A Promising Start

Early November and there's already a hope that the Grand Montets will be open for skiing very soon. As the image from the lifts web cam clearly shows there's been a fair bit of fresh snow, and the snow canons have been running to add to it.

Web cam image at Lognan, Grand Montets

Not quite there yet as the decision appears to have been taken that the lifts won't be opening this weekend. But fingers crossed the season will get under way from Mid November. Can't wait!

Hot rock

Nearly time to head back to the West Highlands. But not because we want to you understand. I mean, why would we. The weather has been has been excellent if a little colder than expected, Its even warmed up these last few days. And every day we’ve been out and about doing something or other active.


We’ve sneaked in a few climbing sessions. Though Jodie is a regular visitor to the Ice Factor in Kinlochleven, she’s had virtually no experience of climbing on real rock. No better place to start than on the bolted routes at Les Gaillands just outside Chamonix.

Sam too has shown that he’s not shy when it comes to rock climbing. Yesterday afternoon we paid a visit to the climbing area by the lake at Les Houches. Despite being a bit higher and steeper than our previous attempts, both Sam and Jodie reached the top without much trouble.


And so we’re now in the routine of plenty of fresh air and outdoor fun. Not looking forward to the clocks going back and the short dark days of a Scottish winter!

Slap Shot

Chamonix 4 St Gervais 1. Go Les chamois!

Le Lac Vert

With temperatures still struggling to get much above freezing unless in the direct sun and with a forecast for totally cloudless skies it made sense to seek out the sun today.

The walk up to the Lac Vert, high above the sunny village of Servoz gets a good write up. Walking from the village itself looked like a bit more of a challenge for little legs and so we drove up through Le Mont and La Côte, finding a surprisingly large and flat parking area at the end of the road, on an otherwise vertiginous hillside.

Through the trees the air was still very chill but there were enough glimpses of the sun to keep it fairly pleasant. The climb up the wide track was fairly steep but not too long. High above the craggy peaks of Rochers des Fiz looked magnificent in the early afternoon sun.


I’m guessing that judging by the size of the adjacent car park and restaurant, you don’t often get the Lac Vert to yourself. But today we lucked out and had exactly that. Finding a sunny spot on the far bank we broke out the picnic for a very leisurely lunch while soaking up a few rays and taking in the views across the lake and above the trees to the summit of Mont Blanc.


There’s another path that circumnavigates the lake, just slightly higher up, from which the views are once more quite something. With a full vista from the Aiguillette des Houches with the Aiguille du Midi behind, across the various high summits of Mont Blanc to the Bionnassay Glacier and then over to Mont Joly its quite a spot.

Another cracking day out in the Chamonix valley!

Heaven is ...

... a late afternoon run up above the apartment, along the path towards the Aiguillette d’Argentiere and then down towards Tres-Les-Champs. At or very near freezing, silver birch with golden leaves, amazing views across the upper end of the Chamonix valley and a fresh dusting of snow on the path.

Oh yes..!

Pierre a Bosson

Another big blue-sky day and another great walk amidst the autumn scenery. Cold mornings mean late starts, which seems to be fine with everyone at the moment. Plenty of time to let the sun climb over the Grand Montets and start warming the depths of the valley in Argentière.


After much deliberation, more coffee, another pastry, and several glances out of the window we opted for a route we’d put off in the summer as being too steep in hot weather for little legs. Quite the contrary now; a little bit of effort uphill should work up a good head of steam. So off we set, baguette, jam and flask of hot chocolate plus a few extra layers of fleece, with the Pierre a Bosson in mind. Named after a rock that doesn’t seem to be there, the Pierre is a viewpoint high above the village of Argentière at a little over 1600m, with a view over the snout of the Argentière Glacier.


To make the walk a little easier, and a little more interesting as it turned out, we parked up at the station at Montroc (no trains running this fortnight!) and cut back across towards the Petit Balcon Nord above Le Planet. Though late to catch the sun and therefore still pretty frosty, the views through the trees across the Aiguille Rouge were stunning.


A handy picnic bench in a sheltered and sunny spot under an old pine was the perfect place to break out the late lunch. After that the broad path traverses the hillside through the trees before finally breaking out into scrub and the final climb to the viewpoint.


And what a viewpoint! Not especially high. Not especially difficult to get to. But sat in the autumn sun with a view looking over the Argentiere glacier was quite special. The Aiguille du Chardonnet made an appearance through wispy cloud, as did the Aiguille Verte, and further round the hazy Chamonix valley and the Aiguilles Rouge just added to it all to make a complete 180 degree vista. And not a soul around.

Only 1 more thing to do – beat a hasty retreat to L’Office in Argentiere before the sun got too low in the sky!

