassadors Anja and Tomi Klančnik spent their vacation in the Mont Blanc mountain range with their family. Together they walked the famous Tour de Mont Blanc and had a lot of fun along the way. Read how it all went in the sentences below.

The TMB trail, which encircles the Mont Blanc massif, is one of the most beautiful, mainly because of the diversity of nature, the power of glaciers, the altitude from 1000 to 2800 m, jumping over glacial rivers and experiencing the nature of three countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. This adds up to 170 km and 10000 m. And we all did this trail - the whole family. There are many hikers on the TMB, especially young people and foreigners. But there were not many children. We are very proud of all our hikers. Tinkara is probably one of the youngest to have completed the trail, and she did it in six days.

The trail is mostly well marked, but since it offers different variants, in addition to the map and the book with descriptions, we also had a GPS track, which turned out to be excellent, as we practically did not get lost. Of course, this means that the trail needs to be fully planned. The huts at the foot of Mont Blanc are occupied and reservations are required at least a month in advance. It is also necessary to estimate how much time you will need to complete the circuit. The stages described in the books are divided into 11 days. The third loop of the TMB trail is the weather, which cannot be predicted when planning a month before the hike, but is the most important factor on the trail. The very famous UTMB ultra test also takes place on this trail. Many hikers set out on the trail with a tent, as there are quite a few campsites along the trail and most huts also allow camping nearby.

The logistical planning of this route is really the hardest part of the TMB, because you wonder how much distance we can cover in a day, where we will eat, rest, where we can shorten it in case of rain, what we can put in our backpacks so that they are not too heavy, and so on. My husband Tomi and I did this part based on our experience from morning runs and considering the fitness of our children Ema (15 years old), Neja (14 years old), Roko (11 years old) and Tinkara (9 years old), as well as their confident walking in the hills. Such a feat requires years of mountain experience, walking, because the climbs and descents are really long, and the weather can change in an instant. We had all of this and so we could hardly wait to start our journey.

We walked an average of 9 to 10 hours every day, including breaks, so the walking was spread out over the entire day.

A more detailed description by day:

2.8.2021 DAY 1 (25 km, 1700 m, 9 h):

Les Houches (1050) - Col de Voza (1650) - Bionnassay (1320) - La Champel - Les Contamines - Noter Dame de La Gorge - Chalet Nant Brame - Chalet des Pres - Refuge des Pres (1950)

Everyone chooses the start and direction themselves. We started in France, in Chamonix - Les Houches in a counter-clockwise direction. On the first day we ate lingonberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, lunch from the shop in Les Contamines and dinner in the hut. We learned to greet: "Bo žur" ???? and found out where all the backpacks would hit us.

3/8/2021 DAY 2 (32 km, 2000 m, 9.5 h)

FRANCE: Refuge des Pres - Col du Bonhomme (2329) - Col de la Croix du Bonhomme (2479) -
Col des Fours (2665) - La Ville des Glaciers (1789) - Col de la Seigne (2516)

ITALY: Rifugio Elizabeta (2195) - Cabane du Combal – Courmayeur (1500)

The second day was marked by incredible and diverse nature, scenic passes above 2300 and views of glaciers. The entire route of the second day was at an altitude of over 2000 m. We woke up to a clear morning, but the forecast for the second part of the day was rainy. We had a long way to go, so we hoped to conquer the Col du Bonhomme, Col des Fours and the highest Col de la Seigne passes before the rain. From each of the passes, you first have to descend and then climb back up. The long climbs on this route were perhaps the hardest part, as the weight of the backpack with the sleeping bag, clothes, drinks and food is quite heavy. Fortunately, there is a lot of water on the TMB route and we soon found out that we can touch it from streams and rivers. The views from the passes are really impressive. The Mont Blanc massif turns in front of you, one moment you see its highest peak, the next the Grandes Jorasses or Aiguille du Midi and others. You pass from one valley to another and each one is truly special and beautiful. From the highest one we then descended into the Val Veny valley. Lunch from our backpack and short breaks were worth it and we arrived at the Hobo campsite in Courmayeur in the Val Veny valley just before the rain. We slept in this campsite before the start and the tent was pitched here all day.

4.8.2021 REST DAY

The rain only got worse overnight and continued throughout the next day, so we took a day off at the campsite.

5.8.2021 ROYAL STAGE DAY 3 (35.5 km, 2600 m, 13 h)

ITALY: Courmayeur - Rifugio Bertone (1989) - Tete de la Tranche (2584) - Col Sapin (2436) - Pas Entre-deux Sauts (2524) - Rifugio Bonatti (2054) - Chalet Val Ferret (1700) - Rifugio Elena (2053) - Grand Col Ferret (2437)
SWITZERLAND: Grand Col Ferret (2437) - Alpage de La Peule (2071)

The mighty White Mountain was ahead of us that day. After a vertical 1000 m climb above Rifugio Bertone, we looked at it practically face to face. We admired its peaks, glaciers, steepness and rocks. The ridge towards Tete de la Tranche, the descent into the Val Ferret valley and the fairy-tale huts Rifugio Bonatti and Elena are something so impressive that you forget all the effort. Your soul just sings. Even the storm that got us wet didn't stop us from doing so. Fortunately, it was short and the sun warmed us up again. One of the children always pulled us up the hill and won the victory over the pass. This time it was Neja, who overtook three young Frenchmen on the way to Grand Col Ferret. Everyone couldn't help but congratulate her, out of breath. The hut above the Swiss valley of Val Ferret and in the Valais region, greeted us nicely and brought back memories of the difficult and at the same time beautiful cross-country test Swiss Peaks. We did the impossible again. The children couldn't believe that it wasn't difficult for them at all, that their legs didn't hurt at all, that they were just walking. It's just that backpacks are very heavy uphill, but lighter on the descents. They turned the impossible into a doable thing.

