Chamonix for vegetarians

The Alps are a surprisingly good place for vegetarians — as long as you like cheese! Melted cheese is combined with potatoes or pasta in countless ways — fondue, raclette and tartiflette  are the best known but there are many more. Look out for reblochonnade (Reblochon toasted under charcoal) — and Le Berthoud (Abondance melted in a small pot with garlic and Madeira)

As a result, although the French don’t really go in for vegetarian food per se, I have never had a problem finding something without meat — though do beware of the onion soup as it will almost always be made with meat stock.

A note for the strict: a lot of this cheese is not made with vegetarian rennet, certainly in restaurants. However, you can buy cheese made with vegetable rennet fairly easily, in both the supermarkets and the health food shops. The soft goat’s cheese is also not made using it — this mild, fresh cheese is wonderful with the local honey (which is, unsurprisingly, superb) or fig relish.

Blissful vegetarians at Le Lavancher

Restaurants for vegetarians

Almost everywhere does the local salad of toasted goat’s cheese on slices of bread with salad and walnuts, which makes a really nice lighter meal — Chambre Neuf, by the train station, does one of the best Chevre Chaud salads in town. Since pretty much every French restaurant in Chamonix has a reasonably good vegetarian choice due to the local obsession with cheese and the frequency of veggie visitors, I haven’t made a separate vegetarian list for the town — take a look at those recommended for vegans in the next section for places with particularly good or more unusual menus.

Restaurants for vegans

Je suis veganne — or an equivalent French word as far as diet is concerned is végétalien.

Fresh veg at the market

There are many restaurants that either have vegan options available or will do a vegan menu if you contact them in advance, notably the excellent Munchies, Alan Peru and (my personal favourite) the Hotel Eden.

In a more international flavour, Casa Valerio is an excellent Italian that will do vegan pasta dishes, Satsuki is a super Japanese place that does good tofu noodles (very well priced set lunch too) and has a lovely downstairs room that can be booked for a special occasion. There are also some Indian restaurants (Tigre Tigre and Annapurna, in Chamonix, and a new one in Les Houches which I hear is very good) which have plenty of choice.

The British-run restaurants generally have a good choice too — The Jekyll in Chamonix, The Rusticana in Argentiere, and the Kitsch Inn in Les Houches. Not a restaurant, but Papillon does lovely salads as well as hot food to take away.

L’Impossible in Chamonix Sud tries very hard with a beautiful interior and an interesting menu that has lots of imaginative and delicious sounding veggie choices and an emphasis on fresh, organic ingredients. I really want to like it but have to confess that I’ve been twice now and it hasn’t been very good either time. I hear very mixed reports — some people have really enjoyed it, so it may be worth a try. It really is a lovely building — have a look at their reviews here for more opinions. They always have a vegan choice and a full veggie set menu, and can generally do gluten free and other special diets. It’s next to the very good Jekyll so you could always duck into there!

The much loved MBC does excellent tofu — I especially recommend it in their red curry — and also can adapt several other dishes for vegans, such as their fajitas. Most of the wrap and sandwich places in the town centre do a vegan option (generally hummus)  - Poco Loco does a nice Vegetarienne sandwich too.

On the mountain

Outdoor-loving vegans will probably need to pack lunches for eating on the mountain (in fact most people do this anyway as it saves a load of money). Some of the mountain restaurants do salads by the quarter which can be suitable, and tomato– based pasta sauce is sometimes available, as are soups — but it’s probably best not to count on it.

Things are pretty good for the lacto-ovo veggie, with cheese sandwiches (toasted or not) always on offer, and hummus sandwiches and veggie pastas, quiches, gratins and pizzas usually available. Restaurants which have a particularly good veggie choice, summer and winter are:

At Les Grands Montets
The Cremerie du Glacier at Les Grands Montets, which you can either drive to (signed from the car park entrance, look out for the heliport signs as it’s right next to it) or ski/snowboard access through the woods from the Pierre a Ric piste (look out for the very small sign on the right near the end of the run). Specialises in Croutes, a kind of bread-based local pizza equivalent, and a wide selection of Gratins which they will happily do for you without meat if you ask. Lots of veggie choices including my personal favourite ‘Crozets’ (which is the local buckwheat pasta) baked au gratin with Morel mushrooms and Beaufortain cheese. mmmmm! Some of the croutes are in a creme fraiche based sauce which is good when you’re a bit over-cheesed.

