Posted: 2/24/2016 4:22:57 PM EDT
| Headed there in June for an alpine clinic and looking for beta. |
|
Quoted:
Yes - It's beautiful. The skiing was great. It's expensive. Sweet. I can deal with expensive (mountaineering in general is damn expensive  ). Won't be skiing, but will be hiking and climbing all over the mountains out there.
There is actually a skiing class at this clinic, but I'm a snowboarder and a terrible one at that, so adding skiing into my repertoire doesn't sound like the smartest idea.
|
|
Quoted:
Cham is simply awesome. It's Disneyland for climbers. The comment about James Bond villains is spot on. The telepherique station at the top of Aiguille du Midi looks like something straight out of a Bond film. What are you looking to do? Going for 11 days. There's an Arc'teryx Alpine Academy for 4 of those days, so I am looking to fill the rest of those days with climbing of any kind. We might try for a summit on Blanc if weather cooperates, but that's a little early in the season anyways. Have passport, will travel to cool destinations nearby for great climbing. |
|
Quoted:
Sweet. I can deal with expensive (mountaineering in general is damn expensive ). Won't be skiing, but will be hiking and climbing all over the mountains out there.
There is actually a skiing class at this clinic, but I'm a snowboarder and a terrible one at that, so adding skiing into my repertoire doesn't sound like the smartest idea. Quoted:
Quoted:
Yes - It's beautiful. The skiing was great. It's expensive. Sweet. I can deal with expensive (mountaineering in general is damn expensive ). Won't be skiing, but will be hiking and climbing all over the mountains out there.
There is actually a skiing class at this clinic, but I'm a snowboarder and a terrible one at that, so adding skiing into my repertoire doesn't sound like the smartest idea. You are a high alpine mountaineer without skiing skills? WTF? Take up Telemarking. We use it to get into a lot of remote climbs. |
|
Quoted:
You are a high alpine mountaineer without skiing skills? WTF? Take up Telemarking. We use it to get into a lot of remote climbs. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Yes - It's beautiful. The skiing was great. It's expensive. Sweet. I can deal with expensive (mountaineering in general is damn expensive ). Won't be skiing, but will be hiking and climbing all over the mountains out there.
There is actually a skiing class at this clinic, but I'm a snowboarder and a terrible one at that, so adding skiing into my repertoire doesn't sound like the smartest idea. You are a high alpine mountaineer without skiing skills? WTF? Take up Telemarking. We use it to get into a lot of remote climbs. Not really big into skiing. I like climbing. I snowshoe in if snow is deep, but I am definitely slower than my friends who tele in. I should probably pick it up |
|
camptocamp.org is an awesome resource for routes. Many of their pages are mirrored in English, thereby removing ambiguous colloquialisms like "peu commode" - what exactly is an "easy hard" 5.10? French to English dictionaries don't help you with that when you are translating a guidebook word by word.
Rebuffat (200m 5.10-) and Goulotte Chere (WI3+) are great and easily accessible classics right off Col du Midi. The Chere is the more palatable solo, but hitchhiking in Cham is easy because double ropes are commonplace. The Chere is the prominent line splitting the North Face of Mont Blanc du Tacul ... 
I set out to solo the route, but met these two Swiss guides at the base of the route. Despite me speaking German, I really couldn't communicate with these guys at all. And because some bravado was in play to impress the American, Mr. Pink ran stuff out above and beyond what you'd normally care to do when tied to two other people. 
A tremendously cool link up would be Mont Blanc via the triple link up of Mont Blanc du Tacul (via Chere) - Mont Maudit - Mont Blanc. It would be a very long day, though. |
|
camptocamp.org puts Chere at WI4, and my notes say WI4-, so disregard that WI3+ that I said earlier, unless you are a fan of the historical use of "plus".
