Hello, David here blogging about Chamonix as this destination was one of my requests. My mother had visited here while I was in college and came back with stories of fantastic mountain adventures and the gift of a really great t-shirt. Chamonix has been high on my list of places to visit ever since and it sure didn't disappoint. As a side note, it is also the site of the first winter Olympics in 1924.
We were both quite excited to move on from Italy so spirits were high as we left Bergamo and headed for the French Alps. Once we passed Milan (which seemed to go on forever) the highways emptied and the scenery soon turned hilly and gorgeous, making for a very nice drive. Chamonix is located near the point where Italy, France and Switzerland meet with the alps, which separates Italy from the other two countries. As it turns out, the only way to drive directly there from Italy is to go in a tunnel that goes straight through Mont Blanc ending at Chamonix on the other side. Alternatively you can park on the Italian side and take a series of cable cars over the mountain (weather permitting). Either choice is made even more interesting in that Mont Blanc is the highest point in Western Europe at 15,800 feet. Here is a simple diagram showing the tunnel and cable car routes:
As it turns out the most notable thing about the drive through the tunnel is the high toll charge of 32 Euros or about $45! We also puzzled about the strict enforcement of a 150 meter buffer zone between vehicles as they move through the tunnel. Later we found out this rule was brought about after a horrible truck fire in 1999 that killed 42 people who were trapped with many others in the congestion. Probably best we didn't know this bit of history as we went through.
Arriving in Chamonix I was a bit disappointed as the town was larger and less quaint then I expected but the surrounding mountains were absolutely spectacular. We soon found our hotel and set about unloading the car.
The hotel Holly chose for us was located a few miles out of town in a very peaceful location just below one of the larger glaciers (Des Bossons) coming out of the mountains. It was fantastic as the air smelled of pine needles and the view out of the room was like a postcard. Here is an example picture taken from the window:
As part of our favorite chain of hotels it also lived up to our expectations with solid wi-fi internet, a heated indoor pool and a nice (albeit expensive) restaurant. This was particularly important as Holly didn't share my enthusiasm about riding as many of the cable cars as possible during our visit. I expect Holly will post later with more detail about our hotel and delicious dining experiences.
I could hardly contain my excitement to visit the top of the mountain or one of the glaciers. Our guide book and the internet described the cable car ascent of Aiguille Du Midi (a 12,600 foot mountain peak next to Mont Blanc) as one of the highest in the world and "a thrill ride of a lifetime" or simply "terrifying". Oh Boy!
As we had arrived too late in the day and the rides were closed, I had to wait until the next day to start the adventures. Of course I woke up at the crack of dawn and began counting down the minutes until I could hop on the first cable car of the morning at 8:10. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great and it was getting worse by the moment. I purchased a two day pass to all of the area sites so I decided to go for it anyway as I could always come back and ride it again if the weather got better. The single trips were expensive and we were told a poor value if the weather wasn't perfect.
The first thing I noticed is that the most of the other passengers were mountaineer/skier types, each with more gear then I had ever seen a person carry before. They were an incredibly friendly crew, one even suggesting I should give their sport a try. I later determined these people were completely out of their minds as they first had to hike and climb breath-taking sections of the mountain before they would ever get to enjoy any skiing. Anyway, they also made for very calm company while riding up the thrilling cable car. In fact the ride up was so smooth that I would describe the ride as spectacular rather then terrifying. My main thought was how in the world could they have built this thing? The second stint of the ride goes from the bottom station to the top without any towers supporting the cable in between. The picture doesn't do it justice, but here is the view as you start towards the peak with the pointy-bit on the top:
You start out with a smooth but very high ride over a gorge and then begin climbing almost straight up for the last portion of the trip. Here is a picture of the car, and Chamonix in the valley, as seen from the top:
The top of the cable car station actually sits on the top of a very scary rock outcrop. From there you go across a foot bridge, into a series of tunnels in the mountain and up an elevator to the very top. You can also take one of these tunnels to the Italian side of the peak where you can ride over a huge ice field and into Italy via another series of cable cars. Unfortunately this section was closed due to poor weather. The weather also made for few photo opportunities at the top.
One thing for sure is that it is not easy breathing at this altitude - the highest I have ever been. There are a number of stairs to climb in order to reach the various terraces and I went up the first set very quickly in my excitement. A few seconds later I realized it wasn't going to be easy catching my breath as normal and thought for a moment I might pass out. This was actually much scarier then the cable car ride!
The next noteworthy item was taking a very hard fall on an icy patch inside one of the tunnels. I stepped through a doorway onto a sheet of ice and came crashing down on my back similar to a bad ice skating spill. I felt it coming and tried to get low before losing it completely and somehow managed to keep from hitting my head. Just as importantly my beloved camera gear was spared as it landed on my stomach - phew. Here is this dreaded doorway and a glimpse of the icy patch:
By the way, I came back the next day and noticed they had placed a rubber mat in this spot. Here is a view of improvement from the other side of the doorway:
My second trip up was a much better visit all the way around. First of all the weather was much improved allowing for scenery photos. Second, I shared this ride up with a busload of Japanese tourists that made a lot of "terrified" ooh's and ah's giving the whole ride a much more thrilling feel then my previous ride with the mountain nutters. Lastly, I had learned to be patient and take the steps and icy spots slowly making my whole visit much more pleasant. Here are some pictures of this second visit:
After riding the elevator to the very top, this is the view down at the cable car station and Chamonix:
The bridge that connects the station with the tunnels:
Best view of the Mont Blanc summit that the weather would allow:
Looking towards Switzerland and the valley:
Ok, the books all talk about the cable car ride but what about standing on these platforms?
A very creaky enclosed walkway/stairs to the terrace:
Some of the nutters working their way off of the top of the mountain. Two or three of them are easy to spot - and if you look closely you can see another standing at the edge of the cliff:
Some of those stairs I mentioned...
A view of one of the terraces just above the world's largest precipice (cliff face):
And finally, arrival back in Chamonix:
Whew, this post is much longer then I intended! With two more sites to describe and post pictures of I think I am going to have call it quits for tonight. Part deux to follow tomorrow.
next: “Border Criss-Crossing (and a DUI Test!) in France, Germany and Switzerland”