UKC

First time poster, long time lurker.

A little backstory, i've been properly climbing again for around a year, comfortable with sport at a 5a/6c outdoor, looking to visit Chamonix in August to do some vf / easier single pitch sport with my brother who can climb but has mainly done gym work/ top roped outdoor. firstly, is this a good idea? i keep reading about massive alpine days/ multipitch trad down there etc but a lot of it is out of reach for me (both skill wise and gear budget) so want to know if theres enough stuff to keep us occupied for a week and recommendations for where is good and not so good for someone of my level. we plan on doing a few days of vf as a climbing friend recommended that its a good way to get up into the mountains without the trad gear/knowledge.  any recommendation/ advice is welcome, thank you! 

there's enough to keep you occupied for a week but why Chamonix ? There are many places which would probably suit you better, are less serious & many have better weather

I think the Dolomites might suit your needs better if you can get over there instead - superb via ferratta, decent single pitch sport and a good choice of easier trad routes to some cool summits.

Citta dei Sassi (City of Rocks)

For single pitch is decent.

Sella Towers

Especially the first sella tower - lots of choice of 4 pitch trad with fixed belays

if i'm completely honest, a couple mates that are way better at climbing than i am always talk about the alps and i just assumed it was the place to go. where would you recommend? ive heard the weather is questionable so that did make me wonder. nothings in place as of yet, we're still in the spit-balling ideas stage 

If you want easy alpinism with snow/glaciers then Ecrins, Arolla, Saas Grund are all waaaay better than chamonix for alpine novices but for via ferrata, sport and trad all in one place dolomites win.

Look the following up on camptocamp.org for ideas;

L'Ailefroide normal route west summit

Montagne des Agneaux

Weissmies

Aiguille de la Tsa

Pigne d'Arolla

Jegihorn

Assuming you have led those sports routes, know how to safely descend again and your brother is a competent belayer for both these scenarios then you should be fine but obviously I don't actually know your skill and knowledge levels.

 Whilst there is some single pitch and first pitch only stuff, ( plenty to keep you occupied ), the multi pitch sport routes are generally much better. Obviously you don't have to do the massive alpine / trad routes. There are some cliffs ( ecoles d'escalades ) where it is possible to train / practice your multi pitch sports skills. Many of the low level / valley crags have very generous bolting ( but not for every route so be cautious and check the guidebook ). Some of the higher multi pitch sport routes can have sections that are sparsely bolted - usually the 'easier' pitches.

    A look at the Rockfax guide is a reasonable place to start, or 'Crag Climbs in Chamonix'. August can get very hot during the day - rock too hot to touch sometimes - and afternoon storms are common. Venues can also get very busy. However, by choosing shady times or climbing early in the morning, having a break and then again in the evening you can get loads done.

   If your heart is set on Chamonix there is plenty to do. However, as others have said, other venues will have more stable weather, a lot more VFs and more single pitch that would probably suit you better.

What do you want to do ?Rock climbing, easy alpine peaks (maybe with some scambling), via ferratas  or a mix ? I've never climbed there but the Dolomites, as recomended above, is an obvious choice, as is the area around Briançon (southern French Alps) with easy peaks in the Ecrins & via ferrata & rock climbing in the valleys. Weather in the Ecins has been very odd (frequent afternoon storms & a lot of rain) so far this summer but hopefully it'll get back to normal soon.

looking into it, the dolomites would be ideal, but i'm planning on driving ( keeps travel costs down+ its a "camper" so cheaper accom on campsites) and theyre a 14+ hour drive from calais which wouldnt normally bother me but  we only have a 7 day window and i feel that would write me off for a day either side. 

we haven't really got our hearts set on anything, a little bit of everything really. we plan on driving so we wont be limited to just one spot and i've heard theres good stuff outside and around chamonix and are happy to hit that stuff too.

Since you are driving, and aiming more for cragging, and vf, not big mountain routes, aim south more to Doug's area around Briancon.

Heaps to do, and you can move around for weather easier. Also it's only a couple of hours drive to Chamonix, and on the way back, so you can pop over for a few days to see what that's all about too.

Great local guide books available everywhere.

VF is better other places. 

Weather can be an issue in the alps but most of europe is too hot to climb in the middle of the day lower down mid summer.

There is quite a lot of sport climbing around cham can't remember the stuff Ive done being amazing quality but there is some good routes. Being able to multipitch is an advantage.

Road side cham can get very hot, warmer than much of the UK in a heat wave.

There is some pretty good sport climbing on the other side of the valley blanchee plateau high up (Italian side)

Dolomites are amazing one of the most stunning alpine locations I've been to, can be pricey though. Lots of very worthwhile options roadside and bigger efforts to get in to of all styles.

On the  Aiguilles Rouges side of the Chamonix valley there is a lot of multipitch sport, including lots of stuff at gentle grades. You could have a lovely day or two out at Les Cheserys Aiguilles Rouges. The area round the Index Aiguilles Rouges is also good. The nice thing about the Aiguilles Rouges is that it is easily accessible using the lifts, sunny, and with views of Mt Blanc. No glacier travel either.

For your first couple of days you could visit  Les Gaillands for the town climbing experience (busy) and also do some of the longer scrambles up to Les Mottets.Via Corda Alpina (PD+ 3+) is particularly good (and bolted). There is a good cafe at the top too, with views up the Mer de Glacé. What's not to like?

Les Gaillands is pretty shit though to be fair. The stuff in the Aiguilles Rouges is often very good.