Chamonix Activity Report: 26th June 2010
We have had a great few days here in Chamonix, Fete de Musique was amazing and the weather changed just as the evening was coming to an end after the parties that went on through till sunrise! Its been as if the spirit of summer was waiting for the mass of people to descend upon the Rue des Moulin's for a massive carnival type party and dance the burning hot sun in to existence! Every day since the Fete its been very warm, and with all but the Grand Montets lift open, it has brought the masses to the wonderful valley of Chamonix.
A lot of people have been getting in to their downhill mountain biking now, with trails pretty much dried up which is great for people like myself with V breaks that don't cope very well at all in wet conditions! The new track is open at Flegere, which I haven't tried out myself yet but I am told it is very good with lots of features to play on the way down.
After all the rain from the previous week I wanted to give it a while before getting on the bike for some downhill fun. I don't know quite how I managed to actually get up after the Fete de Musique but the day started off sunny and warm and so I couldn't resist seeing what it was like up there! So with a fairly full on hangover and a bike not quite equipped for downhill action I chose to take it easy and hit the front side of Le Tour. Chamonix isn't the best place to learn how to downhill but having learnt in this valley myself I have found a few easier trails to ride like the bottom section of Le Tour taking the wider path back down to the bubble. Or in Les Houches on the Parion lift there is a nice wide track which winds around the Kandahar ski run and has some really great views and restaurants along the way. Les Houches is probably best if you're learning or want to take it easy and there are options for steeper or narrower trails on both mountains.
I started off nice and easy taking the wide trail round the front of Le Tour, realising that I wasn't as hung-over as I first thought so I started taking a look at some of the narrower trails on the bottom section which had some more challenging parts to them. Overall the condition of the lower trails was very good, dry, and no ruts cut in to the gravel yet as it's still early season. So after a few runs on the lower section it was time to go up the chair lift to the top section. The condition of the trails higher up was not as good in my opinion and maybe a little bit to technical for me in my condition! There was still a fair bit of snow hanging around, which I reckon has melted by now. The snow covered some of the trails and in some cases we had to get off and cross patches, or head off the trail to get on to the next section that we could see. When on the trails the melting snow was making the route down slightly hazardous where small rivers where forming and it made it very difficult for me to apply my breaks effectively resulting in the inevitable head over the handlebars!
After finding the top section not to my liking we went for a few more on the lower sections before heading back down the hill to Argentiere and to the Office bar on their sun terrace for a great burger and some happy hour beers!
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!
