Chamonix Activity Report: 26th September 2005
If you travel in the Alps during Autumn, look out for posters in local papers & shops advertising "Combat des Reines" (Battle of the Queens) for an insight into an unusual Alpine tradition. You may be mistaken in thinking they are promoting bull fighting but it is actually more of a cow wrestling match. Apparently one particular breed of milking cow is naturally territorial and aggressive, and so farmers from around the area bring their most bossy cows to the event to determine who is la reine de la reine (queen of the queens) each year
Around 10 cows at a time are brought into the arena and are judged on their performance. There is a lot of snorting, mooing and pawing of earth whilst the cows eyeball each other before butting heads & locking horns, pushing each other backward & forward until one of them backs down. There are handlers in the arena to make sure the cows wrestle fair & square and that two cows never gang up on one. Rest assured the cows vary rarely injure each other; it seems to be more a matter of feistiness, plus the farmers are at the ring-side to give ‘fleurette' or ‘Lolita' an affectionate pat when they have scored well, so there really is not an over-riding sense of violence about the event and it is very much considered a family day out
The more feisty cows can remain deadlocked in a horn grapple for anything up to ten minutes (this makes for quite exciting watching and cheering from the crowd when one of them gives up and backs off). Others turn tail as soon as another cow looks at them and a small few seem to enjoy the celebrity status and head curiously toward the crowd – needless to say, these particular ones don't do too well in the contest
The venue changes each year within the region and this year it was held near the top of the Chamonix valley, just outside Argentiere. It is pretty much an all day event with live music in the form of yodellers and accordion players, and a great spread of local speciality dishes. We tucked into a plate of raclette – local grilled cheese served with boiled potato, cold meats and cornichons – washed down with a splash (or two) of red wine, and had the queue not been so enormous we would have treated ourselves to a crepe. There was also a tombola with prizes ranging from a guided tour of La Vallee Blanche (famous off-piste route from the Aiguille du Midi cable car), to a live (yes live) sheep – try explaining that to customs at the airport
The event ends with the crowning of the champion Reine, which involves a lap of honour and a plush new collar with huge cow-bell. This is a surprisingly entertaining, family orientated day out and even has free entry, which is always a bonus! As for a souvenir of the day – check the underside of your shoe for a lucky (??!) cow-pat
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
