It's been another beautiful week here in Chamonix – hot and busy, but with plenty opportunity to escape the crowds and enjoy your own quiet corner of the valley if you prefer. With temperatures sitting well up in the 20's and early 30's, heading up the lifts to the cooler air at around 2000m is the perfect way to start. Brevent, Flegere, Aiguille du Midi and the Montenvers train are the access points to two of the most popular walks in the valley – the Grand Balcons, Nord and Sud. Both of these walks take 2-3 hours at a fairly steady altitude, and are manageable by most if you're fairly fleet of foot and in sturdy footwear. They offer some of the most spectacular views of the valley – Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles from the south (Brevent) side and of Brevent and the Aiguilles Rouges from the north. Being so easily accessible from town they are also two of the busiest trails, especially at the weekend. So if you fancy enjoying the scenery without the queues and constant chatter, then you'd be better to head up the valley a bit to Grands Montets and Le Tour.
In recent reports we've mentioned a couple of walks and rides that we've done in these areas; Argentiere Glacier from Lognan,Le Tour to Vallorcine via the Croix de Fer plus other favourites such as the Grand Balcon Nord from Lognan via Le Lavancher and the Aiguilettes des Posettes; varying levels of difficulty but all definitely worth doing. This weekend we decided to tick off a new one from the list and headed up the Albert Premier Refuge (2702m) on the edge of the Le Tour glacier. Being a particularly hot day, we opted to take the Charamillon gondola and the Autannes chairlift to save a bit of effort (well it was a Sunday…). A return trip to the top costs €14.50 for adults or €11.50 return to Charamillon, but of course you can do this walk in and out from the car park if you wish which would make it into about a 6hour round trip.
From the top of the Autannes chair (2150m), the refuge is signposted as 2 hours away so we set off at a bit of a march to try and shave a bit of time off that. The trail climbs fairly gently in a southerly direction for the first 30 minutes, passing the Charamillon Lake (which had about as much water in it as your average paddling pool, so we didn't linger!). As the trail rounds the point and heads west, the going underfoot gets rougher and steeper and is quite exposed in places, but there are hand rails on the “airier” sections to help you across. By far the greatest challenge of the whole walk is having to concentrate on your feet when you are surrounded by such spectacularly stunning scenery so be sure to factor in plenty photo stops en route. Actually, we couldn't believe the difference in our photos of the glacier (2nd pic) and the one in our guide book (“Around Mont Blanc” – Rother Walking Guide) – which had obviously been taken some years earlier. The rate the ice has retreated is quite shocking.
The last section of the walk is…..well…..a steep rocky nightmare! It has to be said it wasn't much fun (up or down) but when you have the refuge in your sights there is no turning back! When guidebooks post warnings about checking conditions of this route prior to setting out, it's because you would certainly not want to tackle this last section with snow on the ground unless you knew what you were doing. Good walking shoes with ankle support and preferably sticks too, will ease your passage over this tricky section and it's generally not a route to consider before mid-July or after September. Once at the refuge however (which we managed in 1.5 hours!), the vista over the glacier is unbelievable and there were a number of guided groups out on the ice when we were there. Despite the cooling breeze on the way up, we were hot and thirsty on arrival but the inside of the refuge was closed off because someone had been taken ill with a heart condition shortly before. A few moments later we were witness to the dramatic arrival of the PGHM by helicopter, landing on a precariously tiny helipad. After half an hour of super efficient assistance by the medical team, the helicopter returned and the alpinist was stretchered off and taken to hospital where hopefully he/she is now recovering. I did feel bad taking a couple of snaps of the whole event, but it was very exciting and I thought you might like to see the rescue services in action first hand…..
After all the excitement, we headed back down towards Le Tour, mindful of catching the last gondola at 5.30pm. Following the same route as the ascent almost as far as the lake, we then branched down to the left, passing through beautiful alpine pastures complete with fat, shiny coated cattle and their obligatory cow bells. Time for a quick ice lolly at the bottom and we were off home. For more suggestions on hikes and routes to try when you're here, then take a look at our featured article on Hiking in Chamonix for some more of our favourites.
Back down in town, if you're looking for a less energetic pastime then we can heartily recommend whiling away a few hours at Le Lapin Agile (close to McDonalds); one of our favourite places to sit and watch the world go by over a glass of wine from their extensive cellar. As well as serving an array of drinks and coffees, it is also perfect for a light lunch or dinner with a menu of delicious salads, pasta dishes and daily specials to temp you with. They also have free wifi and offer a selection of tasty canapés daily, between 6pm – 9pm which are also free if you purchase a drink. Top tip: Ask for the chocolate cake…… :O)
With it's large sunny terrace, Chambre 9 is also a great place to grab a bite to eat. We had dinner there last week and enjoyed Sesame tuna (€14.50), Prawn curry (€13), Duck Salad (€12) and Quesadilla (€8.50), all washed down with a bottle or two of wine or 2:1 cocktails if you prefer! (8 -10pm daily). During the day, it is possible to eat out on the terrace but table space is more limited in the evening so reservations are advisable. They also have live music on regularly throughout the summer making it a great bar to spend the rest of the evening in.
This evening, continuing on with the classical music weeks that have been taking place at the Majestic throughout the summer; tonight the “Compagnie du Pianoforte” will be interpreting works by Haydn and Beethoven with a distinctly Celtish feel to the evening. Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the theme of this concert which starts at 9pm and tickets are on sale at the Tourist Office costing €13 or €20. The next concert will be a cello and piano recital on Wednesday 22nd August.
Next week brings one of the big events of the summer – The Fete des Guides – an annual event that celebrates the professional mountain guides and leaders of the region and the service that they provide. Set against the beautiful backdrop of Les Gaillands, the event combines traditional folklore with modern climbing expertise in a spectacular demonstration of skill culminating in a firework and light display on the climbing wall. Held on the 14th August each year, with additional musical entertainment on the 15th – this event is not to be missed!
Looks like we might be in for a bit of a soaking for the rest of this week with rather a lot of cloud heading this way, and rather alarmingly.....mayby even some snowfall!!! According to Snow Forecast.com there is a possibility that we may get up to 11cms of snow Wednesday/Thursday!! Oh, I do hope not...
- 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