The reason I set out to solo the Chere is owing to Jon Krakauer's book Eiger Dreams. It's a collection of short stories that he had published in various magazines and such, and one of my favorite books. He has a chapter titled "Chamonix", and it's definitely worth reading. In fact, twenty years later, Krakauer's writing stood out more in my mind than my own memory of the route. Krakauer soloed the route, writing it off as a casual endeavor. I think Krakauer kind of sandbags the route - but if you look in my photo in the lower left, that's the crux section of the climb so it is what it is. |
|
Awesome info - thanks man!
I'm really stoked to get out there. I've never climbed outside the US before, so this should be a great experience. Plus, all my alpine travel skills are self-taught (thank god for Freedom of the Hills) so it'll be nice to get some actual instruction to either fix bad habits or learn more. Never stop learning. |
|
Another recommended route would be the Frendo Spur. It's something like IV/V 5.8 AI3, but mostly 5.5-5.6. It's a long route, nearly 3000 feet.
The telepherique to the Aiguille du Midi is two stages, and ascends nearly 9000 from the town of Chamonix to the du Midi station. To do Frendo, you exit at the interchange of the first and second trams. The climb finishes at the du Midi station, so if you can finish the climb in one day, you just take the telepherique back down. If you get to the station after dark, it's a long bivi at the station entrance until morning. There were two British brothers camping next to me at the Argentiere camp site, and they did the Frendo. They didn't know me, and passed on me joining their team, even though I mentioned a three person team is a good way to offload bivi and snow gear off the leader. I think it took them three days for the ascent and descent - missing the last tram on their second day. 
|
| For my honeymoon, my wife and I spent a week in London and a week in Geneva. While we were in Geneva, we took a bus to Chamonix for a day. We were there in late April, so the weather was starting to warm up. Out intent was to just do the tourist thing. We weren't there for any sporting purposes. We were unable to go to the peak because the lifts were closed due to "high wind". Our backup plan met a similar fate as the glacier train tour was closed due to "risk of avalanche". So we spent the whole day muddling about the town. It was still a stunningly beautiful place, but we were disappointed that we weren't able to really do anything while we were there.I think a few words were uttered about the lack of intestinal fortitude on the part of the French and how we probably would have been able to do both if it were Germans running the place. Sounds like you're going to have a blast and do some real sporting type activities. It is a spectacular place. The Alps are still on my bucket list since I didn't really get my Alpine fix satisfied on that trip. The Swiss Alps near Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen are definitely on my short list of places to visit. Wishing you a great trip, OP! |
|
From the "Learn French the Hard Way" files ...
Here is how one of the descents is [now] described ... Par les rappels de "Danse avec le pilier" Attention, les coincements de corde sont fréquents dans les premiers rappels, et un relai décalé sur le fil du pilier n'est pas facile à atteindre, le tout dans une voie d'une difficulté bien supérieure au Dièdre Candau : cette descente est déconseillée. Bing Translate: By reminders of "Dance with the pillar" Attention, rope jams are common in the first recall, and a relay on the wire of the pillar is not easy to achieve, all in a way of a far superior to the dihedral Candau fix: this descent is deprecated. Deprecated? Hell, I'm not even sure what that means in English. In the French/English dictionary I had with me on the climb, it translates to "advise against". Unfortunately, the above wording is in camptocamp.org, and not in my guidebook. Best I can figure "déconseillée" is best translated as "holy shit"! I did an adjacent climb, and my older guidebook made it look like this was the recommended descent. It was the scariest rappelling I've ever done. Having not climbed the route I was descending, I had no way of knowing if these overhanging raps into space were going to lead to the next belay or not. The belays were solidly bolted, but you never knew which side of the pillar they'd be on, and trying to get around a corner in a free hanging rappel isn't easy. Being alone only made it feel worse. So, be prepared for stuff to be lost in translation. |
