Chamonix Activity Report: 15th July 2009
The past few days in Chamonix have been increasing in humidity once more, with sunny mornings followed by some storms threatening to strike the area in the afternoons, although only a few showers have actually come in.
Monday saw the final of the climbing world cup which made a lot of people in the town very enthusiastic toward getting on a nearby wall themselves and sure enough, Gaillands climbing wall has been packed with newly inspired climbers.
After the climbing competition came Bastille Day celebrations on Monday and Tuesday evening. Straight after the climbing there were fireworks and the beer festival in MBC to celebrate the start of Bastille Day. On Tuesday the parties moved up to Argentiere and Les Houches with live bands, dancing and more fireworks.
With all these parties it's hard to imagine that anyone is out and about, but Chamonix is busier than ever at the moment. Many holiday makers are getting on the climbing walls, hiking/biking trails, in the rivers and swimming in the lakes - the town is absolutely buzzing with activity and with so many activities to get involved in it's no surprise everyone is heading to Chamonix for a summer holiday!
On Tuesday we went for a bike ride from Chamonix down to Servoz and back, getting on the trail next to les Gaillands climbing wall. The path is a very easy one, with some stunning scenery through the cover of trees and some gentle climbs up on the bike. The signs are fairly easy to follow, but all you really need to do is get on the path at les Gaillands and head down hill!
Once at Servoz we checked out some of the climbing going on down there which was a similar story to Gaillands, being very busy, but a good vibe of people trying out stuff they wouldn't normally do.
After feeling enthused by the climbing going on in the valley, we headed back up the gentle hill toward Chamonix and got our gear out for an afternoon climb, which ended up lasting well into the evening. After 5pm the wall in les Gaillands becomes much quieter, so you have a greater amount of climbs to choose from and the BBQs can be free if you have someone not so keen on climbing to help look after your spot.
Yesterday we caught the train up to Montroc from Chamonix centre and walked up on to the grand Balcon Sud making our way back to town. The walk is very easy to find, after exiting the train in Montroc, stay on the same side of the platform and walk toward the tunnel where you will find the start of trail up to the grand Balcon Sud.
On this trail you will find yourself peeking out of the tree line with some amazing views back down the valley and up toward le tour, there are also many options to go down earlier on this path, or to go further up above the cliff band toward Lac Blanc and Flegere. It was a fairly steep but consistent path up to the Balcon, where it flattened out as you approach the cliffs, then you have the opportunity to carry on up or along and eventually back down in to Chamonix.
We chose to go back down in to town as the day had become very humid and if we had continued up to the lakes which are still close to freezing, we would have been tempted to jump straight in without any thought.
As a whole, so far the summer hasn't seen a lot of precipitation, meaning that the trails are fairly dry, but grippy if you're on a bike. However due to the high amounts of snow we received during the winter and in to the summer, the rivers have remained pretty high, so for most summer activities, this has been a pretty good season so far. So don't waste the opportunity to come over for an epic summer we are having 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.
