Chamonix - Late Summer tips, ideas, suggestions, etc.

[coskigirl]

My first big post law school and bar exam trip is to Chamonix in early September. I’m meeting my dad, stepmom, stepsister, BIL, and nephew there. We just booked our chalet lodging today. I am so excited for this getaway! It will be my 10 year old nephew’s first to Europe so fun to be a part of that. My father speaks some French but he’s really the only one. I’d do Duolingo between now and then but the bar exam is plenty studying. Anyhow, totally open to ideas of how to fill 5 days there. We love good food, hiking, exploring, etc.

 

[fatbob]

It's Cham - half the workers are native English speakers.

Budget on quite a few lift tix for hiking access - can't really miss on the lift access hiking or train to Montenvers and the Valley Blanche. Aiguille du Mid is spectacular on a good weather day and you can even take the traverse gondi over to Hellbronner. Biking I wouldn't bother with lift access and just take advice from the hire shops. If you have a car you can drive round to Megeve to look at fur coats or Les Contamines for a quieter alpine valley. If you want a different drive back to GVA consider going via Martigny.

 

[coskigirl]

We won't have a car. The rest of my family is coming from a few days in Paris prior via train. I'm still deciding whether to fly into Paris the day before, have dinner with them, then join them for the train ride, or flying into Geneva. I'm also still deciding whether to join my dad and stepmom for a day or two in Lyon after Chamonix.

I have plenty of flexibility in funding because I've been actively saving for my post law school travel since before I started school. We're going at a somewhat off time and our lodging is counting the 5 night stay as "long stay" and significantly discounting the cost. I'm not sure yet how we're splitting it since their are 6 of us but 3 bedrooms. Either way, it's still very cheap. I'll be flying on miles. One night I want to find a fancy restaurant to treat my family to dinner.

 

[fatbob]

Well I think the resto at the Hotel Albert 1er is Michelin starred and there are other Michelin reviewed places but there are plenty of good eats in Chamonix, even at what one of my colleagues on a work ski trip called a cheese infested hovel (basically a Raclette speciality place). Even Poco Loco is a cut above for sandwichs/burger takeouts and the pizza hole in the wall on the road to the station does excellent Roquefort pizza. Unfortunately L'Impossible, a great Italian place has just burnt down this weekend.

 

[teejaywhy]

My first big post law school and bar exam trip is to Chamonix in early September. I’m meeting my dad, stepmom, stepsister, BIL, and nephew there. We just booked our chalet lodging today. I am so excited for this getaway! It will be my 10 year old nephew’s first to Europe so fun to be a part of that. My father speaks some French but he’s really the only one. I’d do Duolingo between now and then but the bar exam is plenty studying. Anyhow, totally open to ideas of how to fill 5 days there. We love good food, hiking, exploring, etc.

Will be watching this thread as my wife and I and another couple will be doing the Tour du Mont Blanc (in comfort*) this July. Starting and ending in Chamonix, we will hike the ~100 mile loop in 13 days passing through Italy and Switzerland and then returning to France.

*In Comfort - means we are paying a tour agent to book overnight stays in village hotels along the way (vs. camping or staying in refuge dorms) and transporting baggage between, meaning all we need to carry is our day hike needs.

Really looking forward to this adventure and my best wishes for your trip as well as your Bar exam!!

 

[coskigirl]

My dad and stepmom have done that. See if you can access their blog. I'm not sure if it will require permission to access it. If it does tell him you're a friend of Robyn's and planning your own Tour du Mont Blanc.

ataleoftwohikers

ataleoftwohikers.net

 

[Daniel]

Everything @fatbob stated in his initial post is spot on. Here's a tip for parties without a car who enjoy hiking and exploring. This benefit may no longer be applicable, as I was last there in September and October 2013, but it had been in place for multiple years leading up to our stay in the valley and very well may still be in effect. Those who rent a flat, hotel room, chalet, etc. and even those who stay in a campground in the Chamonix valley used to be provided with a card that allowed for unlimited free transportation on the public train and bus systems operating within the entire confines of the valley for the duration of the period of time of their rental. The mountainous terrain on the, generally, north and south sides of the valley is home to an extensive network of trails. This allows one to go for a hike heading up or down the valley and not need to retrace their steps or loop back to the start. Instead, one can hike as far as one desires then drop down to the valley and catch the bus or train back to one's accommodation. There are many types of lifts and a couple railways that can also transport one to high elevation trails, although those are not covered by the aforementioned benefit; however, one can purchase a multi-day or multi-lift pass that applies to that type of transportation.

