Chamonix Activity Report: 15th May 2009
So the winter is over and summer is on its way, but inter-season is still a good time to get out and about on the hill, in the river, or in the bars and restaurants - and you don't even need to book a table to eat at the moment! Monkey Bar and Bar'd Up are still on their usual “Happy Hours” regardless of the time of year, offering some great deals for anyone still hanging around town and MBC has their half price chicken wing night on Mondays as always!
Due to very good river conditions at the moment, Evolution 2 is open for hydro speeding, rafting and a whole host of other water sports. They are also the place to go for any guided sports such as climbing, touring, hiking etc. If you prefer your fun on two wheels, Zero G is now open for bike rentals, or go grab a bargain on one of their pre-season deals!
There has been a fair bit of snow above 3000m this week, which is great for anyone buying a ticket up the Aguille du Midi. If you enlist the services of a local guide, you can just about do the Vallee Blanche with a small walk at the end to get to the train station at Montenvers.
If you're feeling adventurous the Cosmiques couloir or the Rond Glacier are still in good condition. However, we have had a lot of cloud and storms this past week which have made it difficult to see where you are going, which is something of a must on glacial terrain!
Even with the damp weather at the moment, it's still a good time to get on some of the hikes below the snow line, even though you will find some avalanche debris to cross as low as 2000m! A good hike we went on yesterday was up to the Glacier de Bossons, passing by the lovely waterfall (Cascade du Dard) above the entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel. The path is being serviced at one of the bridges that cross the path, but it's still fairly easy to continue on and up the trail. It's quite simple to follow the signs to get on this walk from le Jekyl pub in Cham Sud, but hiring the services of a walking guide will take you places that not everyone will see.
We were in the mood for a bit of adventure, so once we reached the end of the trail (where you get a lovely view of the glacier), we jumped on to an unmaintained path heading toward the ice; our plan was to gather some for a glass of whiskey! From this point, you can either just turn around and retrace your steps down the same path, or walk up to the glacier and back again, but I would recommend going with a guide if you choose to go on, as there is probably a better route than the one we took!
After collecting some ice we decided to head straight down, following the route which the glacier took 100 years ago. There was a lot of loose rubble on the way and so we had to be fairly cautious, but once back down at the river, we found another footpath that exited the debris field down toward the village of Les Bossons. It was fairly easy from this point to follow the signs down to the village passing by the Gite Auberge, a lovely place to sit and have our whiskey with Bossons Glacier ice!
From Les Bossons, you can cross the road and take the train track into the forest and follow a footpath back to Les Gaillands and then on the road back to Chamonix. If your legs have had enough by then, you can also just hop on the bus or the train back to town instead.
All in all, there is still plenty to do in the valley just now; it's peaceful and calm in the town and easy to book onto anything at the moment with no queues. Hopefully we'll get some nicer weather in the next week, but just because it's inter-season doesn't mean that the valley is closed - so get out here and have some fun!
