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Chamonix Mountain Adventures. Hilary Sharp
Читать онлайн.Название Chamonix Mountain Adventures
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781849656320
Автор произведения Hilary Sharp
Жанр Спорт, фитнес
Издательство Ingram
Walks up to mountain huts will appeal to those who fancy a night far from the madness of town, where you can watch the sun set while enjoying true mountain hospitality. Meanwhile, those who like their adventure sprinkled with a frisson of verticality will savour the two via ferratas that are not too far from Chamonix to be feasible in a day.
Finally, other activities are noted and there is a full list of guidebooks for each activity where these exist, in addition to information on resources and valley facilities.
This is a book designed to inspire, to motivate and to inform but it doesn’t stand alone: for the walks you’ll require a proper map; for climbing, via ferrata and for glacier travel you’ll need appropriate experience and equipment, topos and maybe even a Mountain Guide.
This is your starting point – the rest of your adventure is up to you!
The region
Chamonix is in the Haute Savoie region of France and is situated about an hour’s drive from Geneva airport. The valley runs south-west to north-east, with the Vallorcine valley continuing to the Swiss frontier. However, although known as ‘Chamonix Mont Blanc’, the actual summit of that mountain falls squarely within the territory of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, which is a source of contention between the two towns and means that Saint-Gervais can claim the distinction of being the highest municipality in western Europe.
Sunset on the Chamonix Aiguilles
Chamonix is at an altitude of 1050m and the valley in which it lies is formed by the Mont Blanc massif to the east and the Aiguilles Rouges to the west. Originally gouged out by the huge forces of the glaciers, the continuing slow erosion of the valley is now just due to the Arve, the main river.
The Mont Blanc massif itself straddles the frontiers of France, Italy and Switzerland, and travel from Chamonix into Italy and Switzerland is very easy. It is said that Chamonix is the third most visited natural site in the world and certainly on a busy day in high season you could easily believe that all the world is strolling down Chamonix main street!
It’s important to get a fix on the two sides of the valley as they provide very different terrain for mountain adventures. Generally, people refer to the north-facing (Mont Blanc massif) and south-facing (Aiguilles Rouges) sides of the valley, although really they are more north-west and south-east facing. The important thing is that the glaciers have to all intents and purposes died away on the north side (Aiguilles Rouges) so this is where you can hike, bike and climb in non-glaciated terrain, while the south side forms the slopes of the massif and that’s where you go for snow and ice.
Glaciers
The Mer de Glace may be shrinking but the scenery is nonetheless fabulous. Near the Lacs Noirs (Classic Walks, Route 5)
Chamonix is dominated by its glaciers and glaciated peaks and they will form the backdrop for almost any hike, ride or climb in the region. The valleys have been carved by ice and what remains of these huge frozen rivers is what many people now come to see.
Chamonix has about 40 glaciers – it’s said that from La Flégère cable car top station you can see 14 of them all at once. There are two very striking ones, the Bossons Glacier and the Mer de Glace Glacier. These are each quite different, the Bossons Glacier being very steep and moving at around 250m a year, while the Mer de Glace is relatively flat for much of its length and moves at a leisurely 50m a year. But what they and all other glaciers in the region have in common is that they are very much smaller and shorter than they were 150 years ago.
Previously the glaciers snaked all the way down to the main Chamonix valley, and 15,000 years ago ice filled the Chamonix valley and onwards all the way to Lyon. The glaciers have been retreating, with small exceptions, for the last 150 years. While this is not the first time that the temperatures have warmed up, it’s certainly the fastest change known about and threatens to have consequences far more wide-ranging than just shortening the ski season.
Nevertheless, the glaciated scenery still adds immensely to any mountain adventures in the Chamonix region. The glaciers look their best after a light dusting of snow, giving them a fresh coat of paint. On sunny days the ice picks up the rays and throws them back, glinting and sparkling; on cloudy days the glaciers reflect the grey. So pick your activities carefully – save those especially picturesque hikes, climbs and rides for a perfect day.
Flowers and animals
Whether you’re hiking, climbing, running or biking, there’s lots to see in the Alps. Throughout the summer there will be flowers to spot, from abundant valley flowers in the meadows early in the season, to tiny alpine rarities at high altitude as the season progresses.
Some easy ones to identify are:
Alpenrose A rhododendron bush present from the valley floor up to about 2500m. The pink alpenrose flowers carpet the slopes throughout July.
Alpenrose
Trumpet gentians These are the first gentians to appear and are bright blue and trumpet shaped.
Alpine gentians Tiny blue stars above about 2000m.
Edelweiss Usually found on limestone terrain so they are few and far between in the Chamonix valley but could well be spotted in the limestone foothills, and in people’s gardens.
Houseleek Commonly grows on rocks or house roofs. This succulent plant can grow in very little earth and is to be found low down in the valleys in early summer, where it grows quite tall (around 30cm is not unusual). A different variant is also found way up, on the highest slopes, around 2500–3000m and is tiny with striking deep pink flowers.
Martagon lily You might spot one of these exotic pink flowers during July, usually around 1200–1800m, often among vegetation. They are protected and very special.
Martagon Lily
The forest is also interesting. The main trees in the Chamonix forests are:
Larch Providing the best wood for building, this tree has enough resin in its trunk to not need any treatment when used for construction. All the old reddish-coloured wooden chalets in the valley are made from larch. It’s also used for ship’s masts as it grows tall and straight. This deciduous conifer loses its needles in winter, which means it turns a nice golden tinge in the autumn giving some colour to the slopes.
Larch
Spruce These are the classic Christmas trees, green all year round. Most Chamonix forest largely consists of larch and spruce.
Silver birch These light grey trees are common at valley level. They are often bent over from the winter snow but are generally supple enough to bear it.
Arolla pine Often seen at the upper edge of the treeline, these long needled pines have very heavy seeds, much favoured by birds, which tend to store them in rocky crevices where the seeds then set roots. Very slow to grow, these sturdy trees can reach several hundred years old.
Alder More of a bush than a tree, the alder is often found on forested hillsides, where there are gullies bare of any other trees. These are slopes that avalanche routinely in the winter and the alder is the only tree that likes such wet and mobile conditions.
There are also lots of wild animals and birds inhabiting the valley and slopes. A quiet approach is more likely to give you a sighting, but sometimes the animal