This is why democracy doesn’t work
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If we do have to go to Chamonix…
Using the lifts helps for sure. There’ll be plenty of walking from the top lift stations anyway for those worried about the ethics of using lifts. Certainly, you can get more goes up the mountain compared with, say the Piz Badille, which was a 3 day thing for most of us.
Question: Is it better to go in April, July or early September? I mean for doing mountaineering objectives. I’d rather steer clear of August.
As far as cost goes, Chamonix doesn’t have to be so expensive. The Auberge de Jeunesse is €22.76 per night and if you stay there, a Chamonix all stations day pass is €22. Staying in the huts is a cost, but some people seem to get away with taking a tent up the mountain.
I’ve also heard that British people can stay in vans just outside any of the campsites and use the showers and toilets for free. No one minds.
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Authoritarian democracy?
<If anyone does actually want to plant trees I have a couple of thousand to get in the ground after new year… and if the club wants a charcoal supply for the solstice meet I’m making bbq (and artists’) charcoal>
and it’s just down the road from the Wye for early season cragging
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I for one would like to hear Paul vent on Ceuse grading.
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A benchmark crag (it’s hardly Buoux grading, after all!) in the south of France pretty much defines benchmark French grades doesn’t it?
Yes, we need to hear that!
Last time about a month ago in Ceuse I nearly cried while clinging on to nothing with my dear life, far from the bolts, no idea where to go, how to move from there, no power… So I tried to drop down the grades, but the ‘easy’ is just as nails as the hard stuff 
I’ve discovered I can climb a grade harder if I take Cold and Flu tablets first, so I’m sure I can smash Ceuse no problem now
Since I qualify more as a local in cham than anyone commenting I’ll give my run down on the seasons. April to May has a lot on snow and heating based avalanches risk so you have to pick your routes and aspects. Sunny aspects will be better towards the end of this period and you’ll be able to get rock routes done in a t-shirt and still ski out. It can be a very good time if you want to access rock routes on skis. But it can snow anytime up high and then it’s rainy and wet in the valley. It’ll be a more expensive trip and less suited to people who want to go at easier stuff.
June can have a fair amount of rain. I’ve had all weather but I think the problem you can have is too little to ski in but still snow on rock where you don’t want it. It’s not my preferred month.
July is good. It’s not yet too hot but you are starting to get more afternoon thermal storms with lightening.
August is very busy and gets very hot so a lot of thermal storms with lightening strikes.
September is great! Early but can be good to the end. It’s colder so you have way less thermal activity but it’s still warm enough for pleasurable climbing. Way less busy than August.
October is good for mixed and ice up high.
November just sucks.
December we go skiing and ice climbing or beer drinking.
If I was makeing the choice, early July or Early to Mid September.
Whoever makes the call on the dates needs to check the Lift Opening/closing schedule!!!
Book around those.
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Thanks Rob- really handy information there. Do you have any thoughts on the winter months?
Will
Yes, buys skis and ice tools. Ha. Dec to Feb is skiing and ice climbing time. March to may is ski touring and alpine NF time but they never seem to be in these days. It generally goes from cold to hit very fast meaning the snow is powder or falling off.
This past year March saw groups and groups of people climbing NF of Midi daily, Eugster and Mallory mainly. April was dry and warm, then we started getting a lot of snow, May was great for skiing which often happens. June was hot and dry, fab alpine climbing, but yes, very unpredictable weather patterns in general.
July this year was already too hot and dry for even routes with mixed access such as Arete de Diable while I witnessed giant rockfalls from Deux Aigles while on Blatiere - these hot summers make timing tricky.
Hot summers and dry autumns can make September alpine climbing difficult.
This is not specific to Chamonix but all of Alps in the similar altitude. in August I did a pointless trek to the end of Glacier Noir to climb Costa Rouge in Ecrins, the access couloir was dry and sandy and we could not get up it to start the route.
Right now the wet weather and temperatures going up and down is looking very promising for the north faces so if you have them in your tick list, it is worth following what’s going on, what people are climbing. Last time I was in Chamonix a month ago, the mountains were as white as they are in January usually!
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I realise it is the other side of the range to Cham - most of my climbing has been in Valais and the surrounding area - but I had a look at the climate stats recently and discovered with some interesting results. https://wansteadmeteo.com/2019/05/13/the-climatology-of-zermatt/
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Interesting article Scott- useful to see some additional data, and get the writer’s insights. It tallies with my experience too,
Will
I wish to attend next year’s Alps meet, having enjoyed this year’s trip to Bregaglia and last year’s trip to Ailefroide. However, my objectives will again be restricted to rock climbing without long walk-ins & walk-offs, in order to maintain my knee’s life. Ailefroide was a delightful location and I suspect that there is plenty in & around there for me to return. Is Chamonix likely to fit my requirements too?
