Tour du Mont Blanc: the passes are clear, the cols still bite

The Tour du Mont Blanc is essentially clear now. As of early July only isolated snow lingers: the gullies between Champex and Trient, a short crossing near Le Brévent, the approach to the Col du Bonhomme. Valleys sit at 15 to 25 degrees, the high passes near five. That is a twenty-degree swing in one ascent. Carry a windproof softshell you can pull on without dropping the pack, and leave the microspikes at home unless old snow makes you uneasy.