Chamonix Mountain Adventures. Hilary Sharp

      

      CHAMONIX MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES

      by Hilary Sharp

      2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY

      www.cicerone.co.uk

      About the Author

      Hilary Sharp is British, a qualified Accompagnatrice en Montagne (International Mountain Leader) and is based permanently in the village of Vallorcine near Chamonix Mont Blanc in the French Alps. She runs her own trekking business, Trekking in the Alps, offering guided walks and hiker’s summits in winter (specialising in snowshoeing), spring and summer. Her love of walking and climbing has taken her to many parts of Europe and further afield.

      Hilary has been a contributor to several British walking magazines and hiking guides and is the author of Trekking and Climbing in the Western Alps published by New Holland in 2002 as well as several other alpine guides for Cicerone.

      For guided summer hikes and winter snowshoeing in the Alps, Corsica, Provence, Dolomites and beyond go to www.trekkinginthealps.com.

      Other Cicerone guides by the author

      Mont Blanc Walks

      Snowshoeing

      Tour of Monte Rosa

      Tour of the Matterhorn

      Trekking in the Alps (contributor)

      © Hilary Sharp 2012, reprinted (with updates) 2013

      ISBN 978 1 85284 663 3

      Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

      All photos are by Hilary Sharp or Jon de Montjoye unless otherwise stated.

      Dedication

      To my bike, garden, cat and husband, all much neglected in the frantic final stages.

      Advice to Readers

      While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. If we know of any, there will be an Updates tab on this book’s page on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.

      Warning

      Mountain walking can be a dangerous activity carrying a risk of personal injury or death. It should be undertaken only by those with a full understanding of the risks and with the training and experience to evaluate them. While every care and effort has been taken in the preparation of this guide, the user should be aware that conditions can be highly variable and can change quickly, materially affecting the seriousness of a mountain walk. Therefore, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law, neither Cicerone nor the author accept liability for damage of any nature (including damage to property, personal injury or death) arising directly or indirectly from the information in this book.

      To call out the Mountain Rescue, use the international emergency number 112: this will connect you via any available network. Once connected to the emergency operator, ask for the police.

      Acknowledgements

      Various people have helped with information and without them the whole process would have been a lot more complicated.

      I especially want to thank Roger and Mu Portch for their suggestions on good walks with dogs – based on many years of great walks with Bilbo, Sam, Frodo and Pippin. Roger was also an indispensable source of information on the Mer de Glace Adventure Walk and the via ferratas. Thanks also to Pete Marland and Pete Blythe who provided photos of their adventures with Roger. Patricia Loffi is my mountain bike consultant and checked several routes as well as suggesting others. Marc Volorio advised on mountain biking, and bouldering, providing some great photos of both. Fred Ancey also let me use some of his spectacular mountain shots and Roger Bassett his charming drawings in Appendix D. Lots of people have walked and climbed with me and hence feature in my photos. There are also a certain number of anonymous models who just happened to be there. I’m grateful to you all.

      Finally a huge thankyou to my husband Jon de Montjoye without whom the book would have no maps and a lot more mistakes.

      Front cover: Wonderful reflections of Mont Blanc at the small lake above the Lac de Brévent (Family Walks, Route 5)

      CONTENTS

       Location of walking and mountaineering routes

       Location of trail running, road biking and mountain biking routes

       Location of rock climbing, bouldering and via ferrata routes

       Chamonix town map

       Map key

       Introduction

       The region

       Glaciers

       Flowers and animals

       How it all started

       Mountain adventures

       Other activities

       When to go

       Getting there and getting around

       Accommodation