Good to be back

Great to be back in Argentiere again. There’s something quite magical about this time of year. Its much colder than I expected for mid October, but that just sharpens it all up a little. A crisp morning frost and clear intensely blue skies above, the smell of wood smoke wafting gently down the valley and the autumn colours beginning to come into their own.


And yet Argentiere is all but a ghost town. Back home in Glencoe the weather isn’t usually quite so kind, though the colours are a little more intense. But with Octoberfest about to get underway, and the glen busy with visitors, the contrast couldn’t be greater.


Still, we’re not complaining. Great to be out and out exploring again. And guess what we found in the woods!

Trail des Aiguilles Rouges

For most folk, the measure of a good holiday is how much time you've spent lying in the sun, favourite drink in hand, and how many pages of that book you've got through. For our most recent guests in the apartment however, a great holiday seems to be measured in terms of distance run!

Finishing the Trail des Aiguilles Rouge

Tom's a regular face at the Lochaber Athletics Club Winter League races and the season kicks off in just a few weeks time. So no better time to head off for 3 weeks of trail running in the Chamonix valley, based at the apartment in Argentiere.

Highlights of the stay include a 'run' up Mont Buet which Tom described as a 'good long run from the apartment'. Looks like it should be a 2 day expedition to me.

And also completing the Trail des Aiguilles Rouge, a 51km run starting in Vallorcine, climbing up into the Aiguilles Rouge and then eventually descending to Servoz. And if that wasn't bad enough, there's another little leg over to the finish in Les Houches. 3300m of uphill. And a 5am start. Ouch!

I'm expecting to finish some distance behind Tom in the Winter League races start in November!

Aqua Parc

With the busy summer months over thoughts are naturally beginning to turn to the next winter ski season in the Chamonix valley. The first of the bookings for the apartment in Argentiere are already in and this week I'll be turning my attention to ensuring that the web site is in winter mode.


But the season isn't quite over yet. We'll be back in Argentiere in October to catch the autumn colours and some late sun season sunshine. And when asking the kids what they'd like to do when they get there, the answer that keeps coming back is 'go to the Aqua Parc'.

It takes about one and a quarter hours to drive over the Col des Montets and head down into Switzerland. There's a quick dash down the motorway from Martigny, past the UCI headquarters, and you'll find the Aqua Parc on the shores of Lake Leman (Geneva).

Not exactly a cheap day out, but the various flumes and water slides kept us busy for the entire day on last visit and so we actually got excellent value for money on the entry fee. The shame of it is coming back to Scotland and 5 / 7 year olds not being allowed down the tiny slide at the local pool unsupervised. Its a far cry from the long black tubes at the Aqua Parc!

Cafe Lavancher

You can't beat a good coffee shop walk. There's nothing like a bit of fresh air and some gentle exercise to work up an appetite for a bit of coffee and cake, or perhaps an ice cream.

When I've been out running on the local trails I couldn't help but notice that a few little signs and posters had appeared, advertising a new cafe in Le Lavancher. Now, I have a bit of a soft spot for this little corner of the valley. Along with Montroc a little further up the valley, its elevated above the road and away from the hustle and bustle. As soon as you arrive there's a feeling of peace and calm that you can't get when you're closer to the main drag. Add to that some cockerels disturbing that peace, a few prayer flags flapping in the breeze and the wafting smell of wood smoke and you've got yourself a cracking little hamlet.

So, from the apartment its a short hop across to the Petit Balcon behind the Grand Montets telepherique station, and then a really nice walk down valley to Le Lavancher. Just long enough to get going and give the kids some exercise.

Cafe Lavancher can be found near the top of the village and provides breakfast, lunch and evening meal, plus those all important light snacks for habitual coffee shoppers such as ourselves. Free Wi-Fi and a very pleasant outdoor seating area also come as part of the service.

As does a skateboard. Just for if you get bored when you've podged yourself on ice cream!

Give them a call if you want to book dinner. Tel 04 50 90 83 36

If you want to avoid the (slightly) uphill walk back to Argentiere, then perhaps its worth taking a train timetable with you and heading down the path opposite the restaurant to catch a train from Les Tines. Perfect!

Jungle Gym

In the same way that when kids watch the pre Christmas TV ads and perpetually say "I want one", a similar cry may be heard when we see a brochure or an ad for one of those Jungle Gym/Treetop adventure thingies; "Can we go?"


We've had a go on a few now. But not in the UK. The kids aren't old enough, nor will they be for some time. And the quality of the French variety does vary a bit from mediocre to brilliant, though wee Sam inevitably ends up on the little one when he really wants to go bigger and higher.


