UKC

Hi,

I maybe around in Chamonix during October. I am looking to stay and climb for about 3 weeks. I was wondering if it's worth buying a lift pass for this month or whether it's worth just walking into routes? I will be in Chamonix for 3 weeks.

Any information on how long the walk in takes would be good.

Cheers

In reply to Callumjnelson:

Good evening,

The Midi will be open, Brevent and Flegere will be open for a short while in October (but the exact dates escape my memory, I'm afraid) for the French holidays, the Grands Montets will be closed, I haven't got a clue for Le Tour or Les Houches, and Montenvers, malheureusement, will be closed until December because they are going to try and move the bubble lift to slightly further up the glacier. The lack of Montenvers is, obviously, a bit of a hassle for peak Grandes Jorasses season.

Lift information can be found here:

http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/remontees-mecaniques-chamonix


With regards to your second question... where exactly would you like to walk to? The walk to the Albert Prem hut can be anywhere between 2 and 4 hours depending on fitness and kitness, expect the walk to the Argentiere refuge to take somewhere around 5-7 hours, the walk up to various bivvy sites in the Chamonix Aiguilles might take around the same unless you are super fit and travelling light... and getting to the Envers hut without the Montenvers train will probably take a whole day.
If it's a late summer and sunny rock in the Aiguilles Rouges is the ticket, then walking up from the valley with a nice light rack might take you as little as 2 hours, more likely 3 or 4.

In reply to Pete Houghton:

When does Grand Montets close? it's open at the moment right?

In reply to sam_cash:

http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/fr/remontees-mecaniques-chamonix

In reply to sam_cash:

The top half of GM is now closed, but the lower half is still running, up until the 25th of September, I believe. It certainly takes the sting out of walking to the Argie refuge, at least.

In reply to Callumjnelson:

A month ago I asked the same thing- In hindsight I would get a pass if Alpine is your ticket. If aiguilles rouge is, then walk in.

From chamonix- walk ins- it's 1hr to plan praz up directly under the cablecar-1000m vertical!, 1hr45 to brevent-1500m vertical. 2hr30 to Index-1400m vertical, 1hr to Chesery slabs.

I bivvied for Index and brevent climbs, first on route, first off. Run back down to chamonix, beer time! Take some poles.

In reply to zimpara:


1000m an hour with climbing gear? You are indeed a god amongst men.

In reply to jon:

...and bivi kit.

In reply to Callumjnelson:
It took me one hour and fifty seven minutes to get from Chamonix town centre, by the church, to the summit of Brevent, wearing lycra and light shoes and very little else, and, granted, there were literally dozens of people in front of me that day, on the race, but I still think that was a pretty quick time.

To suggest that you've done it in less time than that with 70m of string and a load of aluminium rattling around in your sack, and even the very lightest of bivvy kit, is, I posit, sheer fabrication.

In reply to Pete Houghton:


I always wondered who it was who wrote guidebook approach times. Now it appears the mystery is solved.

In reply to Pete Houghton:

No need to have a fit Pete! Did you go up the Vertical km under the lift?

Take off the 10minutes it takes from the church to planpraz lift and times are the same.

In reply to zimpara:

You haven't done it within an hour. Nope.

In reply to Kid Spatula:


The Chamonix Vertical km? I believe Kilian Jornet's winning time in 2014 was just over 34 minutes. So 1 hour, carrying climbing and bivi kit? I am also skeptical...

In reply to Callumjnelson:

Leaving aside the nonsense, the times of most walks will be governed by the vertical distance covered rather than horizontal. Depending on how fit you are and how much you are carrying, somewhere between 300m/hr and 500m/hr will be the number if you want to remain comfortable.

In reply to zimpara:

Someone asked for how long *walking* in would take. You post times that, even if true, would be a run at the speed of a serious athlete in reply. And then you complain people are unnaturally competitive...!

In reply to zimpara:


Many times, I did it four times in a day once. Took me 50 minutes, then 55 minutes, then an hour, then an hour and five. Can't really recommend doing. Two litres of liquid, a handful of gels and bars. No climbing gear or bivvy kit. I'd have been an awful lot slower.

In reply to zimpara:


If you take 10 minutes to get from the church to the lift then how do you manage 1000m/hour from there to Planpraz?

In reply to Callumjnelson:
Let's be fair here. Zimpara apparently can't even end up climbing a route on the right bit of the mountain despite having a topo and an English language guide. It's quite possible he either failed to correctly read the time, or simply climbed a different mountain by mistake.

'Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence. Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.' - Robert J. Hanlon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor

In reply to zimpara:

What time did you go up the Gouter in?

In reply to JR:

From the old gouter hut, according to strava
1hr32 moving time
3282 feet elevation
2.8miles

Total time was 3hrs 4min

Why is that?
Note: we ran the downhills and flat to warm up. Had real problems on icy parts with microspikes and trainers. Descent was 5hrs

In reply to zimpara:
Are you joking? Why on earth would you do it in spikes and trainers? Ok, it's lighter but you can end up in a right pickle if you slip (which you're more likely to - by your own admission you had real problems) and frostnip/bite is going to be a real risk. Even fairly easy routes like the Gouter deserve respect and that starts with having the right gear.

In reply to Misha:

It's much of a muchness with conditions and ability factored in.

WTF is strava? I thought it was some phone app for nob-ends on bikes?

In reply to JR:
Trolling aside, I should of added that I was personally in B2s.

In reply to zimpara:

Ok so you had B2s and presumably crampons. Spikes and crampons much of a muchness? Hmmm, I know what I'd go for! Spikes means one fall and you're gone... Were you roped up with the person in spikes? Trusting one's own ability with inadequate gear is one thing, trusting someone else's is another. Even if someone is more experienced than me, I wouldn't tie to with them if they were wearing spikes, unless it's a very gentle snow plod without aretes and other high risk features.