Another mixed few days weather wise here in Chamonix but swinging more towards the sunnier side of mixed, with some storms passing through in the afternoon chucking down a lot of rain. The valley is becoming busier as we get closer to the official summer season when the lifts will open, bringing many outdoor enthusiasts here.
Chamonix Activity Report: 9th June 2010
Right now conditions are good for bike touring: whether it be motorised or the human powered variety, lots of people are taking advantage of both. For motorcyclists there are many great windy roads with some outstanding views which pass the whole way round the base of the Mont Blanc Massif. It is not uncommon to hear motorcyclists passing through the valley; as the snow melts more of the passes that are often inaccessible through the winter are now opening up. The lower down trails are also clear now making it possible for those with enough time on their hands to do the tour du Mont Blanc on their mountain bikes, or by foot if they so choose, stopping at refuges along the way or camping and taking around 5 days to complete the tour!
There also lots of smaller bike tours possible in the valley making good use of the Balcon trails and the trails round the back of Le Bois - you will find some challenging up and downhill sections to prepare for the lift openings next weekend 19th June at Flegere!
You might think there isn't a lot to do at this time of year especially with the lifts not open yet, with exception of the Aiguille du Midi and the Montenvers train allowing still the possibility of some ski/snowboard touring. Evolution 2 offer a wide range of activities from high mountain guiding, trail walking, and river rafting so if you have some time on your hands and want to get out in to the mountains look them up and see just how much they have on offer right now!
I'm quite a keen climber and even with the rain storms which have prevented some of the climbs in the valley there is always an option somewhere where you can climb something! So I went in search of this the other day after a rain storm the night before, well I say in search of, but the wall I found was actually just 100m away from my door! If you head from the quaint old town of Argentiere towards the Balcon Nord you will find a large bolted boulder with a good tree anchor at the top pretty much straight away. It's the sort of bouldering I wouldn't do without a rope as it has some fairly challenging routes on it, and I would be almost certain that I would be taking some large falls! There are three main routes on the boulder around the 6c - 7a mark and slab! So not many holds and fairly vertical, but good to challenge yourself on some of the more tricky climbs and the option of just top roping is fairly easy to achieve by just walking round the side of the boulder and putting in an anchor on the tree at the top of the wall, it makes the moves less scary!
After trying out most of the routes on this wall, and not succeeding at them all, we decided to head for a couple of pints at the Office bar just round the corner in Argentiere, where after putting all our effort in to hauling ourselves up this small wall we found it difficult to even lift our beers to our mouths!
For more information about lift price information and parking check out the Vallée Blanche skiing article on this website.
Check out our Mountain Guide Listings for contact details of local guiding and activity companies.
Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Chamonix!