And then we tried the one at Talloires, above Lake Annecy. Wow! It did say 3 to 5m above the deck come to think of it. Unlike most of the others we've been on, the 'smaller' course runs on one continuous cable, so there's no need to clip and unclip. This makes it much safer, and perhaps as a result they can push the boundaries a bit further.

The photos do the talking much better than I can, so have a look at the album on this link to my Facebook pages.

Admittedly, its a bit far for a day trip from the apartment in Argentiere but for aficienados of the Jungle Gym, perhaps it'll be worth the effort!

Horses, goats and Lake Annecy

I suppose most folk think we head out to the Alps and walk up mountains, go biking and visit glaciers all the time. Well, sometimes we do. But sometimes you've just got to give in to the requests for slightly less adventurous past times.

Spent last week at Lake Annecy. Mostly hot and sunny. Loads to do. Not least of which was stay on the site and jump in the fantastic swimming pool and chase Sam down the water slide. Being unsupervised, anything goes, including 5 year olds on big slides. Try doing that in Fort William while the scowling attendants blow their whistles at you!

Anyway, there's also an animal park and 'Balade a Poney' just by the southern end of the lake. And it was a big hit. Meet Rocky and Flocky. Ridden by Calamity Jane and John Wayne. And they also have Hairy Coos from the Heilans!

Ahhh... Happy Holidays!

Excuse my French

But does anyone know what this sign means!?

World politics eh? Can't escape it, wherever you go. Even down at the local animal park!

Glacier des Bossons

Sitting on the balcony at the apartment in Argentière and looking down the valley the view of the Mont Blanc massif, with the Chamonix Aiguilles all lined up, is pretty sweet. The view of the Glencoe mountains from my house back in the Highlands is something special, but I reckon that this one probably beats it.

View from the balcony - 8am this morning!

But keep studying the view carefully, and its not long before you realise that one of the fascinations with it is a great bit tongue of ice, apparently spewing down onto the valley floor itself. You probably noticed it on your drive into the Chamonix Valley too; the Glacier des Bossons.

Taking 5 beneath the snout.

Reading up on it, the glacier is a popular place to go and get closer to the ice, with a viewing point serviced by a chair lift near to the snout. It also seems that it may well have the record for biggest vertcial fall on a glacier, coming down from the summit of Mont Blanc to try and touch the valley floor. And because of the sheer drop and its gradient (45 degrees on average) its also possibly one of the fastest moving at 200 – 250m in a year.

Ice creams are compulsory!

And to give an example of what this actually means in practice, crash an aircraft near the top and you’ll have to wait about 37 years for chewed up bits of it to be spat out at the bottom! At least, that’s how long it took for bits of the Malabar Princess to appear after crashing in 1950.

We parked up at the landing area of the former Olympic Ski Jump in Les Bossons. Actually felt quite ill just looking up at it. A cool walk up through the woods wound its way nearly 400m up to the café and viewpoint, though not before taking a little side trip into the valley beneath the snout.

The top of the Aiguille du Midi from the cafe - spot the cable car!

Sam & Jodie again faired well on the walk, taking it all in their stride, so to speak. When I tried to explain that when I was doing my O level geography all about glaciers I had to have a pretty good imagination, whilst they’re already old hands at glacier spotting, the point seemed to get lost. Ice creams seemed more interesting…

Bikes, walks and adventure parks

The pace of the last couple of days has been decidedly slow. In typically British fashion I’ve got to add that the weather hasn’t exactly been driving us along. Very cool in comparison to expectations, and at times a bit wet too. Evenings by the fire were not what I had in mind for July!
To celebrate Sam’s 5th birthday on Monday, we jumped on the bikes and headed down to Chamonix. Using the riverside track, we kept away from the traffic and made it all the way to Place du Mont Blanc before locking the bikes up at the station. A great ride down and the kids loved it.On then to the adventure park over by the Montenvers train, with the main objective of a few blasts down the summer luge. However, there was a slight cock up in the plan as 1. The park now charges an entry fee for the day and 2. The summer luge was shut.

Last year we were able to buy a few tokens and it felt like good value entertainment as the kids ‘paid as they played’. At 40 Euros for a family ticket, it felt like an expensive birthday treat. And that’s discounted from the 52 Euros we would have paid if the luge had been operating.

Another slight annoyance is the fact that they charge by height – under 1m tall in for free (Sam exceeds this quite considerably), but the activities are restricted by age – several being for 7 and over. How fair is that?


Regardless, we spent a couple of hours there having a go at most things, including the Mini Foret jungle gym up at the top of the brand new Planards chairlift. Sam went home happy having had a bike ride and a couple of hours at the park.