The Office du Tourisme in Chamonix is an excellent resource, perhaps the best that I have visited in my ~ 15 weeks of travel in France. I think Montenvers is one of the more outstanding local destinations that deserves a visit if the weather is fine: outstanding views of the Mer de Glace and Le dru, visits to the ice caves and Glaciorium, and the option to take the train up and hike back down to town or vice-versa.

By the way, my wife and I have also backpacked the TMB independently, although a couple years earlier and we started a couple weeks later in the season than your father and stepmom. I enjoyed viewing/reading the account of their trip, as it brought back good memories and familiar sights. An added bonus was that the trip report rolled over to your father's adventure boating north on a section of the Intercoastal Waterway with his brother, which really brought back memories for me. When I was much younger I made the trip multiple times, usually from somewhere along the west coast of FL to New Jersey, New York, or New England as a hired crew mate aboard some very nice boats.

 

[James]

L'Impossible, a great Italian place has just burnt down this weekend.

No way! Damn. Never been, but I walked past it many times as I stayed up the road and usually kept walking instead of waiting for the bus at the Hospital.

Cham is more crowded in sumner, right?

Look, found a bad photo from Feb 2018-

@coskigirl , where are you staying?
Geib did a hiking tour in the mts and was in Cham for a couple days.

Last time I took “the” train back to Paris. I think it was three trains. I’ve also taken it to Martigny. Little did I know I didn’t have to schlep miles with a ski bag, back pack w/boots and a suitcase, going past L’Impossible to the main train station. There was a station like a quarter mile away.

Lyon 2019-

View from the fifth floor walkup. We didn’t notice this till after we booked the air bnb.

 

[Daniel]

No way! Damn. Never been, but I walked past it many times as I stayed up the road and usually kept walking instead of waiting for the bus at the Hospital.

Cham is more crowded in sumner, right?

Look, found a bad photo from Feb 2018-

View attachment 158901

@coskigirl , where are you staying?
Geib did a hiking tour in the mts and was in Cham for a couple days.

Last time I took “the” train back to Paris. I think it was three trains. I’ve also taken it to Martigny. Little did I know I didn’t have to schlep miles with a ski bag, back pack w/boots and a suitcase, going past L’Impossible to the main train station. There was a station like a quarter mile away.

Lyon 2019-
View attachment 158904

View attachment 158903
View from the fifth floor walkup. We didn’t notice this till after we booked the air bnb.

I've never been to Cham in the winter but I can state that it is very crowded in the summer, at least during the second week of August. It was then that my wife and I rolled into Cham during a six-month-long cycle tour of Western Europe and the central part of the city was packed with tourists. There were vast plots of grass-covered pastures on the outskirts of town that were chockablock full of what looked like thousands of vehicles, with shuttles ferrying visitors to and from the CBD. We were considering taking a break from holiday making on bikes in Cham but quickly decided to cycle east to Zermatt, where we spent an awesome week before carrying on.

After completing the TMB in late September on a different trip, we rented a flat in the Les Plans neighborhood of Cham for two weeks and, comparatively, almost had the city to ourselves.

 

[coskigirl]

@James here is a link to our chalet. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/379705..._impression_id=p3_1644382627_naIZdyzqYAjtQnOX

 

[James]

After completing the TMB

What is the TMB?

 

[coskigirl]

What is the TMB?

Tour of Mont Blanc.

 

[James]

Those who rent a flat, hotel room, chalet, etc. and even those who stay in a campground in the Chamonix valley used to be provided with a card that allowed for unlimited free transportation on the public train and bus systems operating within the entire confines of the valley for the duration of the period of time of their rental.

That was still true a few years ago lastI was there.

@James here is a link to our chalet. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3797054?adults=6&children=0&infants=0&location=Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France&check_in=2022-03-25&check_out=2022-03-27&federated_search_id=63e19d52-26e4-4755-8fe6-043cd6d9623c&source_impression_id=p3_1644382627_naIZdyzqYAjtQnOX

That looks a fair distance from the Cham center. How far is it?

Consider hiring a guide for hiking if you want to save yourself some time. Or do a lot of research. I second the tourism office in Cham, and the Guide Office not far away. I assume they do guides in summer. In winter it’s easy to join random groups for skiing or snowshoeing.