6.8.2021 DAY 4 (25 km, +900, - 1700, 8 h)

SWITZERLAND: Alpage de La Peule (2071) - La Fouly (1593) - Plaz de Fort (1100) - Les Arlaches - Issert -
Champex-Lac (1500) - Gite Bon Abri (1600)

A beautiful sunny forecast all day contributed to a leisurely day, in which we enjoyed the view ridge above Val Fouly, and then explored the Swiss valley of Val Ferret along the La Drance le Ferret river. The route passes through Camping Les Glaciers with a climbing wall and ziplines. Every time we reached the shop we had a snack, I don't know where the kids put all that. Well, in Switzerland we were in the shop longer, we bought less and paid more. Prosciutto is 80 eur/kg, coffee 3.50 eur and beer almost 10 eur. Temperatures during the day were between 15 and 20 °C, but the sun's rays really warmed us up nicely. That day we were satisfied with a refreshment in the Lac de Champex lake. In the evening, at night and in the morning it was around 0°C. We slept in Gite Bon Abri, where they allowed us to cook our own dinner.

7/8/2021 DAY 5 (26 km, 1700 m, 8.5 h)

SWITZERLAND: Champex - Lac, Gite Bon Abri (1600) - Alp Bovine (1987) - Col de la Forclaz (1527) - La Peuty (1326) - Les Grandes (2113) - Col de Balme (2191)

FRANCE: Col de Balme (2191) - Gite Charamillon (1900)

Switzerland simply embraces you with its beautiful nature. We were also taken by the very scenic ridge to the Bovine Alps and then the descent to the famous cycling pass Col de la Forclaz. Even more impressive is the high mountain part to the beautiful hut in the middle of the Les Grandes hill and Col de Balme. When you are so taken by nature and you are floating as if in heaven, the Swiss quickly put you on solid ground. But it is not their prices, but their unfriendliness and coldness. That day the forecast was quite worrying: a storm after 4 pm. That is why we had a good pace, but the storm overtook us and caught us two hours early. The storm caught us at an altitude of over 2000 m and it was pointless to calm down, as the forecast was for rain until the morning. We were wet and cold, but we had to continue for another 2 hours to the hut. The fog and the bora wind made it even more difficult to find the right hut on the slope of the ski resort with ski lifts and other huts. We went down too low, so we had to climb back up to the real hut. But we made it. We were all over the place. We changed clothes, even dried some things and warmed up.

8/8/2021 DAY 6 (32 km, +1700, -2000, 11 h)

FRANCE: Charamillon (1900) - Montroc - Tre Le Champ - Argentiere (1300) - La Flegere (1877)
Plan Praz (2075) - Col de Brevent (2368) - La Brevent (2525) - Lac de Brevent - Refuge de Bellachat (2152) - Les Houches (1050)

We had just one more long and beautiful day ahead of us. We woke up to a foggy morning, but at least there was no rain. The Gite Charamillon hut is very small with the friendliest housekeeper in the world. She also offered us coffee, one of the rare coffees on this route. First, we descended into the valley to the town of Argentiere, where we enjoyed a French croissant. Then we climbed an interesting slope with ski slopes above the town of Chamonix, which with its interesting landscape also belongs to a nature reserve. The highest and our last climb was 1200 m to the top of La Brevent (2525), which did not offer us a view. But the fog did not bother us, and neither did the descent of 1500 m, because we were approaching the goal and we could not believe it. The children wondered why we did not start this yesterday. Everything went by quickly, but at the same time we experienced a lot.

9.8.2021 THE WAY HOME

We slept again in a tent in Courmayeur and the next day we returned home through Switzerland. We also visited the town of Chamonix and the Grande Dixence dam in the Valais region, which at 285 m is the highest gravity dam in the world, the fifth highest dam in the whole world and the highest dam in Europe. We were most pleased with the views of the top of the White Mountain, which we had not seen the previous day.

Thus we came full circle. It was full of laughter, joy, effort, doubts and, above all, small victories. We covered the path in six days, with a day of rest in between. We covered what seemed impossible at first. The path connected us, gave us new experiences and insights. Nature inspired us and welcomed us. Thus we made our dreams come true!

Anja and Tomi are also SportHG brand ambassadors in Slovenia and are extremely satisfied with the clothes. SportHG clothes are created for the most demanding tests and challenges, and as such they have proven themselves. In the gallery below, see which clothes they had with them on the road.