If you’re climbing on Monday you can have a leaf through my Chamonix guide and see
Thanks Matt, I would like to look at that; unfortunately it probably won’t be tomorrow, as I’m suffering from a bad cold.
That’s OK I’ll leave it in the locker if anyone wants a peek. Hope you feel better soon.
Peter, long answer. Yes. For me one of the best things about Cham is the easy of access but obviously that comes with a price. Spending some hard earned spondoolies on lift tickets may seem a waste to some but to me it means more time spent doing actually climbing and less time spent walking in and subsequent rest days needed due to sore legs. Plus less time at huts which is also expensive. Plenty stuff to go at in the Aiguille Rouge that has a short and easy approach after the lift, either from the Index or the Brevent. Great E2ish route on the Brevent call Ex-libris, so good I’ve done it twice and plenty of good sport routes too. There is also an excellent single pitch crag just down from the Brevent that makes for a really cool sport climbing day.
You can also walk from the col de Montets to the chesere slabs and it’s an easy walk in and plenty of easier to mid grade slabs of cool gneiss. Great bouldering venue at the col du Montets. Drive over the col and barberine has really technical granite slab climbing (Holly would love it!) There is the now classic Cacao Boys, which if I remember is 10 or so pitches 6a+. Great route. Many good big routes there with easy walk-ins and walk off.
The routes in the Peine are fairly accessible but have between a 30-45 min walk in but be on the first lift and be prepared of spend the night up there in a tent the evening before. It gets busy! If you want easier access big stuff then the NF of the Midi but like Kris mentioned, the big rock routes on the NF of the Midi are a bit sketchy these days in later summer due to rockfall. I’ve seen some massive rocks come down the frendo but the tourier is rumoured to be more stable (I haven’t done it so work checking at the OHM). You can access shorter routes from the Montenvers train, aiguille L’m and the plentiful sport routes on the slabs on the mer de glace.
As with most alpine areas, alpine rockfall is a problem later in the season when there is less snow cover but this is okay for routes that dont rely on snow cover or permafrost. Most of the stuff I have mentioned (except NF midi and maybe l’M) should be fine. Stuff up in the argentiere basin above the hut is also great. There are nice granite crack climbs dotted all about. It’s a bit of a walk to the hut though so might not be your thing.
I wouldn’t be put off by the possibility of rock fall because this is avoidable by picking routes where it’s not a problem. One other point worth considering is that the later in the season the worse shape the glaciers get, bigger crevasses and harder shrund crossings. I have had to turn back at the base of routes not being able to cross the shrund. But once again, this can be less of an issue especially on popular routes as there is often fixed ropes in place put there by the guide companies.
Nice easy alpine stuff is accessible from a night in the torino hut, tour Rond, marbrees (wrong spelling), dent du Grant, rochefort arete, etc. All easily done in a day (we linked both the rochefort and the dent du geant and still got back for the last lift down).
And let’s not forget the South face of the Midi, possibly the best alpine rock climbing venue ever! But requires a more experienced team and comes with some difficulty so I will let people do their own research on this.
There is literally too much to mention. I haven’t even touched on the Arv and the most amazing limestone cliff ever called Petit Bargy (ok maybe not as good as verdon but close but more serious). Then there is the aravis range, contamines valley, Aosta valley, lifetime. My Arv valley guidebook has 1400 bolted lines! 1 pitch to 30 pitches.
For those less experienced Cham has stuff for you but the higher you go and if you’re wondering about on glaciers, that’s much more serious and so maybe temper your expectations, stuff on the index easier glacier stuff of the mer de glace. Gather experience before having a crack at a route with a complex glacier approach. The route guides don’t tend to point this out, normally the grades don’t give away the complexity of the whole experience. Just ask a certain NLMC member that spent not 1 but 2 nights out, names shall not be mentioned (although I have to take some responsibility as I recommend the route).
You can probably gather, I love Cham at almost all times of year. I think for the average experience profile of the NLMC groups, early July or early September but to fit in with the lifts opening times. August is just to busy!
Places to stay, good campsites but I’d say we should think about booking because they are popular, I haven’t camped in a while so not the best to ask on this.
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Thanks Rob, appreciated; that’s a truly comprehensive response.