{"id":119200,"date":"2026-08-22T20:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T20:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/119200\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T20:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T20:43:20","slug":"a-packing-guide-for-the-100-mile-tour-du-mont-blanc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/119200\/","title":{"rendered":"A Packing Guide for the 100-Mile Tour du Mont Blanc"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trail Runner\u2019s managing editor Abby Levene shares the 10 key items she\u2019ll take on the longest day of her 100-mile journey across the French Alps that nearly follows the famed UTMB course.<\/p>\n

Updated August 21, 2026 02:08PM<\/p>\n

Over the course of five days, Trail Runner\u2019s managing editor, Abby Levene, will explore the incredible Tour du Mont Blanc route that spans approximately 108 miles and tackles over 30,000 feet of elevation gain while nearly mirroring the famed UTMB final.<\/p>\n

Not only will Levene tackle days of major mileage (topping out at 30 miles for the Les Contamines to Courmayeur leg) and elevation (almost 10,000 feet on that same day), but she\u2019ll also encounter major unexpectedly changing weather conditions unique to the French Alps.<\/p>\n

Here, Levene shares the gear she chose to keep her comfy, fed, and safe.<\/p>\n

\"overviewThis is everything managing editor Abby Levene packed for the longest leg of the Tour du Mont Blanc. (Photo: Abby Levene)
\nAbby\u2019s Core Packing List for the 30-mile Les Contamines to Courmayeur Leg of the Tour du Mont Blanc
\nAbby\u2019s Gear Notes for the 30-mile Les Contamines to Courmayeur Leg of the Tour du Mont Blanc
\nSun Protection<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t go anywhere without a running hat. I think there was something about turning 30, you just wanna protect your face. And I have my sunglasses<\/a>. I think they\u2019re actually technically a road running pair, but I love how light they are. I am obsessed with not getting sunburned in my 30s, so I bought sunscreen in a pharmacy in Chamonix, and it smells so good. It\u2019s kind of citrusy and tropical.<\/p>\n

Pack<\/p>\n

Soft flasks will go in the front of my running pack. This pack<\/a> is part of Black Diamond and Nordic\u2019s new collab. The 15-liter pack is a little bit bigger than I need, but it\u2019s really comfortable, it stays in place, and I love this fabric, which is basically waterproof. So if I get caught in a rainstorm, my stuff should stay relatively dry.<\/p>\n

\"pairManaging editor Abby Levene has been relying on the Norda 500 to protect her feet on the 100+ miles of the Tour du Mont Blanc. (Photo: Abby Levene)
\nShoes<\/p>\n

This shoe<\/a> is the perfect combo of light and fast but also hardy enough for the technical bits.<\/p>\n

\"trailAccessories, especially these Black Diamond poles, were essential to pack for Levene on the Tour du Mont Blanc. (Photo: Abby Levene)
\nAccessories and Clothing<\/p>\n

My poles<\/a> are also part of the Black Diamond Norda collection. They\u2019re easy to take on and off. They worked great for all the climbing and actually for the descending, saving my legs a little bit.<\/p>\n

I brought a portable Katadyn water filter<\/a>. This is handy if I need to fill up in a stream anywhere. It just screws right on top of a soft flask that exists, and then you can just drink normally out of it. Very handy.<\/p>\n

I have a Garmin Forerunner 965<\/a> with incredible battery life. I can also put the route on my phone and navigate straight from my phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The most important thing in my pack is probably my Arc\u2019Teryx jacket<\/a>. It is actually waterproof and getting caught in a rainstorm or hail snow on top of the mountains here is incredibly dangerous. So this is the least I can do to keep myself safe.<\/p>\n

\"overviewThese are the snacks Levene brought with her for a 30-mile stretch of the Tour du Mont Blanc. (Photo: Abby Levene)
\nSnacks<\/p>\n

I packed lots of snacks because I have an irrational fear of going hungry. I\u2019ve got some Skratch Labs grape energy chews<\/a>. I love how sour they are. I\u2019ve also got some Bobo breakfast bars<\/a> with a little bit of jam in the middle, and peanut butter crackers. These hit so hard out on the trail in the middle of the day. I\u2019ve got plenty of water in case I need to fuel up for a long section, although being in Europe, they have fountains in every single town where you can just fill up for free.<\/p>\n

This is a little unhinged, but I packed protein powder because I\u2019m going at all-day pace. And while I wouldn\u2019t drink protein powder on like a hard run, sometimes you just need a little boost when you\u2019re out on the trail all day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trail Runner\u2019s managing editor Abby Levene shares the 10 key items she\u2019ll take on the longest day of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[16],"tags":[50,4810,5094,58130,58131,58132,1644],"class_list":["post-119200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alps","tag-alps","tag-parent_category-gear","tag-tag-evergreen","tag-tag-guide-to-utmb","tag-tag-trail-runner-explores","tag-tag-utmb","tag-type-article"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/117141111429450934","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}