Chamonix Activity Report: 24th July 2005
The activities kicked off this weekend with a half-day rock climbing initiation at Les Gaillands. Located on the road between Chamonix town centre and les Bossons, this is a really popular spot with people of all levels and we were put at ease by all the families seeming to have no problems with the climb. The area has a small buvette selling drinks and snacks and there's a very laid back feel with people sunbathing and spectating on the grass below the rock face.
As none of us have really done any climbing before we had booked the expert guidance of Fred from Evolution 2 . He provided all the necessary equipment (ropes, harnesses, carabiners and hard hats) and we hired some climbing shoes from Ravanel & Co in town although these turned out not to be essential for easier climbs.
Basically, for those just starting out, the idea is to climb up the rock face whilst always being attached by a rope in one way or another to stop you falling far. You then use the ropes to abseil back down to earth….sounds easy. We were shown by Fred how to tie the essential knots to our own harness (he didn't have much of an issue keeping our attention on that one) and how to belay someone, this being the crux of the most commonly practiced type of rock climbing. Belaying is done in pairs, with one person responsible for keeping the slack out of the rope which is attached (by that essential knot) to the climber. He/she is also responsible for holding on to that rope if you should happen to fall. All climbing routes are graded from 2A to 9b (9b being the most difficult). As a guide, the climbing championships last week went up to about an 8c; and a 9b is as good as impossible, sometimes taking climbers years of practice on the same route. Les Gaillands has routes from grade 2 up to 7 and Fred decided he would start us in the middle, which was a bit of a challenge….but that is the point of climbing (we climbed a 5c at the hardest route). We did a few 25 metre acents and decents to get the grip of things and then took on the whole 60 metre face.
Needless to say this is not a good sport if you suffer from vertigo, and if you're not sure, you'll definitely find out! We were in mixed group and the actual act of climbing didn't require as much brute strength as we thought and all made it to the top. At this point we felt like serious climbers/mountaineers of true Chamonix calibre until we looked across to the family with young kids a few metres away. All in all, a top afternoon in a great spot. Having a highly experienced instructor was appreciated 60 metres above terra firma and we would recommend giving it a go. Now we have no excuse not to join our neighbour's when they explore the mountain.
Coming up this week
Mountain biking, the Mer de Glace and a trip through the Mont Blanc Tunnel
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
