UKC

Looking to take the kids to Chamonix this year and wanted to give them a real mountain hut experience. Can you suggest a hut which has a great setting but doesn't require any technical approach. I've stayed in quite a few myself but most have required a glacier approach or technical ground to get to. The kids are age 9 & 11 years.

grateful for any advice.

In reply to rriding:
I know it frequently gets slated but Albert Premier? We had not a bad time there, the warden put is in with some english speaking parisians and had a decent night (apart from the usual carrier bag rustling shenaginans you tend to get in huts)
Chairlift and then a walk, dont remember anything challenging.

In reply to rriding:

cable car up to midi then across the valley again by cable car to the italian hut , sorry cant recall that name, has some private rooms with 6 bunks would suit a family.

Easy ground to bring the kids onto the snow, and some F walks right nearby

sorry i cant recall name of hut, plenty on here will

In reply to Mike_Watson_99: thanks for that. This was the first one which occurred to me and I've stayed there a couple of times. They could easy make the walk in. Was just thinking there may be something accessed by lift maybe with more of a wow factor.

In reply to rriding:
Take a pair of binos up, for wildlife and star watching. Ear plugs, to blank out the snorers and farters!

In reply to dek:

he'll be sharing a private room with his kids

your rude!

In reply to Daithi O Murchu: Torino hut ...it did occur to me and might be a good choice. Just a bit expensive to get up to from Cham. Thanks

In reply to dek: I think its all part of the experience. Mind you its the other guys who might need the ear plugs with these kids!

In reply to Daithi O Murchu:



For the Marmots!!

In reply to rriding:

There's the refuge de la Pierre à Bérard which you can walk to from near Vallorcine. The approach is a pleasant, not too steep but fairly long walk. No snow or glacier but from the hut itself you can't see the Mont Blanc range.

The Albert Premier has a safe ascent in summer. You can take chairlift up behind Le Tour and the path contours across then up to the hut, with a steep climb just before the hut - splendid views of Mont Blanc and numerous snowy mountains.

The Torino hut involves a very scenic, and expensive, trip by telepherique across the Vallée Blanche, or a telepherique ride up from the Italian side... That could be good pretext for taking the tunnel and visiting Val Veni... There is a hut called the Elisabetta up there, with an easy approach, no glacier, but I haven't been to it myself - a wild area, quite different to the Chamonix valley with views of the Freney Pillars and the Aiguille Noire de Peutery - very impressive.

In reply to Bruce Hooker:

Agree with what's already been suggested. If you wanted something more adventurous, you could try the Couvercle hut. You can probably cross the Mer de Glace in ordinary walking boots. Getting up to the hut involves climbing a set of very exposed ladders. You would definitely want to take harnesses and slings to clip into the ladders, but not technically difficult.

There is also the hut next to Lac Blanc in the Aig. Rouges, which has very good views of the range.

In reply to rriding:

Some nice accessible huts around the south side on the TMB like Tre la Tete and Chalet la Balme. Maybe less wow factor but you could string a few days walking between them.

In reply to rriding: You get a very impressive view from the aiguille rouge, especially from the lac blanc.

'tomorrow we will be going over there'

Might help build some anticipation ...

You can also have a walk from the albert premier which gets amazing views. If you go up the glacier further up than the col du tour then head up onto the frontier ridge you get fantastic views of the trient basin.

Cheers
Dave

personally I try to avoid the major mountain huts with the kids. the Orny hut is a good one - some exposed sections in places (maybe take a short rope if you want to be very careful) but otherwise just a very pleasant walk. Hut is very civilized ie not rammed with climbers and more relaxed than the big huts. However it's Switzerland, so check price first. Also the Bertone above Courmayeur is a lovely spot with a reasonable walk and you can summit on Tete Bernada the next day which gives it a real mountain feel. Can get busy because it's on the Tour de Mont Blanc walk.

In reply to rriding:

If you take your kids to the Albert Premier, they'll NEVER go to another hut with you.

In reply to rriding: If you want to avoid the crowds you could try the Varan Hut above Passy. A bit away from the snowy peaks but the upside is you can approach by a via ferrata.
http://www.laviaferrata.net/topo-via-ferrata-curalla.html

The Bonatti hut in Val Ferret (It) is a popular "first time" hut but can be busy with TMB traffic.

In reply to rriding: Is Chamonix fixed? Many Italian huts give youa room if you pay a bit more. Eg Vittorio Emmanuelle or Vittorio Sella huts in the GranParadiso park.

In reply to rriding: This has lots of hut walks in it plus family walks & other activities http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/663/title/chamonix-mounta...