Chamonix Activity Report: 1st July 2010
Some very hot weather here in Chamonix with temperatures above 30 degrees centigrade for a good portion of the day, making shorts, nudity, or being emerged in some form of liquid an absolute must during the hottest part of the day! Some weather has been coming through in the afternoon, with large cumulous cloud growth creating some spectacular thunder storms in the evening with slightly cooler conditions, allowing for some early evening tennis opportunities or other such pleasurable activities to be partaken.
With the very hot weather it is difficult to find motivation to do anything that involves a large amount of energy away from a body of liquid. So with this in mind we decided to head for a walk inside the river from Argentiere up to Le Tour. Normally a walk from these two villages in the Chamonix valley would take in the region of 23 minutes but on this occasion taking this specific route we were looking at around 4 hours to negotiate the river rapids and boulders!
It should be noted before embarking on such an adventure to be cautious, this river does on occasion flood without warning, at any time in the year when it quickly becomes necessary to open one of the dams or if a glacial lake escapes, which will call for a sharp exit of the area or a possible fatality. The use of a guide in these circumstances can be of great benefit, you can use the services of a highly qualified guide from companies like Evolution 2, Compagnie des Guides, etc. Click here for local mountain guides and adventure sport companies >>
We set off in the afternoon just as the hottest part of the day was burning down upon us, so as soon as we entered the river we dipped our t-shirts in the water which served our bodies well in controlling our core temperature more effectively than our sweat glands! The walk is very scenic and straight forward to follow along the river until you feel it necessary to exit as it can become tricky in certain spots. It was amazing on such a hot day to be able to go on an adventure while constantly having the opportunity to cool off. There were some fairly fast and deep parts to the river with some slippery rocks underfoot making parts of the route fairly tricky and on one occasion Tara had a bit of fall narrowly missing her head on some of the other rocks around, drawing the fact to our attention that not many people embark on this sort of mission and if you do a guide is advisable.
In the winter there was an accident involving a coach where it fell off one of the bridges and in to the river, which must have been quite a shock to the driver. We could see where the coach would have fallen in to the river and there was some evidence still hanging around like pieces of glass and the bumper! After negotiating the majority of the river up to Le Tour we decided to exit the river just before the bridge to the car park at Le Tour and take the relatively shorter walk back down the road to Argentiere, where we headed to the Savoy bar for a couple of fine coffees!
For more information about lift price information and parking check out the Vallée Blanche skiing article on this website.
Check out our Mountain Guide Listings for contact details of local guiding and activity companies.
Check out what to do around town once the lifts have closed with our Apres Ski Report - a weekly round up of what's hot and where to party in Chamonix!
