Chamonix Mountain Adventures
Summer routes for a multi-activity holiday in the shadow of Mont Blanc
Chamonix Mountain Adventures
Summer routes for a multi-activity holiday in the shadow of Mont Blanc
A guidebook to mountain activities in and near Chamonix in the French Alps. Walking, trekking, mountaineering including Cosmiques Arete and Mont Blanc, mountain biking, road cycling, via ferratas, rock climbing and bouldering routes, with clear advice for novices, and suggested levels of expertise required. Ideal for multi-activity holidays.Discover the full range of summer adventures available in one of the world's great mountain destinations, from easy family walks and hut-to-hut treks in the shadow of Mont Blanc to alpine mountaineering on the Cosmiques Arête, via ferratas, rock climbing, bouldering, mountain biking, and road cycling. With something for every level of ability and ambition, Chamonix offers an unrivalled variety of mountain activities within one of the most spectacular alpine settings in Europe.
Suitable for families, groups of friends, and experienced mountaineers alike, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook brings together over 80 routes and activities across eight disciplines in and around the Chamonix valley. Routes range from easy lakeside strolls accessible to all the family to moderate rock climbs and glacier routes requiring technical skills or a professional guide.
- Choose from over 80 routes and activities across walking, alpine mountaineering, mountain biking, road cycling, via ferratas, rock climbing, bouldering, and trail running, covering the full Chamonix valley from Les Houches and Les Contamines in the west to Vallorcine and the Col des Montets in the east.
- Tackle alpine mountaineering routes including the Cosmiques Arête, the Aiguille du Tour, the Petite Aiguille Verte, and the classic Normal Route on Mont Blanc itself, with clear guidance on the technical skills and experience required for each ascent.
- Explore the Chamonix valley on two wheels with 10 mountain biking routes, including the Petit Balcon Nord and the Vallorcine to Martigny descent, and 4 road cycling routes, including the Col des Montets and the descent of the Col de la Forclaz.
- Discover the area's best rock climbing at crags including Les Gaillands, the Index, and the Aiguillette d'Argentière, alongside 5 bouldering areas and 4 via ferratas, including the dramatic route at Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval.
- Walk to mountain huts including the Refuge du Lac Blanc, Refuge Albert Premier, and Refuge de Tré-la-Tête, with classic walks taking in the Mer de Glace, the Aiguilles Rouges, and Lac Blanc, and family-friendly routes including the dinosaur tracks and the Bérard valley.
- Plan your Chamonix summer adventure with comprehensive practical information on getting there and around, accommodation, when to go, health and safety, glacier travel techniques, and the lift systems that open up the high mountain terrain from mid-June to mid-September.
Experience the full range of adventures Chamonix has to offer with confidence using this trusted Cicerone guidebook. Whether you are a first-time visitor or a seasoned alpine regular, this is the essential companion for a multi-activity summer holiday in the shadow of Mont Blanc.
Chamonix Mountain Adventures – Quick Facts
Location: France – Chamonix Mont Blanc valley, French Alps
Activities covered: Walking (classic, family, hut and adventure walks), alpine mountaineering, mountain biking, road cycling, rock climbing, bouldering, via ferratas, trail running
Routes covered: 80+ routes and activities across 8 disciplines
Difficulty: From very easy family walks to moderate rock climbs and glacier routes requiring technical skills or a professional guide; each activity clearly graded with required expertise indicated
Key centres: Chamonix Mont Blanc, Argentière, Vallorcine, Les Houches, Servoz, St Gervais, Passy, Les Contamines, Sixt, Sallanches
Highlights: Mont Blanc, Cosmiques Arête, Aiguilles Rouges, Bossons and Mer de Glace glaciers, Lac Blanc, Petit Balcon Nord mountain bike route, Les Gaillands climbing crag, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval via ferrata, Col de la Forclaz road descent
Navigation/mapping: IGN Top 25 series recommended; maps 3630 OT, 3531 ET, 3530 ET, 3531 OT, and 3530 OT cover all routes described
Accommodation & logistics: Comprehensive notes on accommodation, getting there, lift systems, and tourist information for the Chamonix valley
Best time to go: Mid-June to mid-September when lifts and mountain facilities are open; activities possible outside these dates but with reduced lift access
Companion titles: Mont Blanc Walks, Via Ferratas of the French Alps, Trail Running: Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Region (all available from Cicerone)
Author Highlight
“There is another Chamonix, one that offers a plethora of different mountain activities for those who are searching for a mountain holiday not confined to one sport. There are walks both on and off glaciers for all levels; easily accessed climbs for beginners as well as experts; bike rides both on and off road for those just learning how to pedal as well as those looking for daredevil jumps and long hard ascents; miles of trails perfect for runners; and, if you know where to look, there are some very adventurous walks and via ferrata which venture onto terrain normally off limits for non-climbers.”
