This guidebook shows the vast range of activities available in the mountains surrounding Chamonix. With routes for several different pursuits including walking, trail running, mountain biking, road cycling, via ferratas, rock climbing, mountaineering and bouldering, it is a comprehensive collection of everything this popular region has to offer. All the routes and activities range in difficulty, from easy strolls for all abilities to moderate rock climbs and glacier hikes, which require either technical skills or a professional guide. Families, groups of friends and mountaineers looking for a 'rest day' or a change to what they're used to will all find something to whet their appetites here. Chamonix has long been a dream destination for mountain adventures and its environment is ideal for such a varied list of activities. This guide allows you to enjoy its spectacular views and renowned summits in many different ways or by mixing and matching your favourites.
Chamonix is the most famous climbing area in Europe. Nowhere else has as much quality rock, spectacular peaks and varied mountaineering history. For most climbers a trip to Chamonix is an integral part of their climbing and mountaineering career. When there you want to try everything; perfect granite rock routes, magnificent long ridges, intimidating north faces and then also have some valley sport climbing for the 'rest days'. Or maybe you just want to tick Mont Blanc. For Rockfax this is one of our most exciting challenges yet. Doing justice to this vast area with it many iconic climbs and mountain routes and great variety of climbing is no small task. For the first time ever, all this is in a single publication from Rockfax with hundreds of routes ranging from short sport ticks to the best multi-day adventures. It is illustrated with some amazing phototopos, superb maps and with excellent detailed descriptions.
A guidebook describing 40 trail running routes in the Chamonix Valley and around the Mont Blanc massif, visiting France, Switzerland and Italy. The routes, which range from 3.8km (2½ miles) to 168km (104 miles), are graded from 1 to 5 and categorised as trail running, fell running or skyrunning. Starting from Chamonix, Les Houches, Servoz, Champex, Courmayeur, Orsières and Vallorcine among others, and covering classic ultra trail routes as well as shorter day runs, there is something for every runner. Step-by-step route descriptions are accompanied by 1:100,000 mapping and route profiles, with notes on safety and useful tips for runners. Also included is a comprehensive equipment checklist plus information on running at altitude, adapting to the Alps, navigation, maps and mountain safety. GPX files for all routes are available for download after you have purchased the book by logging in to your Cicerone account. Renowned as a mecca for trail runners, the Chamonix Valley and Mont Blanc region is home to some of the greatest trail running races in the world, including the Tour des Géants and Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. The landscape, with its dramatic mountain scenery and ethereal vistas, offers diverse trail options and true adventure - the perfect playground for this exhilarating sport.
A guidebook to the Walker’s Haute Route, a classic trek between Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland. Covering 215km (134 miles), this long-distance trek linking Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn takes around 2 weeks and is suitable for trekkers with Alpine experience. The route is described west to east in 14 stages, each between 9 and 20km (6–12 miles) in length. The route takes in 11 passes and 14,000m of ascent, with several route alternatives included allowing you to select the itinerary that suits you. 1:50,000 mapping included for each stage GPX files available to download Detailed information on mountain huts, facilities and refreshments along the route Advice on planning and preparation
Life has gone a little bit downhill for Lily Jackson... Lily Jackson is stuck in a rut at her job and when her plan to kick-start a romance with her childhood friend Jamie goes drastically wrong, she decides it’s time for a change. Spurred on by best-friend Imogen, Lily leaves her dull London life for a job at a hotel in Chamonix, snow-capped mountains, and a lot of Christmas spirit. As Lily settles in with the eccentric Devereux family at their gorgeous boutique hotel, she comes face to face with some memories she’d rather forget. But when handsome ski instructor Luc reveals he hates Christmas, Lily is determined to uncover why and to prove to him just how magical Christmas can be. Can Lily build a new life in Chamonix, or is she on a slippery slope to disappointment? A heart-warming and feel-good romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Sue Moorcroft, Holly Martin and Tilly Tennant. Praise for Christmas in Chamonix ‘A lovely book full of wonderful characters’ Abby Siverman ‘This book was like being wrapped in a warm blanket with a gorgeous hot chocolate. Fun, Christmassy, romantic, all the ingredients for the perfect festive treat’ Faith Bleasdale ‘If you want a very Christmassy rom-com book this festive season, I highly recommend this one’ Sinead Noonan ‘All the ingredients for a Christmas romance in an idyllic setting’ Donna Orrock ‘This upbeat intelligent romance is the perfect Christmas read and guaranteed to leave you feeling full of festive cheer. A beautiful story’ Fiona Ford
