trails, but without the relentless climbs so often a feature of alpine ascents, and without any dodgy bits for those who are not steady on their feet or who are totally unaware of danger.
Hut Walks
A hut provides a marvellous objective for a walk, maybe just for lunch or to spend the night. Huts are always interesting and are often an opportunity to meet local people and sample some regional specialities. Most huts enjoy fine views and a night spent in a mountain hut will almost always be an unforgettable experience –for various reasons. Even if you’re not keen on sleeping in close proximity to lots of other people, the evening spent watching the sunset from the terrace while sipping a home-made digestif and the morning with breakfast taken in the early sunshine while the rest of Chamonix is still in deep shade, should make it all worthwhile. If in doubt, just go for lunch.
Adventure Walks
These are the hikes that require lots of energy and a steady footing, and often a desire for an exposed ridge, a scramble or just a really challenging day out. These are not for children or dogs, and the times and distances should be taken into account.
THE EMOSSON LAKES REGION
Emosson Lake
The Lac d’Emosson and the Lac du Vieux Emosson are located to the north of Chamonix, just over the border in Switzerland. They form the northern edge of the area covered in this guide, and several walks are described there.
At the time of writing, this area is somewhat compromised aesthetically, and also from the point of view of access, by works which are currently underway and expected to last until at least 2018. These works revolve around the construction of a pump storage system, which requires the building of a tunnel from Le Châtelard down in the valley up to the Vieux Emosson Lake.
The main change for walkers is that access across the Emosson Lake dam is restricted and there is now a series of walkways and bridges to allow passage from one side of the dam to the other. There is also a shuttle bus service across the dam. There are trucks moving around the area between the two lakes, with associated buildings and debris but once you’re away from the immediate building site, the trails and the views are not affected.
However, there are plans to raise the height of the Vieux Emosson Lake dam in the next few years, which will undoubtedly impact on the east end of that lake.
All this said, the walks around Emosson are some of the best, so don’t let these works put you off – just go to the Emosson website for updated info (www.emosson-lac.ch) or contact the company in charge of the works on [email protected], tel +41 27 720 47 30.
Alpine mountaineering
Abseiling on the Cosmiques Arête (Alpine Mountaineering, Route 7)
While this book does not aim to describe hard climbs and ascents in the high mountains, there are glacier hikes and climbs that can be seen as entry-level routes to take hill-walkers onto glaciers, up to summits and onto rocky scrambles, but at a reasonably accessible standard.
Venturing onto the glaciers was once considered suicidal, which is why it took so long for anyone to find a route up Mont Blanc. These days, glacier travel is pretty routine for many mountaineers, but the attendant dangers haven’t really changed, except that it has been established that dragons probably don’t inhabit the peaks, or if they do they’re fairly innocuous.
The routes in this guide can be planned for a first alpine season, but it must be stressed that mountaineering in the Alps is potentially a deadly activity and each alpine summer sees many accidents on the peaks and glaciers, some of them fatal. Appropriate knowledge and training must be undertaken to climb safely in the high mountains and for this reason these walks and climbs are very often done with professional guides.
Mountain biking
Mountain biking near Le Tour (photo: Marc Volorio)
Chamonix has embraced the evolution of mountain biking over the last 20 years or so and now has several dedicated venues for descent and aerobatics. These places are briefly described in this book, but there are also lots of trails that lend themselves to knobbly tyres and low gears and the best of these rides are described.
However, the relationship between hikers and bikers remains fragile, so restrictions have been set and some trails are off limits, especially in the peak holiday season, July and August. Nevertheless, bikers and hikers can live in harmony and, thanks to these clear regulations, there are some really good rides where any mountain biker, from beginner to expert, can have a great time and not be shouted at or risk killing anyone in the process. A series of rides are detailed in this book, and reference is made to other resources for those who decide riding the trails is for them.
Road biking
Cycling on the road in the Alps has its roots in deep-seated tradition, with the annual Tour de France always passing through the alpine chain within view of Mont Blanc. However, until fairly recently it seemed to be the preserve of the bronzed and honed Lance Armstrong look-alikes. The last few years have seen an explosion in the popularity of the sport and now, as soon as the roads are snow-free, cyclists of all abilities are to be seen powering and puffing their way up the local passes. And there’s certainly plenty to go at, from the major passes of the Haute Savoie to minor roads that give a more varied and less relentless ride. There are also options to make life easier by riding from one place to another and taking the train back.
Trail running
Trail running is another activity that has massively increased in popularity in the last few years. Time was, when the odd lightly clad runner smoking past overburdened hikers on the trail was a fairly rare occurrence. Now it’s quite normal, especially when one of the local races is coming up. These days, people run year round in Chamonix, taking to the hard-packed snowy valley trails in the depth of winter. The prestigious Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc has ensured that Chamonix is fast becoming the Holy Grail of mountain running – and with good cause, given the vast array of trails available.
Rock climbing and bouldering
Sunny climbing on perfect rock at the central sector of Les Chéserys
Chamonix has a whole collection of crags in the valley, with approaches of just a few minutes. These crags all offer bolted climbing, with lots of routes in the more moderate grade range. Many crags are suitable for children too (as long as they’re well-behaved!). Just a few routes on each of the selected crags are described, but if sampling these climbs makes you want more, the local guidebooks will ensure a lifetime of climbing adventures.
In addition to the roped brigade, more and more climbers seem to have decided to forego the time, expense and weight of ropes and gear, and have taken to walking around with big pads. Several bouldering sites in and around the Chamonix valley cater to the needs of the Pad People.
Via ferratas
It’s perhaps surprising, but there are no real via ferratas in the Chamonix and Vallorcine valleys. There are lots of cabled sections of path (which often feature on the Adventure Walks) and some mountain hut approaches are enabled by ladders and chains. But there are no via ferratas where you need to use proper gear and where the cabled way is purely an entity in itself. However, if this is what you want to do, do not despair. An hour or so’s drive from Chamonix gives access to several via ferratas in the Haute Savoie region, all of which are listed here and two of which are described.
Other activities
There are lots of other sporty activities to occupy you in and around Chamonix.