Chamonix Activity Report: 10th August 2006
Chamonix has been buzzing over the last few days. With the weather making a marked recovery the streets are now filled with happy enthusiastic faces as opposed to last weeks forlorn and miserable ones. Climbers who’ve had to wait for the poor weather conditions to clear before they can make any attempts on Mont Blanc are all hurrying up the mountain. Walkers and cyclists are all heading out in force and stressed out parents are relaxing as there children are no longer moaning about being cold or wet or bored of being dragged round the shops for the umpteenth day in a row.
So after all this we were all happy to see the rain relent and sun come out. I apologise for not updating the snow reports for a couple of days but I like everyone else have been getting as much activity in as I can, after my sedentary last week. I headed up to Lac Blanc with a friend as soon as the sun came out. We paid 18 euros to get the cable car up to Flegere and then took the Index chairlift up to the top (though you can miss out the Index; pay 12 euros and take the more energetic route up to the Lac - about 400 metres vertical over 2 or 3 kilometres). If you’ve never done it before there’s something strange about sitting on and getting off a chair lift without a board or skis strapped to your feet.
The walk to the Lac takes between an hour and an hour and a half dependant on your level of fitness and how busy the pathway is. It’s an undulating route that snakes across the craggy fields which in winter make up the Flegere pistes. After the final few hundred uphill metres you arrive on a plateau which clasps onto a beautiful lake. The lake is at about 2300metres and looks down over the valley to Montenvers and Le Grandes Montets, Le Mer de Glace advances directly at you and the Glacier Argentiere looks majestic in the distance. The lower part of the lake tends at this time of the year to be a bit over-crowded but if you walk clockwise around it you can find a quiet spot and can enjoy some peace (a perfect spot to stop for a picnic – the two cafes there which are although very welcoming can be typically quite pricey). Fair play to the group of lads swimming in the lake, as it did have lumps of ice floating in it 3-4 weeks ago.
The 45 minute walk back down to the Flegere cable car can be slow going especially later in the day as there is a lot of traffic heading home. An alternative quieter route back is a 2 hour traverse along to the Col de Montets but its worth checking the bus timetable before doing this as you might be relying on thumbing a lift back to town if you’re too late.
As I’m writing this the cloud is closing back in so I hope you got your share of fresh air this week. The weekend looks to be disrupted by frequent showers and cold temperatures so Friday looks like a good day to get active. The snow-rain temperature threatens to drop below 2000 metres on Saturday so if I were you I’d wrap up warm, head to the morning market, buy some fresh hearty food and find a good book to hide behind for the weekend. Fear not though as Monday and Tuesday look to be slightly better and with the annual Fetes des Guides being held over the two days down in Gaillands there’s still plenty to look forward to.
Enjoy and speak soon.
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
