Chamonix Activity Report: 22nd August 2006
It must be the purity of the air at this altitude that causes the mountains to look so impressive. The colours you can see around Chamonix at present just add to the beautiful scenery. For the last couple of weeks the cloud had formed a blanket over the town at around 2000 metres. With only the lowest parts of the glaciers visible amongst the trees and the high mountain peaks covered it felt like November in England. With a bad case of Seasonal Affected Disorder kicking in it was beautiful to see the clouds parting and sun poking through. When it had fully cleared the bluest of blue skies was dramatic against the greens of the hyper hydrated fields, with all the peaks above 2000 metres covered in perfect fresh white snow. The snow receded quickly as soon as the midday sun got into it, but for a few hours it really was breathtaking. I think that even if you've lived here all your life, you would still be amazed by the scenery here at times
So summer is still here but for how long? No one knows. Tuesday and Wednesday are meant to see a slight increase in temperature which is likely to be interrupted by some thundery disturbances over Thursday. The general outlook is uncertain with some sunny periods interspersed with rain, whether we get an Indian summer here or not it's probably best to make the most of it as next time the autumnal weather comes it might be here for good.
Since the beginning of the summer I have been spending a lot of time on my bike. I guess it's been mainly for the purpose of getting fit and enjoying the views up the top of the mountains. It wasn't until last week when I had tired legs and less enthusiasm for riding hard that I decided to stop at a few of the places of interest that I always passed. My usual route leads out of the valley through Les Houches and down towards Vaudagne. Just before you cross the main road there is a turning on the left which takes you down to La Ferme des Huskies, a really friendly couple run this farm for raising and training huskies. The dogs are fascinating and have an unbelievable amount of energy; though over the summer months the trainers try to limit their exercise so that the dogs don't over heat. It seems to be a great place for families as groups can go out walking with the huskies. At times when I pass the kids and dogs I wish I could borrow a couple for the climb back up.
Staying on a doggie theme there is also the Elevage de Saint Bernard. This Saint Bernard centre is dedicated to the breeding and training of another unique breed of mountain dog. It's only a few euros for entry but it really worth it if you like dogs. There were puppies there that you could hold in you hands, and also there were dogs the size of small bears. The centre is tucked down a small road by the Aire de la Fontaine.
If you continue down from here towards Servoz for two kilometres you arrive at the Gorges de la Diosaz. It's a nice place to spend a couple of hours. The stroll along the wooden walkways is good fun and very picturesque in places. The Diosaz river which is controlled by a dam cuts a dramatic path through the rocks and flows from nearly 2500 metres above the gorge to connect with the Arve near Le Fayet. Whether you are stopping at any of these places or not the road through Servoz to Passy or Sallanches is a peaceful alternative to the main road, just remember to give a friendly beep to anyone slogging it up the hill.
The big event this week in Chamonix is undoubtedly The North Face Ultra Trail. The main event starts at 7pm on Friday night, when 2500 athletes will leave the town square and attempt to complete the Tour du Mont-Blanc. The circuit around Mont Blanc and its surrounding mountain's is 158 kilometres long, the athletes ascend a total of 8500 metres on the route (the equivalent of climbing Everest from base camp – Twice!). The course proceeds through Les Houches over from Les Contamines, passing near to Bourg St-Maurice before crossing over into Italy. It continues down through the Aosta valley crossing the border into Switzerland, the athletes by now are on the final stretch home and once they've crested the Col des Montets they'll know that the final 10 kilometres are downhill to the finish. There is a time limit of 45 hours which to get under sounds like an amazing feat in itself, however the leading competitors are expected to arrive back into Chamonix by 4pm on Saturday.
I've seen a few of the Ultra Trail athletes around Chamonix training over the last few weeks, they really are a different breed. As I was walking the dog the other day up the switchbacks towards Bellechat I was passed by a guy virtually sprinting uphill cutting off the corners wherever possible. He had the upper body of a marathon runner but the legs of a power lifter, his calves looked about ready to pop. To run or walk nearly 4 marathons in a less than two days with thousands of metres to ascend and descend is incredible (and don't underestimate how hard going downhill actually is with tired legs), anyone who completes the course is a winner in my book. Make sure to catch the final stages of the challenge and there is plenty of activities taking place either in Chamonix or Argentiere check out the official website for more details.
Piste Maps for Chamonix (pdf format), Les Houches (jpg format), Cross-country skiing (pdf format), and Mountain-bike trails (pdf format)
Current status for opening of Pistes & Lifts
Chamonix Webcam Index
Useful Links
Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research
French Avalanche Research Institute
Meteo France - Mountain weather and avalanche conditions bulletins (in French)
Henry's Avalanche Talk - popular avalanche training sessions based in French Alps as well as translation of current avalanche conditions
PisteHors.com - Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding News in English for the French Alps. Excellent coverage of avalanche safety and advice
Additional snow and weather information provided, with thanks, by meteo.chamonix.com and the Tourist Office