- Hilary Sharp, author of Chamonix Mountain Adventures
Printed book
A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps - everything you need on the trail.
ISBN
9781852846633
Availability
Published
Reprinted
21 Nov 2022
Published
17 May 2012
Edition
First
Pages
288
Size
17.20 x 11.60 x 1.35cm
Weight
310g
Map key
Map of walks and Alpine mountaineering routes
Map of trail running, road biking and mountain biking routes
Map of rock climbing, bouldering and via ferrata routes
Chamonix town map
Introduction
The region
Glaciers
Flowers and animals
How it all started
Mountain adventures
Other activities
When to go
Getting there and getting around
Accommodation
Tourist information
Language
Health and safety
Using this guide
1 Walks
Classic Walks
Route 1 Mont Joly
Route 2 Le Prarion
Route 3 Aiguillette des Houches
Route 4 Montagne de la Côte
Route 5 Lac Cornu and Lacs Noirs
Route 6 Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers
Route 7 Grand Balcon Sud: La Flégère to Planpraz
Route 8 Aiguillette des Posettes
Route 9 Lac Blanc from the Col des Montets
Route 10 Mont Buet by the Normal Route
Family Walks
Route 1 Lac des Ilettes
Route 2 Lacs Jovet
Route 3 Chalets Miage and Truc
Route 4 Charousse
Route 5 Lac du Brévent
Route 6 Argentière via the Paradis des Praz
Route 7 Le Chapeau
Route 8 Montroc–Col des Montets–Vallorcine
Route 9 Bérard valley and Sur le Rocher
Route 10 Dinosaur tracks
Hut Walks
Route 1 Refuge de Platé
Route 2 Refuge de Tré-la-Tête
Route 3 Refuge Moëde d’Anterne
Route 4 Refuge Bel Lachat
Route 5 Refuge du Lac Blanc
Route 6 Refuge Albert Premier
Route 7 Refuge de la Pierre à Bérard
Route 8 Refuge de Loriaz
Adventure Walks
Route 1 Pointe Percée
Route 2 The Dérochoir and Désert de Platé
Route 3 Aiguille du Belvédère
Route 4 Mer de Glace Balcony Trail
Route 5 Tré-les-Eaux Circuit
Route 6 Loriaz to Emosson
Route 7 Mont Buet by the North Ridge
Route 8 Cheval Blanc
Trail Running
2 Alpine Mountaineering
Route 1 Champex to Le Tour
Route 2 Grand Montets to Lognan
Route 3 Aiguille du Midi to Helbronner
Route 4 Petite Aiguille Verte
Route 5 Aiguille Crochues
Route 6 Aiguille du Tour
Route 7 The Cosmiques Arête
Route 8 Mont Blanc
3 Mountain Biking
Route 1 Les Contamines: Truc Miage circuit
Route 2 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains: Prarion circuit
Route 3 Pipeline descent: Saint-Gervais to Le Fayet
Route 4 Tour des Ayères
Route 5 Promenade de l’Arve
Route 6 Petit Balcon Nord: Chamonix to Le Tour
Route 7 Montroc to Chamonix along the Arve
Route 8 Col des Montets to the chocolate shops
Route 9 Vallorcine–Col des Posettes–Le Tour–Montroc
Route 10 Vallorcine to Martigny
Descents and airtime
4 Road Biking
Route 1 Chamonix to Sallanches
Route 2 Col des Montets
Route 3 Emosson Lake
Route 4 Col de la Forclaz
Rides outside of the Chamonix valley
5 Rock Climbing and Bouldering
Rock climbing
Area 1 Les Gaillands
Area 2 The Index
Area 3 La Joux
Area 4 Les Chéserys
Area 5 Aiguillette d’Argentière
Area 6 Vallorcine Slab (Rocher de la Saix)
Area 7 Barberine
Bouldering
Area 1 Col des Montets
Area 2 Pierre d’Orthaz
Area 3 Les Bossons
Area 4 Le Coupeau
Area 5 Le Médonnet
6 Via Ferratas
Route 1 Le Mont, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
Route 2 La Curalla, Passy
Other routes in the Haute Savoie region
Route 3 La Yves Pollet Villard, La Clusaz
Route 4 La Roche à l’Agathe, Thônes
Appendix A Useful contacts
Appendix B Useful French words and phrases
Appendix C Further reading
Appendix D Glacier travel and rescue techniques
Seasons
it is possible to hike, climb and ride in the Chamonix Mont Blanc region any time outside winter; many of the activities here rely on lifts and other facilities that are generally open from mid-to-late June to mid-September
Centres
Chamonix Mont Blanc, Argentière, Vallorcine, Les Houches, Servoz, St Gervais, Passy, Les Contamines, Sixt, Sallanches
Difficulty
ranges from very easy strolls for all the family, to moderate rock climbs and glacier hikes which require either technical skills or the presence of a professional guide; climbing and mountain biking require some specialist gear
Must See
Mont Joly, Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Rouges; Bossons and Mer de Glace glaciers; MTBing the Petit Balcon Nord; cycling down the Col de la Forclaz; climbing on Les Gaillands; tackling the VF beside Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval
The French Institut Géographique National Top 25 series maps are the best for the activities described here. The ones needed are:
- 3630 OT Chamonix Mont Blanc
- 3531 ET Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
- 3530 ET Samoëns
- 3531 OT Megève
- 3530 OT Cluses Sallanches
A 1:50,000 map is useful to get an overview of the region, and for the road biking routes. The whole area is covered by the IGN Rando Editions map A1 Alpes Pays du Mont Blanc.
