UKC

Hi,

We are two rookies who just started climbing indoors some moths ago (rope and bouldering). The plan is to go to Chamonix for a weekend early November if the weather allows and rock climb outdoors. Since we only been indoors so far I've been trying to find a guide who could go with us for just a day but haven't been able to find one. 

Any suggestions on guides who does 1-day tours in the Chamonix area? We are happy to go in a group with others or to book a private tour. Thanks! 

there are some great female guides in Cham.  Isabelle Santoire for instance (French Canadian - fluent English and French).  I am sure you can find her on Facebook.  or Kath Murphy (really good at teaching).

If you want rock climbing (rather than alpinism) you might be better with a rock climbing instructor (monitor d'escalade). Not sure if there's much difference in what they charge.

Thank you! I'll see if I can find any of them on FB. Don't necessarily need to be female guides, it's me and my brother who wants to climb. 

Try https://www.jamesclaphamguiding.com/

If he is not available I'm sure he can put you in touch with someone who is 

Hi Rebeccaa,

As Doug said you could look for a climbing instructor (French) they would be a little cheaper, but they can't work above 1500M so it kind of depends on your goals. If you look on the British mountain guides site you should find the contact of quite a few that live there, any from the uk probably wouldn't travel for a weekend and there are issues now after Brexit.

I hold the UK MCI and a French climbing instructor, based in the Ecrins, I could ask for a contact for Chamonix for a guide or instructor for you, if you let me know what your after. 

The other thing is the weather as you mentioned about it being good. November isn't know for the driest or warmest weather in the alps. Where I am based I would run something then, if the client was already here or coming out anyway, but probably won't recommend them coming just for a weekends climbing, unless a very last minute booking, and we generally get better weather than Chamonix.

Happy to help you find some if you like feel free to drop me a line.

Cheers Rob

Kev Avery is a guide out in Chamonix. 

https://truenorthalpine.com/

Yeah, no alpinism. We want to do rock climbing and if possible combine it with some lead training, that's why I think a 1-day tour is enough for us. Thanks for the translation, might be easier to find one if I look for a monitor d'escalade. The problem so far has been to find a guide that does 1-day tours. 

Thank you!

Hi Rob, 

Thank you! So me and my brother are beginners and haven't climbed outdoors yet and would like to give it a try before winter is coming. Obviously would like some great scenery but since we would like to climb for only a day and due to us being beginners we are not too picky about the heights. We also grew up above the arctic circle so can endure a little colder weather

We are planning on going to Chamonix for a weekend anyway so would like to combine it with some rock climbing. We don't want to do alpinism. We can do top roping and got the gear, haven't done lead yet but could get that in before going if necessary, even better would be if we can practice that with the guide. Would be awesome if you could get us in touch with any local guides who could takes us out for a Sat (probably the first weekend in Nov). 

Hi Rebecca,

is there a reason you specifically want to go to Chamonix?

if it’s a weekend in the alps you fancy, with a day of rock climbing, then the Ecrins could be a really good option. I’d also highly recommend @ecrinscollective having used Rob a few times myself

No probs I would drop Bruce goodlad a line here is his profile page on BMG  -https://www.bmg.org.uk/guide/?bruce-goodlad#bio

That has his contact details on

or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bruce.goodlad

Bruce is a really cool guy and great guide, he is based just outside Chamonix I am sure he can help you or maybe point you in the right direction if he isn't available.

Cheers

Hi,

Yeah, we are going there anyway and thought it would be nice to combine it with some climbing. Definitely looking for other places in the spring when we trained some more and got some more time. If the beginning of November is really bad for rock climbing we might just have to postpone it. 

I will, thanks!

the chances of bad weather in Chamonix in November are pretty high, much better odds of good weather further south in the Ecrins, although still a gamble. I live not far from Rob & its not unknown to be skiing in November

Try my mate, Gareth:

https://www.bmg.org.uk/guide/?gareth-hughes

Superb guy and wonderful climber!

Might need to rethink this a bit then, I think Ecrins will be difficult for us to get to for a weekend since the flights are still limited but I'll look into it. Thanks for all the help!

Thank you, I've e-mailed him!

Great! Hopefully he's free.

The guide will try and accommodate what you want, but that could in November be miserable due to the weather. consider letting the guide have liberty to change the objective.  Ie if it’s freezing cold and wet let them reach you rope work, or other skills which could be done in shelter, rather than try to climb and have an unenjoyable time.

Alternatively go Chamonix, have a great time, save your money and don’t try and climb and use the cash saved for training more local with better weather in the spring.  You could forget a lot of what the guide tells you having limited opportunity to consolidate it with practice over the winter.

Maybe contact Anais at GranitEscalade - they are a local climbing school based in Les Houches just outside Chamonix. Anais runs climbing courses during the summer which my daughters have been on for multiple years - she is really good.

Her email is contact@granitescalade.fr. If you need her mobile no, DM me.

Steve

Thank you, I emailed them last week but they haven't gotten back to me. Found a guide that would help us out though

Thanks, it's definitely a gamble going in November but found a guide who will take us and if the weather is bad she had some other ideas on what we could do. 

The plan is to do a longer climbing trip in spring but would like to try it out before committing to a full week of climbing. We probably won't get the chance to climb outdoors in Sweden before that since it's snowy and cold pretty far into spring. 

There will be nothing open then, i believe except Montenvers and A du Midi, and i'm not sure even about them. you are wasting your time and money coming out and at best will get nothing better than a day or two on the Gaillands or some other Valley outcrop, from where you might get a glimpse of the big mountains if it's fine

If you are flying all the way from Stockholm - would it not be better to try somewhere warmer and drier for November climbing than Chamonix? I don't know where, but somewhere in Spain or Italy I would think is a safer bet? Of course if you have to be Chamonix anyway - then I see why, but November in the high alps doesn't seem the most likely time to find good climbing.

Not that it any help, but I have actually climbed outside in Stockholm in November. In the dark too! A long time ago now, but it's a fond memory even if it was more type 2 fun - to be enjoyed in retrospect! I do remember it though as being cold, a little rainy and VERY dark even though we were in a downtown car park! So perhaps not the best way to take your first steps in climbing.  https://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2010/11/urban-climbing-stockholm.htm...

Yeah, decided on Chamonix since we wanted to go anyway. Will do some more research for the spring and go somewhere more ideal. 

Nice, already getting dark here but might give Münchenbryggeriet a try. It's definitely easy getting there