Yesterday saw the much-anticipated finals of the World Climbing Championships (Coupe du Monde d'Escalade) with competitors from (as the name suggests!) far & wide. There was a heavy European presence – sadly no-one representing GB – and a good handful from further afield such as USA, Canada, Hong Kong & Australia
Located in the heart of town, just outside the ice rink & sports centre, a towering climbing wall plus all the trimmings of big screen, food stalls and climbing equipment stands had sprung up for the big event. They were estimating a crowd of around 10,000 and I don't think they were far wrong. There was lively commentary throughout, encouraging the crowds to cheer & support the competitors as they Spidermanned their way to the top; it's amazing how much tension can build watching someone climb. I'd never imagined you could suspend yourself upside-down by just your kneecaps – awesome stuff. And what a backdrop…the Brevant and Flegere mountains.
For more information on the event and to see the winners board visit the official champs website: Chamonix Club des Sports
I must have blinked and missed the podium presentation for the winners as the Bastille night fireworks rounded the night off and the crowds dispersed to either the family euro-disco (apparently the Venga bus is on it's way) or the more street-cred Cham'Bière festival at the MBC – more on that in a moment. It was certainly one of the most interesting firework displays I've ever seen; the opening bursts were…well let's just say I've seen better in my own garden on Nov 5th, and then it became clear that they were matching the fireworks to the music that was booming through the tannoy. Not quite the waterworks at the Bellagio in Las Vegas but a good effort. The spectacle built and built, culminating in a grand finale of Bohemian Rhapsody and a whopping explosion of fireworks; in the closing minutes it totally redeemed itself. Brilliant!
Handily located across the street and spreading itself right out into the street was the 3rd annual Cham'Bière beer festival (good luck to anyone who needed to get up to Argentiere!). As well as your usual micro brews on offer from the guys at MBC (which stands for Micro Brasserie de Chamonix in case you were wondering) there was a marquee hosting about 10 other regional micro brewers and so around 30 beers on offer to tingle your taste buds. Throw in a giant BBQ, a DJ with a James Brown soundalike MC, a late licence (the party continues indoors ‘til 4am) and you've got yourself one helluva summer party. For more info see the MBC and the annual beer festival site
Coming up this week
Sunny weather and plenty of it! Happy Bastille Day
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index
Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
