Chamonix Activity Review: 28th August 2013

Chamonix is currently awash with lycra-clad, support stocking-ed, GoreTexed-to-the-max types, there have been people stridingly purposefully around town in full kit and caboodle since the weekend - I'm not sure if they're breaking in new gear or if they just forgot to pack "normal" clothes?

However, credit where credit's due; they are about to tackle an almighty monster of a race - 168km in distance, with 9600m of ascent, passing through 3 countries, running through the night to complete the course in under 46 hours.

With not a cat's chance of pulling off such a feat myself, I instead decided to hike a short section of the route today to get a feel for it. The final stretch of the course re-enters France at Chatelard on the Swiss border and returns to Chamonix via Vallorcine, Col des Montets and Flegere. We took the bus to Montroc and walked the short distance via Tre-Le-Champ to the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve at the Col de Montets. Our destination was La Tete aux Ventes (the windy head, in English), the last of the high climbs at 2310m. We didn't take the exact same route as the UTMB, as I wanted to do the ladders up to Lac Blanc but there were plenty of trail runners up there, checking out the terrain and acclimatising themselves before the big day. The climb up from Col des Montets is steep and twisty for about the first hour to an hour and a half but you are rewarded all the way with magnificent views as you get higher and higher above the valley. Once you're more or less level with the Grands Montets ski area it pans out to a more gentle gradient and becomes a pleasant stroll along some beautiful Alpine paths, there are loads of flowers out at the moment and we saw a mother marmot keeping a careful eye on her little cub as he explored amongst the rocks.

The path ambles along until you reach La Tete aux Vents, at which point the UTMB trail continues straight to Flegere, but we headed up higher first passing the Lac des Chesery and then clambering up a steep but short section of ladder to get up the sheer rock and on to the next part of the trail. Then it's another fairly arduous but not technically difficult hike up to the refuge at Lac Blanc, where you can have lunch if you've not brought sandwiches. Lac Blanc is stunning on a sunny day, reflecting the peaks in its mirror-like surface. On a moody day like today it is feels a little bit eerie with white mist swirling over the still water. However, it is still beautiful in any weather and a great spot for a picnic. We cheated and took the cable car back down to Les Praz, you can get up to it this way as well and it's an even easier hike if you then take the Index chairlift. Do it soon though, as they close on 15th September.

The heatwave might have ended but summer is still here, which means that BBQ season is still officially ON! Last weekend we headed over to Chambre Neuf to see what they had on the grill. For 16€ you can help yourself to as much as you like, so we did! The salad buffet alone would have been enough with green salad, vegetables, pasta, 2 potato salads, bread, sauces, salsa, etc and then there was the grill to choose from... burgers, ribs, cajun pork, salmon, chicken and jacket potatoes. It would have been physically impossible to try everything but in the interests of journalistic research we gave it a good try between us. If you're looking for a tasty feast that won't blow your budget then this defninitely has to be one of the best deals in town, really good homecooked food and plenty of choice. You could keep the price down by ordering a jug of beer or carafe of house wine but we decided to treat ourselves to a bottle of delicious Italian red wine, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, for 21€. The Chambre Neuf BBQ takes place every Friday and Saturday from 7pm, go and check it out.

I'll mostly be spending this week cheering for Ultra Trail runners, races will be taking place all week so you're bound to see at least some start and finish line action simply by wandering around town but the main event takes place on Friday at 4:30pm. Grab yourself a good viewpoint (preferably one with a bar) and get ready to clap until your hands are sore, as you cheer all 2300 runners off from the start line in the centre of town. Even if you're not into running, it's an impressive sight and there's a great atmosphere.

Details of all races can be found on the UTMB website

All upcoming events can be found on our What's On calendar.