I got ticked off by the guard on the train for bring the kids bikes on. Only 5 bikes on any train and we’re a family of 4. That doesn’t leave much room to rely on the service – and a great service it is too. At least with the car, the worst case scenario is that having biked down the valley I get the train back while the others grab an ice cream and wait while I drive down to collect them. But that kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it?! At least, now that I've paid my taxes and got my residence cards sorted, the train is free.

Leaving Montroc

On the Aiguille Rouge National Park Nature Trail

With a promise of drier weather following in behind the overnight rain we decided to get out for a proper walk today. Of the many options available, and with still the odd shower about, plenty of low cloud and a chilly wind, a valley walk over to Vallorcine seemed the best option.

Someone got a new camera for Christmas!

Hameau Les Montets

Having timed our sandwich making just right, we jumped on the train up to Montroc and then picked up the path over to the Col des Montets and the Chemin des Diligences. I had thought that this might be a fairly dull walk, following the road through familiar territory. However, I have to say that it was really good, being just the right distance for Sam & Jodie, and with plenty to look at and take in along the way. Thoroughly recommended for an easy low level walk into the quieter reaches of the Chamonix valley.

Bugs & Butterflies

Not exactly the longest of walks today but back at last on the Chamonix valley paths. Leaving the car up at the Aiguille Rouge National Park visitor centre, we explored the first half of the nature trail, then broke off downhill in the direction of Tre-Le-Champ. There’s something about the old farm buildings tucked away in this little corner of the upper part of the valley that has that really special feel about it.

Instead of continuing on down we cut across the main road and took the path that traverses the hillside above Argentiere. There’s no significant climbing; ideal for tired children (and parents) after 2 days spent in a car travelling the 1200 miles from the Highlands.

Wild strawberries, crickets, various butterflies and plenty of flowers kept the pace fairly gentle, before we found a good rock with views across to the Argentiere Glacier to stop and break out the baguettes.

Soon after lunch the path met the Flegere bound trail coming up out of Argentiere. We cut back down this and 20 minutes later were in the pool. So, not the longest of walks, but quite sufficient to ease us back in and with plenty of interest too.


And the car? Well, nothing that a quick run back up towards the Aiguillette D’Argentiere and some good Ben Nevis Race training couldn’t take care of!

2010 Ski Season

If you're anything like me then your thoughts will be firmly focussed on the coming summer season. With some warmth in the sunshine, long daylight hours, hills to be run, trails to be biked, there's little time for thinking about when I'll be skiing in 2010.

Already dreaming of 2010

However, with flight schedules for Easyjet and others now available perhaps its worth taking a few moments to secure the dates of your choice for the next winter season?

Prices and availability for our apartment in Argentiere are now available on our web site. There's good availability just now but we are receiving enquiries and some weeks are now committed.

Right, back to the biking...

Chamonix Swimming Pool

Popped down to the swimming pool in Chamonix the other day. A nice break from 2 full weeks of skiing. And what a pleasure it was!

Coming up for air

Every week back home I try and get a half mile, maybe even a full mile, in at the pool in Fort William. But its a drag. Its an 18 mile drive to the leisure centre in Fort William and as there's only lane swimming available in the morning session, it inevitably means a crack of dawn start. But its good to get the day going.

So whilst at the pool with Sam & Jodie I popped into the big pool to try and sneak in a few lengths. First thing you notice is that the water's nice and cool - at 27 degrees, its 3 degrees cooler than the leisure pool. Next is the clarity of the water. With the sunlight coming down through the glass dome above, there's perfect end to end vision.

And then there's the view. Coming up for air on the outward leg, the view through the window is of the Dru. And coming up at the turn is a huge vista of the Aiguille Du Midi and Mont Blanc through the glass wall. How cool is that! Stunning! A far cry from the dark winter mornings back in Fort William!

If only I lived in Chamonix I'd swim like a fish...!

Late Season Deals

Its been an incredible season for our self catering apartment in Argentiere, in the Chamonix Valley. Although only our second winter of operation, the apartment and the StayInChamonix brand has become well established. The apartment has been fully booked from mid December, right through into mid April.

Catch some spring sunshine on the mountain and chill out

But its not over yet. There's still stacks of snow and the skiing looks like being excellent right the way through to the end of the ski season in early May. Prices are much lower in April so now's a good time to book a late season ski holiday in Argentiere. Check the web site for availability.

The family will be returning for some Easter skiing very soon - really looking forward to getting back out again. and then it'll be time to turn attentions to the summer and perhaps some downhill action of the 2 wheeled variety.

Mountain Biking on the TMB, beneath Mt Dolent

More information about mountain biking (VTT) in the Chamonix Valley can be found on our web site.