Discover the skiing downhills of the Chamonix Mountain in this very detailed and documented book, written by one of the most talented skiers of his generation. Located at the very heart of the highest mountains of Europe, the majestic Chamonix massif stands as a reference among the most sacred skiing places in the world. When winter comes, this snow-addict heaven offers a unique range of dream slopes, from the easiest to the most breathtakingly high ones. Anselme Baud is an extreme skiing leading head and one of the best experts of this mountain. From classic skiing hikes to mountaineering competitions, this guide book presents a precise description of all the biggest slopes this mythic area could offer. In this volume you can find all the information about Chamonix. Thanks to his charming accounts and instructive advice, Anselme Baud shares with us his precious and wide experience as a high mountain guide and an exceptional skier. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born in Morzine in 1948, Anselme Baud left his mark on the Alps skiing steep slopes history. As a high mountain guide in 1973, he was one the first to ski on extreme downhills in the Alps, the Andes, in Antarctica or in the Himalayas. As an ENSA professor, he supervised during several years the mountain guides trainings in Bolivia and Nepal. EXCERPT We now come to the Chamonix Aiguilles and the final section of the Mont Blanc Massif. You can’t miss the Chamonix ‘Needles’ as you arrive in this, the capital of mountaineering. Above and behind them, forming the heart of the Massif, sit Mont Blanc and its surrounding peaks (the Tacul, Maudit and Goûter), which have made the valley famous. There are two different approaches to skiing in this area: – classic ski-touring, with its 1 to 2-day climbs and long descents that require mountaineering skills and experience as this is a high mountain environment crossing glaciated terrain; – the ‘new wave’ of freeriders. Using the cable-cars means you can shorten or completely avoid long climbs up to some of the routes in this area, and the approach to the valley’s ‘mythic’ descents, such as the north face of the Aiguille du Midi, can be relatively quick and easy. In fact, from the start of winter a veritable festival of freerider descents is played out before our eyes. Just after a large fall of snow, the slopes on the Glacier Rond, the Cosmiques Couloir and many other routes become almost ‘snow parks’, which would have been inconceivable 30 years ago...
Walking with Harry in Chamonix, a sequel to the author’s humourous novel Walking with Harry, follows the adventures of a rambling club as they head off to the French Alps When Monique invites Thurston Ramblers to Chamonix, the club’s zealous president, Mrs Olive Lavinia Johnston, referred to as O.L. by Harry Birch, is delighted. Harry, a constant thorn in her flesh, prefers low-level, fine-weather walks to sweating up mountains. No-one expects him to sign up for Chamonix. Yet he does, to O.L.’s dismay. To re-invent himself in order to impress Monique, Harry hires a personal trainer to lose weight and get fit. On training walks in the Dales and Lakes he amazes O.L. but fellow members of the club speculate on how long the fragile truce between them can last. After a journey fraught with mishaps, O.L. is exhilarated by the mountain scenery when they are met by Monique at her uncle’s hotel outside Chamonix. Harry revels in his role as the life and soul of the party, but during the walks, problems arise: O.L.’s impatience with the plodders and her reluctance to accept Monique’s leadership, Penny’s vertigo, Joyce’s horror of chair-lifts, Bert’s crumbling boots, a torrential storm and minor accidents, all combine to threaten the success of the trip. John W. Winter has drawn on his 25 years experience leading walks in the UK and France to create the humourous novel Walking with Harry in Chamonix, which will appeal to walkers, ramblers and anyone who enjoys a good chuckle.
The book is a gripping description of a mountain hike of nearly two weeks made from France’s Chamonix to Zermatt in Switzerland. The trip encompasses the approximately 170-kilometer Haute Route, which advances in the mountain range. Every day on the hike a mountain is crossed, or even three. The text relays situations that arose along the way and conversations with hikers from around the world, all described in a warm and humorous tone. The writer contemplates the choices a hiker must make and many other matters worth pondering. The book is based on writings made in the evenings after a day of hiking and they vividly reflect the honest thoughts of the writer at the time. Practicalities are featured prominently in the text, as the hike involved day-to-day decisions of accommodation and route choices. The text is not solely limited to the route in question but includes elements and themes from previous mountain hike experiences. In addition to providing information on the progress made during the route, the text gives insight into practical matters, including equipment, accommodations and securing lodgings. The book makes for a splendid read for those planning a mountain hike and even for those hoping to make the journey from very place they are sitting in. The book includes over a hundred photos, maps and relevant information regarding the days of hiking.
'The Chamonix Bike Book' shows bikers the best places to ride on this side of the Mont Blanc Massif. There are mellow cruises and savage climbs, hihg-octane singletrack and punishing downhills. There is flowy, techy, exhausting, panoramic, windy, foresty, gentle and there's muddy - actually, the only thing these rides have in common is that they are all wonderful.
