Chamonix Activity Report: 24th September 2007
We're back! And after 2 weeks sunning ourselves on far flung beaches we've clearly gone a bit soft and are finding Chamonix decidedly chilly at the moment. It's definitely just us though as the thermometer has been hovering at a pretty respectable 20-25° most days, but flip flop season is definitely drawing to a close. The mornings now have that “Back to School” nip in the air reminiscent of the first day of term but once the valley has had a chance to warm up a little, the afternoons are still plenty warm enough to sit out with a coffee and take in the much quieter pace of life in Cham.
Since the majority of lifts are now closed, the volume of visitors is noticeably less. It's a shame really, as friends tell me that the weather was absolutely beautiful whilst we were away and thanks to cooler temperatures, September is a perfect month to hike. If you're prepared to put in the extra couple of hours graft to get up to the higher trails then you will be rewarded with utter peace and tranquillity and usually a plentiful supply of wildlife sightings as they too make the most of the solitude. The Aiguille du Midi and the Montenvers train are the only installations now running so you can still explore that side of the valley with the help of the lifts. Although the ice caves and the Mer de Glace gondola are closing tomorrow (25th) for the season due to necessary security work, the Fauna museum and the crystal gallery remain open for visitors. For the first time this year, the Compagnie du Mont Blanc has scheduled in a number of lift opening times throughout the autumn so that visitors will always have a viewpoint over Mont Blanc during the time the Midi is closed for building work and its annual maintenance. Full details of the season opening and closing dates can be found here.
However, the peace on the Brevent side of the valley is due to be shattered next weekend as the Aiguilles Rouges trail run takes place on Sunday. This brand new competition will take in some of the most beautiful parts of the valley between Servoz and Vallorcine and will culminate the trail running season for another year. Competitors will set off from Servoz at 5am on Sunday morning and follow the 51km route past 5 lakes, 4 cols and through 3 nature reserves, negotiating a total of 3400m of ascent. Both the Brevent and Flegere lifts will re-open for the occasion so that spectators can support the runners en route, with Plan Praz and the Col de la Gliere (top of the Index) being the most easily accessible vantage points. If you're planning on heading up and wish to make more of a day of it, you can also hike up to Lac Cornu or Lac Blanc for two particularly scenic spots to cheer on the runners. The first runners are anticipated to arrive in Vallorcine from around midday. The spirit of the event is “respect nature” and competitors will be issued with a plastic water bottle at the start of the race that they are to carry with them and fill up at the 3 refreshment stops on route. The aim is that there will be no litter left as a result of the race and spectators are urged to make the most of the public transportation links in the valley instead of arriving by car.
Otherwise, we've been settling back into life in Cham at a very leisurely pace with a chilled afternoon spent down at Lac des Gaillands this weekend. These beautiful lakes are well worth a visit and are only a 10-15 minute walk from town (direction of Les Bossons). A perfect spot for a picnic, the larger of the lakes is known as the “mirror of Mont Blanc” for the immediately obvious reason that it reflects the most stunning images of the surrounding mountains on its surface. The area is also a hugely popular hang out with climbers over the summer months due to the natural climbing wall there, offering a range of routes for all abilities. There are a number of walks starting from this area too; the gentle Promenade de l'Arve to Les Houches, the Petit Balcon Sud or more strenuous routes to the top of Brevent and the Aiguilettes des Houches via the Bellachat refuge.
We're relieved to see that the snow line hasn't crept too far down just yet and is currently hovering between 2500m – 3000m. This looks set to change later in the week though with the forecast predicting snow down as low as 1500m by Wednesday. Definitely time to pack the flip flops away! You can keep an eye on the snow level on the run up to winter, thanks to our brand new webcam images! We've recently replaced our hugely popular Brevent webcam with a more powerful camera that means we can now give you the only webcam image of the whole of the Grands Montets ski area! We've also added in some images from the Italian side so that you can keep an eye on conditions in Courmayeur before heading through the tunnel. If you haven't already seen in our news section, season and annual lift passes are currently on sale with big discounts if you buy before November 25th. We're still awaiting news on the resident and secondary resident price offers (if any this year) but will let you know what the deal is as soon as we hear.
If you've still got a few days holiday to take this year then now is a great time to get a sneaky weekend in before winter descends on us once again. Whilst the beach was great…….you can't beat being in Cham!
- 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
