UKC

Planning on heading out to Chamonix in the last week of August and staying all of September. However, I'm wondering what people's experiences of the weather were at this time of year?

I've looked through a couple of old threads saying it's okay, a lot quieter and the weather can be more stable though the nights tend to be more cold. So far so good - but then I saw this: http://www.whatstheweatherlike.org/france/french-alps.htm which reckons the chance of long-term precipitation is pretty high?

If it's of any interest I've mainly got my eye on rock routes with a couple of mixed lines, around grade D.

In reply to alexm198:

I've been at the end of September and its awesome. Hardly any queues, good weather and just warm enough for rock. The only lifts were running were the midi and mont train though.

In reply to alexm198:

Hi Alex,
I've been out to cham in September a few times and always rated it higher than in June/July/August. Its after the main European holidays so much quieter, it's colder so mixed / snowy stuff is better and held together better. I've aways had pretty stable, decent weather.

you can be unlucky with the weather any time - I've been there for mid june to mid july once and we had 3 weeks of crap weather out of 4....

Things to watch - some of the lifts close mid September and so do some of the alpine huts. On the plus side, quite a few bars seem to have end of season parties so you can cheer your self quite cheaply if it does rain!

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to alexm198:

September is my favorite time to climb in Chamonix. Crowds are gone, weather is cooler.

In reply to Kai:

Favourite month for all the above mentioned reasons.

However stating the obvious, it does go darker earlier so efficiency counts if you want to complete the objective during daylight!

Also, you will have to accept that some routes will be unapproachable due to the schrund being impassible.

Enjoy...

In reply to walts4:

Thanks, really helpful replies. Sounds like September can actually be pretty decent!

Good point about the lifts - I'm sure the Midi and the Mont train should provide ample opportunities once everything else closes.

Are the glaciers generally much drier (I suppose it depends on how the weather's been in July/August)? I've only ever been in June and there wasn't a single open crevasse to be seen on the vallee blanche

In reply to StuDoig:

I was just about to ask this very question - Serendipitous. I don't ski however - are skis typically necessary at this time?

In reply to planetmarshall:


Not at all.
Last week of august - mid september is the perfect part of the season, IMHO

In reply to alexm198:
sorry to jump in , but does anyone know what the snow conditions looking like this year. i was out in june of last year and there was still alot of snow around. and if its looking the same then i would try and delay my trip

In reply to alexm198:
As ever, it is unpredictable. I once spent most of the month of September in Cham and had amazing weather almost all the time. I have also been out at the same time of year and had a mixture, and once, continuous rain in the valley and snow high up that led me to abort after a week, with no decent forecast in sight. Be warned that if it does snow, it will linger longer than in high summer, even after the weather improves. So a single storm could put a route like the Gervasutti Pillar out for the season, given its NE orientation.