Chamonix Activity Report: 6th July 2007

It feels like its been raining for a month, it's only been 4 days, but it has been pretty cold and miserable in Chamonix this week. After a glorious end to last week, temperatures have dropped right off and shorts and tees have been replaced with jeans, jumpers and waterproofs. Its been a frustrating few days, staring out of the window hoping the rain will stop, so that we can go walking, cycling, climbing. Annoyingly every time there's a break in the rain, by the time you've put your shoes and jacket on its raining again. In fact I'd say that my coat's been on and off more time this week than the covers at Wimbledon!

I guess it hasn't been the most enjoyable week for the tourists staying over the last seven days, but most people that come to Chamonix expect all sorts of weather. At times all that's been possible this week is sitting down in a café with a book and waiting till the rain passes – Its quite amusing the rush that you see after each down pour! Hundreds of people darting between shops, restaurants and hotels and then the rain starts again, books are out and coffees ordered. Still it must be good for business.

There is still plenty to do around town at the moment regardless of the weather. The Sports Centre has a great 25 metre pool, which is split into sections for those serious about swimming and those who just fancy a splash about (and yes jumping in is allowed!). There is also a children's swimming pool and water slides and if/when the sun does come out there is a bathing terrace outside. The sports centre does also have a gym with weights room and cardio suite, sports hall for table tennis and badminton and offers exercise classes from body pump to yoga.

I've really caught the climbing bug recently and go down to the climbing walls at Les Gaillands whenever I can. Unfortunately you can only climb on a dry wall that gives adequate grip and friction so that's ruled out anything outdoors this week. So I ventured down to the indoor climbing wall at Les Houches on Tuesday. We were a bit put off by the overcrowded car park when we arrived but when we entered realised there would be no problem finding somewhere to climb - It is a good sized facility with over 40 separate routes ranging from easy to expert (grade 4 to 8a); there is a bouldering wall and learners area and there are guides that offer lessons or advise at various times of the day. It costs 12 euros to enter but this does allow you to stay as long as you like (all equipment can be hired at a small extra cost), and with the centre open from 9am till 10pm you can certainly make a day of it. We stayed for about 3 hours, in which time we attempted a number of tricky pitches, only leaving when my forearms had given out.

The wall is a great place to practice climbing, you can perhaps push yourself harder than outdoors, and there are always excellent climbers there so it's easy to learn new techniques or just marvel at some spiderman-esque feats. If you have never climbed before – give it a try, it's a great sociable sport that combines mental and physical strength and stamina which gives you an adrenaline kick every time. To get there drive through Les Houches and turn right after the cable car, from here it is only a couple of minutes and is signposted to salle d'escalade.

The weekend looks like it might offer a more prolonged break in the rain, so enjoy the walking/biking and climbing around Chamonix. But beware that it's set to turn again on Sunday with some sultry conditions in the afternoon turning to thunderstorms later. I'll be making the most of it – Have a good weekend.

Useful Information
Cross-country skiing is Closed
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

We will be keeping this Chamonix snow report updated often during the season, but if you want even more up-to-date news on the ski conditions, why not sign up for our Dump Alert? We'll email you each time it snows enough to significantly change the skiing conditions. It's great to know that the snow is falling in the run-up to your holiday, and it might even allow you to book a last-minute weekend when the snow is particularly good. The service is free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.

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