Resorts are opening around us every weekend, and now all of Chamonix's areas bar a few are open for business - well, less business, more pleasure. Les Houches' Bellevue cable car (note shiny new cabin!) and Prarion gondola started up on Saturday, the La Flegere cablecar and higher Index chairlift have been going a while, Le Tour's Charamillon gondola and Chavannes chairlift also opened Saturday, and of course the Montenvers rack and pinion train and Aiguille du Midi cable car are open too. In fact, the only resorts that you won't be visiting this June are the Brevent - due to the refurb of the Planpratz gondola - and the Grands Montets, which is closed until mid-July pending a change of cable on the main cable car. Finally, don't forget that it's just a few short weeks until the Vallorcine gondola over the back of Le Tour opens up.
With so many playgrounds to choose from in which to spend our weekend, it was a hard decision choosing biking at Le Tour. The Plan d'Aiguille to Montenvers walk was suggested but discounted due to the snow coverage and exposure, and biking Les Houches was counted out because of the porous rock it's built on being waterlogged. So we headed up to Le Tour with our downhill bikes, and how happy we were to be out in the chilly summer sunshine.
The first thing we noticed upon climbing aboard the chair were the chair-mounted bike carriers, Les Gets style, which will avoid lifties having to cram your steed clumsily into the lift. Apparently the CMB are working hard to fit them to every chair for the mid-July silly season.
As is becoming de rigeur with Chamonix adventuring this year, there was a lot of snow. In fact, stepping off the chairlift we soon encountered ankle-deep swathes of snow covering the 4x4 tracks that make up the main route back to the midstation. Wishing for spiked tyres, we soldiered on, hoping that the singletrack would yield better sport. Unfortunately, it didn't, with snowfield after snowfield inhibiting any flow between rider and bike. In hindsight, it was an excellent experience - but one that I wouldn't care to repeat every week, so we made plenty of use of the café's terrace.
In town, the Brit-friendly drinking den Le Pub opens up at the end of the week, Café La Terrasse and Bar D'Up having soldiered through the quiet interseason with only cursorary closures. Chez Richard, one of our favourite boulangeries (opposite the post office) has started selling their delicious ice creams. Bliss!
See you Friday with a first look at the Les Houches bike park - a poorly promoted venture with huge promise from the little brother resort at the bottom of the valley.
