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Chamonix Activity Report: 20th August 2008

featured in Activity reviews Author Helen McGrory, Chamonix Reporter Updated

As you'll have no doubt seen in the news this week, it's been a bit of a dramatic few days here in Cham with several accidents occurring in the mountains; some ending happily and others sadly, not so. Whilst they never become any less shocking, these type of incidents do come with the high alpine territory we're surrounded by here, but as Xavier Chappaz, President of the Compagnie des Guides said earlier in the week “if we were to avoid the dangers present in the mountains, we'd never leave the valley!”

Well, I took heed of his advice this weekend and headed up out the valley to the Emosson Dam just above the Swiss border. Now I know that's not exactly the terrain that M. Chappaz was referring to in his quote……but it doesn't always have to be hardcore here! There are so many beautiful hikes, viewpoints and train journeys in and around the valley that you can exert as much or as little effort as you feel like and still make the most of our stunning scenery.

I'd never been to Emosson Dam before although I have admired it many times from Le Tour – either from the top of the Posettes or from the Croix de Fer – so you may be familiar with it from that perspective too. Many people quote Emosson as being the site of that infamous James Bond bungee jump during the opening scenes of Golden Eye, but I believe that was actually filmed further into Switzerland at Verzasca or somewhere….I'm sure Bond fans will put me straight on that point! Either way, you can certainly get a feeling of the dizzying height that Mr Bond was faced with by hanging your head over the edge.

Emosson is one of those great places that really is accessible to all. If you're feeling energetic, then you can hike up from Vallorcine in about 4 hours. It's a steep trail but the views en route are well worth it. Alternatively, if you have young children or maybe Granny with you, then take the Mont Blanc Express train from Chamonix to Le Chatelard (a beautiful journey in itself) and from there, you can access the dam by funicular and panoramic train. The first funi is a bit clanky but apparently it's a record breaker – being the steepest two-way funicular currently in operation. From the top, passengers then swap onto a small panoramic train that skirts around the edge of the Bouqui Gorges, offering spectacular views of the Mont Blanc range as it cuts through the rocks and forests. The final leg is another funicular, this time a mini one, which carries you up from the foot of the dam to the top. The whole journey from Le Chatelard only takes about 30 minutes and costs CHF 50 return for adults (CHF 25.40 children and CHF 38.10 youth) but you can pay in euros as well.

Once at the top, it is possible to walk along the entire dam wall and around the edge of the artificial lake. The dam was filled for the first time on 10th September 1975 and it holds 225 million m3 of water. If you saved your legs on the way up by taking the funi (or you can also drive up) then it's well worth exploring some of the hiking trails in the area. One of the main attractions at the top is to hike over to the dinosaur footprints at Vieux Emosson. Traces of these prehistoric creatures can be clearly seen in the rocks and date back some 230 million years. Don't go expecting a Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint that you can fall into (or you might be a bit disappointed!) but it's all quite interesting and the 5 hour round trip is worth the walk in itself. If you prefer to simply sit down and take in the view, then there is a café and a restaurant with a fabulous terrace at the top of the mini-funi where you can do just that. We opted for the coffee option last weekend, but I'll definitely be heading back there with my hiking boots to explore some more. You can read more about the area on the Chatelard.net website and I've put some more photos from last weekend in our Gallery

There's been quite a bit going on in the last week to keep us busy, such as the 4th Rock ‘n' Ride that took place at the DZ des Bois. Around 70 riders turned up to demo their finest BMX and freestyle MTB tricks on the dirt jump track by the helipad. With no prize money at stake, everyone just turned up to hang out, do some riding, enjoy the live bands that were supporting and tuck into an MBC burger from the barbie and a beer or two.

There's lots more still to come this week as well with pretty much the last big summer event – the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc - happening this weekend. There are three main races that make up the UTMB; the Ultra Trail itself (166km), the CCC from Courmayeur to Chamonix (98km) and the Petit Trot a Leon (220km completed in teams of 3). Runners for the Petit Trot set off this morning and the Ultra trailers and CCC runners will be under starters orders on Friday. This event attracts an immense crowd of supporters and the atmosphere is always buzzing. Personally, I cannot begin to imagine what makes one want to entre such a race, but I'm full of admiration for the uber-fit runners that take part. If you do one thing this weekend, make sure you give a supporting cheer as they head round the course, but especially as they approach the finish line.

Looks like we're in for a sunny few days as well which is great for us on the sidelines but it's going to make running the trail even harder. 90% sunshine and highs of around 26 degrees, with the chance of afternoon thunderstorms over the weekend. If you're heading out in the next couple of weeks, don't forget to pack a warm layer or two as there is a definite nip in the air at night and first thing in the morning before the sun has warmed up the valley. I think my days of riding to work in flip-flops may be numbered if I want to avoid frost bitten toes!