"Climbing, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Skiing" Top 5 Page for this destination Chamonix-Mont-Blanc by firechick
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Travel Guide: 363 reviews and 659 photos
As this is my home town, I will try every season to put some recent updates on this page.
In addition to the detailed tips here on VT, there is a page of links I maintain for another web page, and it has some ways to find even more great information on Chamonix and the surrounding alpine region including the border sections of Italy and Switzerland.
Winter 2008/2009
An amazing winter with tons of snow - 2nd good winter in a row following a warm one and a few cold but lacking in snow. Skiers have been well treated in Chamonix the past 2 seasons. For current Chamonix weather, the best site is: Chamonix Meteo.
Get real time listings of lifts in town from the Compagnie du Mont Blanc website for most of the valley's hiking access, and also from the Les Houches website. which a lot of people use for mountain biking, as the hills there are not as extreme as in Chamonix. New mountain biking trails have also been put in at Vallorcine and that lift now runs in summer season to accommodate the bikers.
Argentiere is just up the valley from Chamonix (10 min) and is part of the same commune. The town is much smaller, but has in my opinion a more beautiful old section. It is at a higher altitude than Chamonix (by about 600 ft) and so gets more snowy in the winter.
Skiing in winter at the Grandes Montets is just amazing and this ski area is almost too well known for 'extreme' skiing and off-piste. In fact, it gets tracked out quite fast in high season!
In summer, hiking up to the Argentiere Glacier is a very cool thing to do (you can also hike on it and ice climb on parts of it in winter). You can also quite easily hike from Argentiere to the Swiss border.
By hiking up the trail at the right side of it, you can get good (and safe) views of this glacier, and see the enormous crevasses that could swallow a house...... If you sit and watch it for awhile, you can sometimes hear the glacier moving with large 'cracking' sounds or even get lucky enough to see a large chunk of glacier fall from the big seracs near the end where it spills over a steep edge, down towards the valley. A very impressive glacier!
I have included Argentiere activities in these pages, rather than create a separate page for this town.
Other nearby towns also in the commune of Chamonix are (from down valley to up valley) Les Bossons, Le Mont, Les Pelerins, Les Praz de Chamonix, Les Tines, Argentiere, Le Tour & Vallorcine (which is the last town before the Swiss border). Anything in the Chamonix commune will be covered on the Chamonix page and the commune of Les Houches, which is just next to Les Bossons (ie 'down valley') is also included.
What else is there to say?
- Pros:Mountains mountains mountains
- Cons:Unpredictable weather, crowded in town in 'high season'
- In a nutshell:Wouldn't want to live anywhere else
Reviews (63)
Lists of refuges with opening and...
Hotels
(4)
It is becoming a real problem with certain routes such as climbing Mont Blanc and the Tour du Mont Blanc that huts are... more travel advice
Transport Options in the Valley
Transportation
(5)
See my other tip for getting 'to' Chamonix from the Geneva airport. Once in town be sure to get a 'Carte d'Hôte' from... more travel advice
Tour du Mont Blanc
Things to Do
(3)
Multi-day hiking adventures on the famous Tour du Mont Blanc trail can start from Chamonix or nearby Les Houches. This... more travel advice
Tour du Mont Blanc
Sports & Outdoors
(9)
The Tour of Mont Blanc is a classic and famous walk that brings you through three countries and circumnavigates Mont... more travel advice
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- Replied to Leovero's Travel Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Forum Forum Question "Cost of rental in winter"
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Backpacking
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Skiing and BoardingLatest Chamonix-Mont-Blanc hotel reviews
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Comments (41)
Your guide to Chamonix is great. So rich of useful information and beautiful pictures!
Great pages and excellent photos!
Great page!! I'll be there in less than 2 weeks ;-))) From your tips, looks like The Caleche may be our best bet to cater for a group of 12-14 looking for traditional cuisine! Pls let me know if you have other suggestions...thx!
A very good page with excellent advices! Good job!
Great tips & excellent photos! I used to live in the mountains here but your town looks beautiful too (& I'll bet the food is better). Good "voice" advice also. Thanks for stopping by & for sharing.
Nice photos and pages - have to go back later and have more of a look at this - Greetings from John and Gail in NJ (USA)
Another year goes by - wow! 2 1/2 lunches I could get used too. I start feeling guilty after 30 minutes but I could adjust. I thought we had all the glaciers?Birthday greetings from Alaska!
Enjoyed your local customs immensely and we also found the French to be very polite and especially friendly (except in Paris).....
Fabulous tips for a beautiful area! Thank you!
An incredible page and travelogues Genyphyr, you have so much interesting information here. I will visit Chamonix soon (when I get a chance). Thanks Stace :o)
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