If you use a GPS, programme it to datum WGS84 and grid system UTM/UPS otherwise all grid references will be inaccurate.
Referred to as cable cars, chairlifts or gondolas, lifts are written in French as téléphérique, télésiège and télécabine and shown with a symbol on the maps.
July 2024
Route 4 Mer de Glace Balcony Trail
Since the first edition of this book (2012) both the glacier and access to it have changed completely. The glacier has undergone an unimaginable retreat and volume reduction, and the original accesses to it (the télécabine and steps to the grotte de glace and the 'alpinist's' ladders) have been either removed and/or decommissioned.
A new (and quite controversial) télécabine has been built and instead of heading straight down to the mer de glace, its route is more diagonal and its lower terminal is a few hundred meters further up the glacier, and therefore nearer to the ladder system on the far side of the glacier. There is an equipped route down for alpinists and climbers which requires technical equipment, however, walkers are strongly advised to take the télécabine to access the glacier.
Since the first edition of this book (2012) both the glacier and access to it have changed completely. The glacier has undergone an unimaginable retreat and volume reduction, and the original accesses to it (the télécabine and steps to the grotte de glace and the 'alpinist's' ladders) have been either removed and/or decommissioned.
A new (and quite controversial) télécabine has been built and instead of heading straight down to the mer de glace, its route is more diagonal and its lower terminal is a few hundred meters further up the glacier, and therefore nearer to the ladder system on the far side of the glacier. There is an equipped route down for alpinists and climbers which requires technical equipment, however, walkers are strongly advised to take the télécabine to access the glacier.
September 2022
Rockfall at Cosmiques Arête
There has been a rockfall at Cosmiques Arête (Alpine mountaineering Route 7), so this route may not be practical at the moment.
September 2022
2022 reprint route updates
663 Reprint 2022 (1.354 MB)
August 2022
The Grands Montets cable car
The Grands Montets cable car is under reconstruction. As of summer 2022 the only lift open in this area is the Plan Joran télécabine, which runs during July and August. More information from the Chamonix website www.chamonix.com/informations-remontees-mecaniques-en-temps-reel
July 2020
Route updates
1 The Cosmiques Arête itinerary has changed due to a 2018 rockfall where there is a section of abseil. Now the abseil is on the north face and is 8m long. This website shows what has changed...it's in French but the topo is quite clear.
2 The Mer de Glace Balcony Route has changed in several places and at the moment seems to be unmaintained in parts and therefore is not recommended. I had already reported that it is no longer possible to traverse beneath the Charpoua Refuge and that the Echelets ladders were no longer in use. Now it seems the ladders for the Leschaux Refuge have been moved and the Egralets ladders are not being maintained; there is loose moraine on the ledges between them. All in all it would not be wise to undertake this hike.
This information has come directly from La Chamoniarde (formerly known as the Office de Haute Montagne).
August 2013
Updates
Update to Family Walk 9
The author writes:
"There is now a new walkway which goes where the old one did decades ago. It's all brand new this summer, and consists of a metal bridge which takes you round to look at the waterfall. Very good, impressive views and accessible to all except dogs which might not like the lattice work metal structure. It's just a detour off the main trail described in the walk, so it's an extra. A stairway then goes up to join the normal path at the bridge by the café."
August 2012
The wrong map appears on pg 11. The correct map below.
663 CMA revisedmap (46.333 KB)
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