Chamonix Activity Report: 15th August 2005
Each year the Chamonix valley celebrates the history of its mountain guides and their courageous achievements. This is the 81st year of the Festival of the Guides of Chamonix (Fete des Guides de Chamonix) that takes place on August 12th – 15th. Over this 4 day period the Guide Company (La compagnie des Guides) and the event sponsors put on a variety of attractions to raise money and awareness for the guides and to award those with outstanding achievements, as well as remembering those who lost their life on the mountain.
The programme for 2005 consisted of the following attractions:
12 Aug – 3pm
Traditional bread making in the village of Lavancher. The bakery, located at the centre of the hamlet of old farms uses a furnace dating back to 1821. The bread is for sale and you can make a reservation to stay on for a pastoral meal afterwards
13 Aug – 7.30pm
The guides of the Les Houches office host an evening of debate around the subject of the mountain followed by a film. Held at The Olca room in Les Houches, no reservation necessary
14 Aug – 5.30pm
A traditional ceremony at the church in Argentiere.
With all members of the guide company present, homage is paid to guides who have lost their life on the mountain
14 Aug – 7pm
This is the main event of the fete, situated at the climbing wall at Les Gaillands, Chamonix. Tickets cost €18 for adults and €7 for children (local public transport is free with this ticket). The evening offers live music, traditional food, games for children, fireworks and best of all a performance on the cliff face by the guides themselves; this year entitled ‘Planet Chamonix'
15 Aug – 8.30am
The official ceremony starts by laying wreaths at the Chamonix cemetery, then the guides, in traditional costume with cords and ice axes, make a procession through the town to the church. The president of the company presents medals, blesses the tools of the mountain and announces the honorary guide of the year. There are a number of stalls present selling local fare & mountain related products
Anyone who spends time in the mountains will know how unpredictable the weather can be and Mother Nature made no exception for the fete. Due to extensive rain all day Sunday, the main spectacle at the climbing wall in Les Gaillands had to be called off; the cliff face was too dangerous for the performance and the rain really had dampened the squibs. This was a huge disappointment, not least to the guides & organisers who showed great spirit and enjoyed the evening anyway by tucking into the food and drinks that were laid on for the event.
Thankfully the weather was more forgiving for the ceremony this morning (Monday) and there was a great turnout for the procession and presentation in front of the church.
If you have any interest in the history and traditions of the mountain this event is well worth attending – we look forward to next year's fete and hope that the weather allows us to celebrate the great job that the guides do. You can learn more about the company of guides by going to the Maison de Montagne next to the church in Chamonix or visiting their website here
