Read reviews of the best Chamonix activities
No trip to Chamonix should be complete without a visit to the legendary "Mer de Glace", the longest and arguably the most impressive glacier in the Chamonix valley.
Find loads of top tips and local insights in our Chamonix Sights Reviews.
Ever since the leaves started to turn yellow, I've been looking forward to checking out what kind of mushrooms can be found in the valley. I started foraging mushrooms when I was a little girl, and I can safely identify a fair amount of species which are good to eat in Galicia, the very humid region in north-west Spain where I come from, so I was really excited to see if any of them grew here.
The first trail run of spring is usually a prime example of optimism over experience; resulting in wet feet, cold extremities and scratched legs incurred through scrambling over avalanche debris, fallen trees and through boggy paths. This winter has been unusually warm though and, while that hasn’t been great news for the snow, it’s excellent news for the trails!
Long hot days, very few rainy ones, music festivals, ultra marathons, base-jumping expos, street parties, BBQs, lazy days at the lake... au revoir summer 2013, you've been wonderful! Autumn is now in the air, the majority of the lifts have closed and the final sporting event of the season is upon us.
Since Fete de Musique summer has prevailed the way it should do, with lots of sunny days and rain just at the right time to cool things down in the late afternoon. Its pretty much been the same every day and it doesn't even seem fathomable that we could have an extended period of bad weather again, at least till it's absolutely necessary in the winter!
Yesterday I thought I’d have a crack at a hike that I’ve not done for many years, one that last time I did it was so damp and misty that I couldn’t see the views and was so cold that there was snow falling on us as we reached the hut. That was in August 2006, surely I couldn’t have the same bad luck twice?
There's nothing easier than a cliche to start an article. 'All good things must come to an end', 'the fat lady's singing' etc, etc. In case you'd not got the clues, the MTB accessible lifts in Chamonix closed at the weekend.
There are many hikes that you can do in the valley without having to take a lift that don't compromise on the view. One of my favourites is the Refuge Pierre a Berard hike in Le Buet, easy to get to either by car or public transport as you start from Le Buet train station car park.
Had fun climbing mountains or riding bikes this week? We have! Whilst the weather's not exactly been excellent over the last seven days, it's certainly been changeable. This means that the Chamonix Look, forgotten for the winter, has come back around.
February is the busiest month of the winter, when schools across Europe are all on half-term break at the same time and families head en masse to the Alps for their annual ski holiday. There are a few ways to avoid the crowds though, and cross-country skiing is one of my favourite alternative activities.
I'm often told that one of the most important aspects of long-distance running is nutrition, so I've been paying particular attention to pre and post marathon dining this week. Not that I ran this year, but I felt that I could best show my support by carb-loading before and replacing vital calories afterwards. I'm sure my running friends greatly appreciated my input...
If you have been to Chamonix over the last year or are due to pay us a visit next season you will see (or have seen!) the numerous banners across town depicting old photos of Alpine activities. These are part of the Gay-Couttet family photography collection depicting Alpinism over the past century
As predicted, the temperature has dropped in the last week….really dropped! You can see from this picture of the Place Mont Blanc valley map that the temperature was a decidedly chilly -3 at 9am this morning. With a high of around 8 degrees and overnight lows of -7, the ground is now regularly covered in a thick layer of frost that doesn't melt until the sun peeks over the mountains at about 11am. Once it starts to get really cold here, it always amazes me how many drivers appear completely at ease driving at 70kmh, peering through a 6 inch square of cleared windscreen in an otherwise completely frosted car. I can only think that it is driving skill that is taught in France along with overtaking on blind bends, manoeuvring with no indication whatsoever and bump touch parking!
July has come round and as a result the mountain bikers have stopped moaning about how the weather’s too hot/cold/wet/dry and instead are moaning about the July/August bike ban.
Apologies for there not being an updated rock report recently, but I had to make a work related trip back to the UK. However unwelcome the trip back to England was, it served as a useful reminder of how lucky I am to be able to spend a few months of the summer in Chamonix.
The lifts are still open here in Chamonix, the summer is however drawing to a close and since the Ultra Trail finished last week it feels like the town has emptied. After a busy month like August it can feel pretty quiet, however the sun still shines! And there is so much going on in the valley and with less people around doing the same stuff any activity you choose to come out and enjoy you will be sure to do so in complete tranquillity.
It's amazing what you can find when you poke around a bit. And Chamonix is no exception. From the secret gorges and tucked-away walks to the less obvious mountain bike trails that we've found in previous weeks, there always seems to be something new in a place like this.
Whilst many Chamonites are waiting for the lifts to re-open for Mountain Biking, I have been exploring some of the hiking routes in Valley this inter-season.
The Brevent and Flegere lifts have opened for the summer, how do the trails look for mountain biking?