So another mixed few days in Chamonix, with some hot sunny days and others wet with a load of sunny spells thrown in, but still good for getting out about.
The runners from the ultra trail races have been coming back in the past few days welcomed by cheering crowds and bleeding feet. The finish line is dotted with cafes, restaurants and bars so many people have chosen to sit and watch the runners hobble or run back in, looking delirious and quite possibly hallucinating from their epic distance runs.
During a very mixed up day with rain and sun, I decided to go for a bike ride up the higher trails of the Balcon Nord. Starting from Argentiere at the north end, I accessed the initial path by going through the old town of Argentiere and following signs in the direction of Lavancher. There is a continuous uphill for a fair bit and some pushing necessary, followed by a mix of down and uphill along some quite narrow bumpy paths, with some outstanding views peeking through the trees.
It was a fairly easy climb up on the bike to Lavancher and the weather seemed to be holding up, so I got on the path which goes towards Les Bois, but turned off it for another climb up to the Chapeau Hut and having a go at a continuous downhill narrow section with some crazy switchbacks on the trail.
I found that it was actually quite a hard slog up, so feeling pretty knackered decided to have a couple of cups of very cheap coffee at the hut there. Once I felt adequately motivated, I decided to head down the path, which was a lot quieter than the last time I came up here, so it was good to let the bike roll a bit faster than normal. The path is very narrow in sections and you do have to be quite careful not to fall off as there are sections of cliffs below.
The lower down you go the more the path mellows out and once at Les Bois you should be feeling much more at ease, a good ride and a good bit of exercise equals a good day all round!
After feeling the burn from the bike ride, the following day I decided to chill out by the outdoor pool at Le Rodins Restaurant in Argentiere, sipping on cocktails, enjoying the sun and the view of the mountains all around. You could tie this in with a walk up one of the Balcon footpaths or at the end of a day activity in Grand Montets. From the lift station at Grand Montets you can simply walk across the bridge at the other end of the car park and you will find yourself being pulled in the direction of the galerie commercial where the pool is situated.The pool is free to use if you're eating and drinking there and the prices are very reasonable so why not spend the day there.
So a great few day's again in Chamonix, some great sun and even with a couple of lifts closing this weekend there are still lots of activities to do especially with some of the lifts still running and you could even take the lifts out of the equation doing some hiking the way it's supposed to be done, from the valley floor!
Don't forget to keep an eye on our What's On Calendar for a full list of events taking place over the summer months.
