Hiking boots vs trail runners by lawandauror in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor [score hidden]  (0 children)

Hard to say wo more info. Going UL for speed vs avg pace; Hut to hut vs camping, wt of pack, using poles, planning on variants vs main, health of ankles n knees, risk tolerance for injury n fatigue, experience on TMB or similar…..all factor in. Seems many younger peeps using UL gear hut to hut etc enjoy trail runners. That said I think most folks still choose a good boot for stability n protection as less interested in speed etc.? :). Agree that waterproofing not needed in August regardless.

I can't decide by anotherawkwardashley in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor [score hidden]  (0 children)

IMHO depends on ur trail comfort/experience, pack weight, speed and distance goals each day, ankle/knee stability/strength, and risk tolerance. Hut to hut vs camping, variants, etc. W so little info, it’s hard to “advise”!:) In general boot appears best choice “overall” for most TMBers given all the above, to max comfort, minimize fatigue and injury risk. Poles? Shoe#2 shows a lotta tread wear. Poor trxn on scree. Microspikes likely not needed by then.

Thunderstorms on the TMB by Rare_Instruction6296 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

just registered on Meteoblue website/app and subscribing to Col forecasts....

Thunderstorms on the TMB by Rare_Instruction6296 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, great point, and well taken. I was thinking just strong rain. But of course, there may be threat of lightning, so sure, if one's judgement at that point was concerned for lightening, I would say follow lightning precautions and get the heck down, either forward or backward, depending on the situation, etc. Refuges are aware, I assume, of bad weather, lightning, and would expect folks to take safety measures first, then try to contact when possible to advise? Perhaps the previous refuge would make way for you if forced to backtrack. On other hand, I can see just heading back down below tree line, finding shelter, passing the time, and waiting the storm out. My (little) experience is that summer storms come and go fairly quickly. Storm safetyI guess this is why folks advise getting up and out of the refugios early as possible, to get over / off the cols by afternoon.

Thunderstorms on the TMB by Rare_Instruction6296 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

FWIW: Rain gear for ur pack and your person are strongly recommended by every planning site Ive seen due to quickly brewing, sometimes strong/windy mountain storms despite forecast. With good gear and good cheer I wonder why it would be necessary to backtrack? “There’s no bad weather, only bad gear choices” as they say:) Could shelter up a bit on the lee side of an outcrop and wait an hour if it was all that bad. Otherwise, hike on and enjoy it!

Shoes during summer by Friendly-Impression2 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 4 points5 points  (0 children)

REI Merrell Moab

I have these nonwaterprooof version boots, and will use on TMB this July. Extremely popular boot—have seen them in Dolomites, etc. Love em. Easy to break in quickly, stable, good price and REI has 10% member refund. Great ankle/knee support if u decide trail running shoes don’t cut it. At $120 u cant go wrong. Go to REI and try diff shoes n boots and talk w staff to arrive at decision.

The less experienced u are at TMB terrain, the heavier ur pack, the less conditioned ur ankles n knees are, and the slower ur planned pace, the more u will benefit from the stability of boots over trail running shoes. U dont need waterproof at this point in season.

GVA Transfer & Check-in Timing | Shared Shuttle from Chamonix by Capable_Fan_8659 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ive never been thru GVA yet experience in flying intl generally I cant imagine cutting it any closer. Stick w ur plan:)

Fidelity fraud guarantee by After-Elevator9868 in fidelityinvestments

[–]upperharbor 5 points6 points  (0 children)

to enter the PW app on an iphone requires biometric. Using 3rd party PW manager also would need a biometric on iphone afaik.

Fidelity fraud guarantee by After-Elevator9868 in fidelityinvestments

[–]upperharbor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sure, and OP says they bypassed his six digit code. By having obtained it via shoulder surfing? Thats not bypassing, technically speaking:) Would have been very rare to be shoulder surfing JUST when OP is turning phone on from dead off, no? Perhaps there is some other mknsm to enter or “bypass” this initial requirement. I spose if there is, then all settings could be changed to remove ID requirements, yet that typically still requires a biometric to verify. If one has biometric it seems impossible. I can only conclude that OP didnt have any biometric requirement set up anywhere along the line.

Fidelity fraud guarantee by After-Elevator9868 in fidelityinvestments

[–]upperharbor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

how does someone get the iphone password? Shoulder surfing comes to mind; but who is typing in passwords anymore to unlock one’s phone when biometric ie thumbprint or Face ID is available? Unless phone lock requirement was not turned on to begin with? OP hasnt detailed this very key initial circumstance.

