Chamonix Snow Report: 13th November 2008
Well, it snowed this morning (13/11), but only to around 1500m. The skies have been cloudy for most of the day, the cloudbase hovering a mere 250m above town, but occasional windows have opened up, giving tantalizing glimpes of the snow-covered hills that soar up above Chamonix town.
Anyway, now that Chamonix has returned to sunnier, more snow-free climes - after the low snow of a fortnight ago - we decided it was time to get some midmountain hiking done. What better way to stay fit and healthy than by slogging one's guts out for 700 vertical metres, and what more beautiful place to do it than up here, in Chamonix, at 45°55'18.93"N - 6°51'12.66"E?
To check out trail conditions to the fullest, we decided on a new hike, from Chamonix town going up to the OLD Aiguille du Midi cable car midstation. The installations of the lift are still there, hidden up in the woods from a bygone age when international travel, particularly to the mountains, was exclusive to the postwar jetset. The trail that we took ran up from the Tunnel du Mont Blanc platform - although check a map before you go, as it's not signposted.
From there, it rose through the deep, dark Pelerins forest until it reached the old buildings at nearly 1700m. The trail was quite a slog, very steep and covered with brown leaves that had fallen from the surrounding deciduous trees. The occasional stream that meandered across the path made some of them extremely slippery, and while not directly exposed, the path crossed a number of corners above steep drops that would have been unpleasant to slip on.
After an hour and a half of climbing, we arrived. The concrete-set cable car station has an eerie feel about it. The cabin which served the link to the second section still hangs in the station, now dented, looted and covered in grafitti. I'm sure that within twenty years it will no longer be there, hanging instead in the foyer of a marketing agency in Paris, or perhaps the penthouse apartment of the highest bidder. Stencilled advertisments for Ambre Solaire and Dubonnet cover the bare concrete walls, and you can almost hear the footsteps of the well-heeled tourists making their way up from the arrival station to the second section of the lift, as their 21st-century counterparts do a mile away at Plan D'Aiguille.
From the station, we had the option to carry on another 800m toward the next stop, but because of the lowering snowline we chose to make our way back down to Chamonix. It's a trail I recommend, as much for the hike as for the history lesson. If you're going to do it, get up there soon - the snow's getting lower every day!
Until next week
Tom
If you fancy treading in our footsteps, please check out http://www.aiguilledumidi.net/ where full details (in French) of the old lift can be found.
Stats
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Alt. Resort: 1050
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Alt. Summit: 3800
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Alt. Last Snow: 2300
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High Temp.: 10
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Alt. High Temp.: 1050