|
Quoted:
From the "Learn French the Hard Way" files ... Here is how one of the descents is [now] described ... Best I can figure "déconseillée" is best translated as "holy shit"! I did an adjacent climb, and my older guidebook made it look like this was the recommended descent. It was the scariest rappelling I've ever done. Having not climbed the route I was descending, I had no way of knowing if these overhanging raps into space were going to lead to the next belay or not. The belays were solidly bolted, but you never knew which side of the pillar they'd be on, and trying to get around a corner in a free hanging rappel isn't easy. Being alone only made it feel worse. So, be prepared for stuff to be lost in translation. Quoted:
From the "Learn French the Hard Way" files ... Here is how one of the descents is [now] described ... Par les rappels de "Danse avec le pilier" Attention, les coincements de corde sont fréquents dans les premiers rappels, et un relai décalé sur le fil du pilier n'est pas facile à atteindre, le tout dans une voie d'une difficulté bien supérieure au Dièdre Candau : cette descente est déconseillée. Bing Translate: By reminders of "Dance with the pillar" Attention, rope jams are common in the first recall, and a relay on the wire of the pillar is not easy to achieve, all in a way of a far superior to the dihedral Candau fix: this descent is deprecated. Deprecated? Hell, I'm not even sure what that means in English. In the French/English dictionary I had with me on the climb, it translates to "advise against". Unfortunately, the above wording is in camptocamp.org, and not in my guidebook. Best I can figure "déconseillée" is best translated as "holy shit"! I did an adjacent climb, and my older guidebook made it look like this was the recommended descent. It was the scariest rappelling I've ever done. Having not climbed the route I was descending, I had no way of knowing if these overhanging raps into space were going to lead to the next belay or not. The belays were solidly bolted, but you never knew which side of the pillar they'd be on, and trying to get around a corner in a free hanging rappel isn't easy. Being alone only made it feel worse. So, be prepared for stuff to be lost in translation. Fuuuuck. Thanks for the beta btw. I've been digging around online all day, but it's always great to have someone with firsthand experience to talk to. 
|
|
Only hiked there a few years back, never climbed. My climbing days are probably done.
If you are flying into GVA, you can take a shuttle to Chamonix so you don't have to rent a car. I took ChamExpress; as I recall it wasn't too expensive (28 Euros each way) and they drop you off/pick you up at your hotel. I visited during the summer (May) so I don't have any advice for skiiing. Seeing Mont Blanc and the Glacier du Bossons is incredible. If you're climbing, you'll get a much better look at both than I did. I hiked up to the snowfield on the Mont Blanc side of the valley (underneath the Aguille de Blatiere) on the first day and up to a hotel with a lookout over the Glacier on the second. I cannot recall the name of the hotel overlooking the glacier but the view of the glacier was rather underwhelming as the glacier had receded quite a bit during the summer. If you can get on the glacier itself that would be really cool -- I have only taken one glacier travel/crevasse rescue course so did not attempt to cross. Chamonix is called the "death sport capital" of the French Alps and you'll see lots of guys dropping into the valley from parachutes. I also encountered quite a few mountain bikers on the trail. All very friendly. I recommend going to a grocery store to buy your lunch so you can take it up on the mountain with you. I stayed at Hotel Alpina, which is next door to a Casino (supermarket, not the gambling establishment). Chamonix is expensive so if you want to save money, that's one way to do it. Last, if you like beer there is a local brewery called Brasserie du Mont Blanc. I had their wheat beer along with dinner one day. It's nothing to write home about, but it's kinda nice to be sitting at a table outside a French cafe, sipping on a local beer and seeing the mountains in the background. Have fun, I loved my time in Chamonix. I'd love to go back, someday. |
|
That was from a descent in the Ecrins. The Ecrins lack the elevation and glaciation of Chamonix, but also lack the accessibility of Chamonix. The closest "town" was a café that may have rented a room or two upstairs, population 2 or 3.