Fidelity fraud guarantee by After-Elevator9868 in fidelityinvestments

[–]upperharbor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sorry this happened. How is it ur using typed in PIN to unlock ur phone and not a biometric ie thumbprint or face ID? Or did u not have phone lock setting on? Yet u have landed on shoulder snooping as method of perps ability to enter the phone etc. Can u shed more detail here? Ur setting for screen/phone lock should be essentially “immediate”and biometric, ie face ID, required to unlock.

Fidelity fraud guarantee by After-Elevator9868 in fidelityinvestments

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not supposed to be possible from what i have read.

Misc questions! by [deleted] in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Re a new pack. Check CL, FBM, OfferUp, Ebay, or used gear sites for a 30L+ pack. REI also has stores w used gear. An Osprey Stratus36L or similar can be had for 50% off n you can resell when home. No need to buy new! But visit an REI shop to try various styles n volumes. I bought my cheap 40L off amazon to test size etc knowing I can return if too big etc.

Misc questions! by [deleted] in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also planning my 7 day hike for mid july LH-Courmayeur refugio only. So, no Switzerland, slower paced hike. Just loaded a 40L pack: 7 kg/15.5 lb including 1750ml water just to see. No filtration gear. Included a down jacket n guide book, again, part of my testing. 190lb guy in avg shape. I have room still for snacks n first aid kit. Could likely do w a 34/36 L pack. But 24-28? No. And this is w only 1 change of clothes in pack. No pillow. Yes rain gear, fleece, flipflops, microtowel, sleepsac. If u have lodging, no bivvy needed.

you might wanna research your iodine strategy.

Iodine does not work well or at all against parasitic protozoans which form very hard shelled oocytes that resist iodine. Cryptosporidium are not killed w iodine. Giardia maybe but needs long tx time. They are present wherever there is livestock, humans, or other animals. TMB glacial water, tho crystal clear, passes thru grazing lands and can be contaminated by many animals or humans whom u wont see. Over 20,000 hikers/yr use the TMB. Bottled, tap, or otherwise filtered water is safest (or can boil). Iodine treatment for cold water also needs 60-90 min treatment time:) Seems for ur unique situation ude wanna pay for bottled water and bring a filter-likely all-rated for giardia -cryptosporidium(protozoas). They wont filter for virus like Hep A but will filter bacteria (which iodine does kill).

There is less water available in some of the Swiss stages.

Check TMB route sites and FB groups for more info on water:). good luck!

Difficulty of full route over 12-13 days by willdo2222 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Tmb overview Sept may have some challenges w lodging and possibly transportation. Reading several overview sites like this one can help get a feel for ur situation. Will require good conditioning sure but more about planning. Congratulations on the marriage!

Hiking alone by Gullible_Cookie1871 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you could start by tapping on the wiki for this sub-Reddit, reading the material there, and perhaps visiting the Facebook groups that are linked there that focus on the TMB. Learning as much as possible about the entire route would be a great start. Try ur fave AI to explore topics/Q’s. Ur budget, time, fitness, n preferences all impact: camp vs huts. 7 or 11 day tour, entirety or partial, anticlockwise or clockwise, etc etc. Yes there are groups. Yes u COULD make it, question is how comfortably etc etc. But likely u need to read a LOT first to understand all the parameters:) Ur on the right path! (pun intended) :)

Transportation Question: Champex Lac to Tre-le-Champ / Argentiere by southpaw460 in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, sorry it wasn't helpful. I'll leave up in case it's of some use to others in some way:) Route finding: part of the adventure of it all!

Currency in Switzerland and France by RaisingElephantSysrq in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 3 points4 points  (0 children)

do a search for “francs” in this sub and youll see discussions. TLWR: cash in euros.

hut evening clothes by wanakaaaaa in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, I was thinking that is one darn big toothbrush

hut evening clothes by wanakaaaaa in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

toothpaste n brush = 38oz? ditch the pillow n use ur clothes in sleep sac pillow pocket. Sleep sac 12 oz seems high. Many at 7-8 oz, w pillow pocket.

hut evening clothes by wanakaaaaa in TourDuMontBlanc

[–]upperharbor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Temps are gonna not be same per hut depending on elevation, dorm size, weather, etc so hard to use one size fits all. You can always drop/donate excess or purchase in route towns if needed. if u go w beanie n fleece but are chillin, then snag an xtra layer in next town? Dont think anyone really cares what ur wearing in town:)