The Chamonet.Com Chamonix Snow Report

The walk towards Lac Blanc

The last few days in Chamonix have been super hot with humidity rising, causing thunder storms in the afternoons, meaning it’s a bit cooler at altitude and most activities need to start early and finish up before the storms come in.

With all the lifts now open in the valley, it’s quite easy to get up at higher altitude quickly and a lot of walkers are doing treks that start at the top of a lift then walk down to the valley below, staying cooler with a bit less effort but still some great views to be had.

On Monday we decided to walk up as early as we could from the Col des Montets on to the relatively flat, but long beautiful walk over to the very popular Lac Blanc. To get to Lac Blanc there are many different routes you can take, the direction we took is probably the longest way round but also the quietist.

You can also follow signs from Montroc, Les Praz, or from the top of either the Flegere gondola or L’Index chair lift, where the walks are easier with little distance to cover, but the paths are a little more congested. Signs from all directions are very easy to follow as this is one of the more popular spots in the Chamonix valley due to the beautiful views you get from the lake with the Mont Blanc Massif in the background.

We got the bus to Col des Montets from town where it stops just opposite the path up toward Lac Blanc. There is an information centre here for the nature reserve of the Aguille Rouges, so we had a little look around before heading off on our travels, looking at all the different wildlife the nature reserve holds.

It was also a good spot to have that last little motivational coffee before we set off! We followed the signs on to the path and started our ascent, which at the start is steep but consistent, with some great views as you rise up on to the plateau. Once on the Plateau you will get an amazing view of the Mont Blanc range in the background, with a little rest on the flatter ground!

There also seem to be a number of very good traditional climbing routes around here and I believe there are some bolted ones also, which I will investigate further in a future report!

The last section of the walk becomes steep again, with the view of the chalet beside Lac Blanc above to help realise where the finish is! On the last leg up, there are a number of good opportunities to sit and admire the view along with the Lacs des Cheserys and outstanding views toward Mont Blanc.

Once at the top we picked a spot by the lake to sit and have our sandwiches and contemplate having a swim, but after paddling my feet in for a few seconds then watching them turn blue pretty much straight away, we decided that it might not be the best idea!

After our lunch we headed back via Col Cornu on the Brevent side of the hill and back down in to Chamonix, but the weather had started to close in so we were forced to descend by L’Index chair lift back down the obvious path to Flegere, then on to the Grand Balcon Sud following signs back to Chamonix, however you can always get the lifts back down.

So some good days to be had in Chamonix as long as you get up early to avoid the storms and over the past week we have seen the town really come to life with all the lifts open. The restaurants and bars are buzzing with activity, although it’s quite easy to find a spot outside of town to have a more peaceful drink or meal.

And if like me, you like to avoid the crowds taking a slightly longer route round on the hikes, bike rides or getting on one of the lesser known climbing walls is always a good one and an experienced guide will always have a wealth of knowledge to meet your needs whilst on holiday here in Chamonix.




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.