Ecrins: Oisans "sauvage", and they're right. You've got to hike around and sweat and stuff, and when you get back down there are no bars - it's simply barbaric. Now, in Chamonix, you telepherique up, climb all day, telepherique down, walk around town and pick the bar of your choosing for dinner, stop by some of the kit shops - that's how you do it. The good part is your 4 day course with the Arcteryx folks. They know the deal. They'll square you away on the things to do during the rest of your stay. And, unless you are going to be doing any climbs off the Argentiere Glacier, don't stay in Argentiere. Yes, it's cheaper, but if you are going to hit the first telepherique of the morning in Cham, that means you have to walk from A to B C, because the normal trains between the two towns don't run early enough to catch that first tram up. Yes, it was cool walking past the Dru in twilight, but doing that fucking road march with two packs and double boots sucked. Don't be a fucking cheapskate. I was poor. I had no choice. |
|
I would also recommend the Midi-Plan Traverse (AD, 3-4hours). I didn't do this route, and regret not doing so. I didn't even know about the route, but I should have clued in because it's one of the classic vistas seen on postcards, and I saw several parties head off along the ridgeline.
The route offers spectacular exposure and photography. My guidebook was poorly organized (wall of text with no maps) and this route was buried in the back, sandwiched in between descriptions of longer, mixed routes I wasn't equipped for. These two post cards offer a good orientation to the range. Both postcards are taken from across the Chamonix Valley, looking towards the SE. The little spike of the telepherique station atop the Aiguille du Midi is visible in each photo, and serves as a good reference point. Not entirely obvious, but the Grandes Jorasses massif sits several miles back from the Dru and Chamonix Aiguilles complexes (Charmoz-Plan-Midi). Top postcard orientation (left to right): Aiguilles du Midi, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc 
|
| Check out Peak Experience in Chamonix and let them take you Paragliding. I suggest you go for one of the extreme Paragliding trips that takes you over the Mont Blanc Glacier. It is awesome. We flew above the clouds and looked down on Mont Blanc. Peak Experience is a small 2 man outfit. They are extreme alpine guys and are good to go. Google for their Facebook page.... |
| Probably goes without saying, but don't even set foot near the talus on the West Face of the Dru. It's now 2016, five years out from the last major rockfall, which was five years out from the major fall before that, which was five years out from ... and so forth. |
|
Quoted:
For my honeymoon, my wife and I spent a week in London and a week in Geneva. While we were in Geneva, we took a bus to Chamonix for a day. We were there in late April, so the weather was starting to warm up. Out intent was to just do the tourist thing. We weren't there for any sporting purposes. We were unable to go to the peak because the lifts were closed due to "high wind". Our backup plan met a similar fate as the glacier train tour was closed due to "risk of avalanche". So we spent the whole day muddling about the town. It was still a stunningly beautiful place, but we were disappointed that we weren't able to really do anything while we were there.I think a few words were uttered about the lack of intestinal fortitude on the part of the French and how we probably would have been able to do both if it were Germans running the place. Sounds like you're going to have a blast and do some real sporting type activities. It is a spectacular place. The Alps are still on my bucket list since I didn't really get my Alpine fix satisfied on that trip. The Swiss Alps near Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen are definitely on my short list of places to visit. Wishing you a great trip, OP! Awesome info - thanks! I'm hoping the wind isn't too much of an issue, but it's ever-present in the alpine environment, so I don't hold out much hope there.
|
|
Quoted:
Only hiked there a few years back, never climbed. My climbing days are probably done. If you are flying into GVA, you can take a shuttle to Chamonix so you don't have to rent a car. I took ChamExpress; as I recall it wasn't too expensive (28 Euros each way) and they drop you off/pick you up at your hotel. I visited during the summer (May) so I don't have any advice for skiiing. Seeing Mont Blanc and the Glacier du Bossons is incredible. If you're climbing, you'll get a much better look at both than I did. I hiked up to the snowfield on the Mont Blanc side of the valley (underneath the Aguille de Blatiere) on the first day and up to a hotel with a lookout over the Glacier on the second. I cannot recall the name of the hotel overlooking the glacier but the view of the glacier was rather underwhelming as the glacier had receded quite a bit during the summer. If you can get on the glacier itself that would be really cool -- I have only taken one glacier travel/crevasse rescue course so did not attempt to cross. Chamonix is called the "death sport capital" of the French Alps and you'll see lots of guys dropping into the valley from parachutes. I also encountered quite a few mountain bikers on the trail. All very friendly. I recommend going to a grocery store to buy your lunch so you can take it up on the mountain with you. I stayed at Hotel Alpina, which is next door to a Casino (supermarket, not the gambling establishment). Chamonix is expensive so if you want to save money, that's one way to do it. Last, if you like beer there is a local brewery called Brasserie du Mont Blanc. I had their wheat beer along with dinner one day. It's nothing to write home about, but it's kinda nice to be sitting at a table outside a French cafe, sipping on a local beer and seeing the mountains in the background. Have fun, I loved my time in Chamonix. I'd love to go back, someday. I do love beer, so that is a great tip. I also love saving money, so that's another good one. Any good info on good places to eat around town? One can't be cheap as shit all the time when traveling. 
