What's Coming Up This Month in & Around Chamonix

From the 7th -14th of June the Critérium du Dauphiné - one of France's most prestigious cycling stage races and a warm up event for the Tour de France begins. Debuting and finishing in the Savoie, if you want to go and cheer the riders on then head to over to St Gervais on Saturday 13th June to see the riders come in on Stage 7, a 155km stretch running from Montmélian to Saint-Gervais- or on Sunday 14th, stage 8 sets off from Saint-Gervais to Modane Valfréjus covering 156km..

This year, Chamonix is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Golden Age of mountaineering (1854–1865) so fitting that we turn to all things Alpinism from the 12th-14th June. The three day Arc'teryx Alpine Arc'ademy is back covering an array of high mountain skills, from overnight bivvies to crevasse rescue, as well as seminars and cultural events, discussing topics such as the impact of climate change to the mountains and high mountain medicine.

Hang around for another week and on the 20th and 21st June the Club Alpine France hold their ‘Grand Parcours,’ an opportunity to join in a range of mountaineering workshops. There are 3 experience levels with 3 different programs led by FFCAM guides. The courses are open to anyone aged 12 years or older.

For something completely different head further afield to beautiful Annecy. From the 5th to the June 20th Annecy- the world capital for animation films since the 1960’s- holds the International Animation Film Festival. Several countries meet here to elect the best animation film of the year, in categories ranging from short films to feature films. Enjoy world premieres or open air free showings every evening on the Pâquier.

If you’re looking for music and a bit of a party, the highlight for June is the Fete de la Musique on the 21st, a French national celebration of all things music. The bars and streets of Chamonix hold various parties and normal licensing laws are softened - all culminating in a huge street party in the Rue du Moulin if you have the stamina for it.…. but please don’t overdo it if you’ve a place in this years Mont Blanc marathon!…I'm not speaking from experience here of course….

Throughout June you’re bound to see gnarly looking types with fetching lycra and compression socks running around town. They’ve probably been scoping out the route of one of the races of the Mont Blanc Marathon. Beginning on the 28th June the event is actually a series of races that attract international level and amateur trail runners from around the world. Races include the 42km Marathon, the 23km Cross, the 80km Ultra Marathon, the Vertical Kilometre, the 10km and the mini cross (for the kids).

Back to biking and on the June 28th the Romandie Classic takes place- a road cycling event where we can ride a stage of the Tour de Romandie. The Romandie classic sets off from Aigle at 385 metres and takes a steady climb up to Verbier at 1476 metres covering 55kms.

For those of us who prefer a little more mud with our biking, then the 26-28th June the Pass'Portes du Soleil kicks off the summer mountain biking season with 3 days of riding across the Portes du Soleil. The classic circuit is 80km long, and includes 7000m of downhill and 1000m of uphill accessed by 15 lifts. You can start from a number of resorts throughout the region. The route should takes just one day so you can enter on either Friday, Saturday or Sunday. There are refreshment points along the way -and lots of cheese- as well as music - it really is a great atmosphere.There’s also a Bike Show there with around 70 of the biggest brands in mountain biking (Kona, Sunn, Shimano, Scott etc) all flaunting their latest kit.