Courmayeur is just a half hour through the tunnel. They had guided groups to there in winter, maybe they do summer. It included drop off at lodging after.
(Note, there are other guide organizations too)

Company Des Guides Of Chamonix
+33 4 50 53 00 88

Company Des Guides Of Chamonix · 190 Pl. de l'Église, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France

★★★★☆ · Adventure sports

goo.gl

The other thing to consider is going up and hiking to one of the refuges. If you had more time you could even stay. But visiting one for lunch or dinner could be cool. Never been, but they’re in a spectacular setting, and some have special meal events. (I think that's the Cosmiques Hut up the Auguille du Midi.) Access from up there in September I don’t know. In winter you hike along a ridge with a fixed rope on one side. Not for those afraid of heights or squemish.

In doing research, I’d highly recommend at some point using google maps and then the street view on a tv, even from the phone. A lot of Cham (town) is covered in photos.

On your trip you basically have to go up the Auguille du Midi tram from town. It’s 9,200 ft up in two stages, the last with no intermediate towers. Completely nuts. Then you look down on the town like from an airplane.

If the lift is open in Brévent, this hut is an hour hike apparently-

16 Of The Best Mountain Huts in the Alps

From remote refuges to ultra-modern huts, from the Tour du Mont Blanc to the Vanoise, here are 16 must-see mountain huts in the Alps.

www.cicerone.co.uk

Chamonix really is all about the mountains above it and the glaciers. There’s everything up there from casual hiking to difficult rock climbing to mountaineering.

 

[coskigirl]

Thanks for the detail @James! I’ll look at links later (need to get ready for my graduation this morning!) but my dad and stepmom who are leading this trip did the hike around Mont Blanc a few years ago so they are all over the hiking part. We are also planning to hike out of Courmayuer.

 

[teejaywhy]

Anyone have any intel on the amount of snowpack this winter in the area? Normal, above normal, below normal??

 

[James]

It was poor when @SBrown was there in March I believe.

Hou can look at various webcams at different altitudes. Looks like snow is about 1900-1950m

Chamonix Webcams | live view on Mont-Blanc range

Experience the stunning landscapes of the Chamonix Valley in real-time through our webcams. Enjoy panoramic views of the mountains, ski slopes, downtown area, villages, and much more. Stay connected with the beauty of the Mont-Blanc massif no matter where you are.

en.chamonix.com

Here’s a guy on May 5 going up to the top of Mont Blanc from town. 3,700m vert.

 

[SBrown]

Anyone have any intel on the amount of snowpack this winter in the area? Normal, above normal, below normal??

Very dry. We started in early March and our guide said it looked much more like April. A week later, she said, nah, May.

 

[slow-line-fast]

Anyone have any intel on the amount of snowpack this winter in the area? Normal, above normal, below normal??

Not much.

Snow depth estimates (select by elevation)

METEO MONTAGNE ALPES DU NORD Enneigement par Météo-France - Prévisions Météo gratuites à 15 jours sur toutes les stations | Météo France | Météo France

METEO FRANCE - Retrouvez les prévisions METEO MONTAGNE ALPES DU NORD de Météo-France pour aujourd'hui, demain et jusqu'à 15 jours.

meteofrance.com

Avalanche bulletin breaks it down by north/south exposure

METEO MONTAGNE ALPES DU NORD Risques d'avalanche par Météo-France - Prévisions Météo gratuites à 15 jours sur toutes les stations | Météo France | Météo France

METEO FRANCE - Retrouvez les prévisions METEO MONTAGNE ALPES DU NORD de Météo-France pour aujourd'hui, demain et jusqu'à 15 jours.

meteofrance.com

 

[James]

This refers to a bunch of snow in April and May

VIDEO: Tof Henry Freerides The Aiguille du Midi North Face

Up until a few weeks ago, Chamonix, France had been having what locals were calling the worst winter in 20 years. Luckily, April and May delivered a series of...

www.tetongravity.com

 

[slow-line-fast]

^ What a great video. I like the few words - knocks a stone loose, ‘oh a stone!’ Raps running skis backward over rocks, no comment, it can’t hurt anything but the skis

Steep glacier slopes usually aren’t skiable until April-May snow comes, it’s warmer and sticks to the ice. Before or without that, it’s just ice

To the OP, sorry, you asked about summer hiking and we talk about snow and skiing… because skiing forum ;-)