|
|
Quoted:
That was from a descent in the Ecrins. The Ecrins lack the elevation and glaciation of Chamonix, but also lack the accessibility of Chamonix. The closest "town" was a café that may have rented a room or two upstairs, population 2 or 3. Ecrins: Oisans "sauvage", and they're right. You've got to hike around and sweat and stuff, and when you get back down there are no bars - it's simply barbaric. Now, in Chamonix, you telepherique up, climb all day, telepherique down, walk around town and pick the bar of your choosing for dinner, stop by some of the kit shops - that's how you do it. The good part is your 4 day course with the Arcteryx folks. They know the deal. They'll square you away on the things to do during the rest of your stay. And, unless you are going to be doing any climbs off the Argentiere Glacier, don't stay in Argentiere. Yes, it's cheaper, but if you are going to hit the first telepherique of the morning in Cham, that means you have to walk from A to B C, because the normal trains between the two towns don't run early enough to catch that first tram up. Yes, it was cool walking past the Dru in twilight, but doing that fucking road march with two packs and double boots sucked. Don't be a fucking cheapskate. I was poor. I had no choice. No bars? That is barbaric. Climbing and drinking go hand in hand - after the climbing, of course. We will be staying in Cham for sure. |
|
Quoted:
I would also recommend the Midi-Plan Traverse (AD, 3-4hours). I didn't do this route, and regret not doing so. I didn't even know about the route, but I should have clued in because it's one of the classic vistas seen on postcards, and I saw several parties head off along the ridgeline. The route offers spectacular exposure and photography. My guidebook was poorly organized (wall of text with no maps) and this route was buried in the back, sandwiched in between descriptions of longer, mixed routes I wasn't equipped for. These two post cards offer a good orientation to the range. Both postcards are taken from across the Chamonix Valley, looking towards the SE. The little spike of the telepherique station atop the Aiguille du Midi is visible in each photo, and serves as a good reference point. Not entirely obvious, but the Grandes Jorasses massif sits several miles back from the Dru and Chamonix Aiguilles complexes (Charmoz-Plan-Midi). Top postcard orientation (left to right): Aiguilles du Midi, Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z362/0471861731/Climbing%20Etc/Chamonix/Chamonix%20-%20Mt%20Blanc%20Postcards_zpsnvk9iwad.jpg That route sounds fantastic. I'm getting pretty fuckin' stoked to get out there, it's gonna be a long few months. |
|
Quoted:
Any good info on good places to eat around town? One can't be cheap as shit all the time when traveling. Sorry, been busy with work. I don't recall any places that I went to as being particularly standing out in my memory, except one place that I kept overhearing being named as a local meeting point for younger skiiers -- it was a place called the Poco Loco (yeah, I know -- weird name for a place in the French Alps). It was a burger joint so the food wasn't anything exotic but it was a very good value and decent food for your cash. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187261-d1331851-Reviews-Poco_Loco_Chamonix-Chamonix_Haute_Savoie_Rhone_Alpes.html If you don't want high cuisine and just want a solid burger at a decent price, I recommend it! Hope you have fun in Chamonix! Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |