So it's been a mixed few days here in Chamonix, with some fairly hot days followed by a couple of days of rain and cloud passing through, but not enough to stop the many visitors coming to the area. So far it has been an amazing summer in the French Alps with so many sunny days, but enough rain from time to time to cool the air and top the rivers up, it's no wonder why everyone wants to be in Chamonix right now!
On Friday, which happened to be one of the more sunnier days, I decided to go for a quick stroll around some of the paths leading up to Brevent. Being so close to town, access to some of the trails around here is easy, but surprisingly few people were hiking this area. There are a number of tracks that will take you up to Brevent and there is also the lift up, which can be a good idea on a hot day to take a leisurely walk downhill.
From town you can walk toward the bubble lift which is past the tourist office and up the hill where you will find the Planpraz lift giving access to the main trails. I chose to take the direction of the path that switches back and crosses underneath the cable car a few times, which is probably the one that will get your cardio going the most, but you can choose the direction of a more gradual incline following the wide footpath up to Brevent, or just relax on the lift.
The hike up is a bit of a slog, but with plenty of views on the way up to validate a good rest stop and maybe a few photos. However the trail is pretty consistent, so it's good to get stuck in at the same speed all the way. At the top are some ladders to climb over the boulders and once over them, there is a nice little cafe where they serve a lovely tartiflette to build up some energy for continuing up or heading back down.
I decided not to carry on after reaching Planpraz as the heat of the day was still increasing so I headed downhill via the homerun path next to the Cornu lift station. This trail is heavily covered in trees, so offers a great deal of shade and escape from the sun, passing by some welcome water falls on the way, which give a nice cool breeze to those who walk past.
With the heat as it is, it has made some of the snakes in the valley become more active and I soon found myself being confronted by three snakes on three separate occasions along this trail. They were easily scared off, but caught me by surprise each time.
So, a fairly relaxed few days for me in Chamonix, but there is so much to do, from taking it easy to taking it crazy. Next weekend Chamonix will be hosting the fete des guides which is a fund raising event to provide support and emergency funding to injured or deceased guides and their dependants, with the show on the rock at Gaillands with fireworks, concerts and lots of after parties in true Chamonix fashion. So it would be a good week or weekend to book your flight over, party, and have some good outdoor fun!
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.