Snowy evening at the Cremerie du Glacier

Plan Joranon (on the pistes) does nice bruschettas and will make them without cheese, though the ordering system is eccentric to say the least. The restaurant also does vegetable plates.  At the base of Les Grands Montets is the Marmottons restaurant and bar which has a small but very nice veggie selection including spinach lasagne which I highly recommend.

Vallorcine
Vallorcine has a brilliant restaurant in the train station, which is very close to the lift. L’Arrêt Bougnette (+33 450 546304) serves unusual Savoyarde specialities like Sarrazin (buckwheat) crepes as well as all the usual favourites to a mostly local crowd. Inexpensive, atmospheric and delicious, the menu varies but there’s normally plenty of vegetarian dishes, including huge and delicious salads. Worth either calling or dropping in to book, as it can get very busy.

Huts and refuges

Rather to my surprise, the huts and refuges are all very accommodating of vegetarians and I have never had any problems. Let them know as soon as possible — ideally by booking in advance, but if this isn’t practical, as soon as you arrive. If they have advance notice, they will also make vegan and gluten free food too.

Vegetarian shopping

Even the supermarkets carry basics like veggie burgers now, and usually have a selection of organic vegetables. The supermarket opposite Zero G at the end of town has a good selection of organic, gluten free and other speciality items — also stocks cruelty-free shampoo etc which can be hard to find elsewhere.

For a longer stay, I really recommend a visit to the excellent Satoriz wholefood supermarket in Sallanches, opposite the Carrefour (next to the “Feu Vert” sign) This is an excellent shop, along the lines of Whole Foods in the US, and if you’re going to be around for more than a few days, it’s well worth a visit — the staff are very friendly and helpful, and the quality superb.They do a good selection of wine as well.

Market in Chamonix, originally uploaded by smichels.

Market day is Saturday and there are sometimes local organic and biodynamic farmers selling lovely fresh produce.

Selfcatering vegans will be very happy as the quality of fresh produce in France is always great. In Les Houches, there’s a very nice wholefood shop called Greenmousemarket for more specialist products like tofu.

Lovely veggie food at Les Jardins du Cimes

Further afield

There is no completely vegetarian restaurant in Chamonix, but Plateau d’Assy, about 30 minutes away, has a really good one in a lovely garden. We visited last summer, read more here.

Feel free to add your own suggestions and recommendations in the comments

Chalet Location

Close to everything you need, south facing and sunny, in a magnificent setting ringed with woods and mountains, the chalet is in the outskirts of Chamonix, in the village of Les Praz. The valley is flat here, so all these are on level ground.

* Ski lift — Flegere is 5–10 minutes walk (600m)
* Bars 5–7 mins walk (450m)
* Restaurants 5–10 mins walk (300 — 600m)
* Shops including (3 ski rental shops) 5–15 mins walk (400-700m)

Map

The position of the chalet in relation to the Flegere lift, restaurants, bars, shops and so on is marked on here — click to see a bigger version.

We don’t disclose the exact location of the chalet online, for security reasons, but the shaded area on this map shows the approximate location. Similarly, the exact spot is not marked on Google maps here but it is within 100m of this location. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you’d like further information, we are always happy to answer any questions!

Need more info about the different areas of the valley? Take a look at this blog post — Where to stay in Chamonix

Getting to the slopes

The Flegere ski lift, accessing Chamonix’s largest and sunniest area, is a five to ten minute walk from the chalet, and the central position of the chalet makes the other lift systems of Chamonix easily accessible by the free buses and trains. The ski bus stops at the road entrance, about 70m from the chalet, or at the Flegere lift base (600m, more frequent) and the train station is a five to ten minute walk.  The cross country skiing tracks weave through the trees close by the chalet.

Our location within the ski areas

Flegere & Brevent

A short walk from the chalet, these linked ski areas have some of Chamonix’s most spectacular views,  over the Mont Blanc range and Mer de Glace.   More about Flegere & Brevent

Les Praz de Chamonix

Les Praz, a five minute walk from the chalet, is a sunny and charming area of Chamonix with a traditional village feel. A small grocers stocks necessities such as local cheese, wine and charcuterie, has freshly baked bread and stays open until 7.30pm

There are several friendly, English speaking ski and snowboard shops, a newsagent and a post office. Half a dozen restaurants and a couple of bars, including a nice apres bar, for vin chaud in front of the fire and regular live acoustic music. It’s five minutes from the centre of Chamonix by car, a 10 minute bus or train ride, or a pleasant 20–30 minute stroll along the woodland paths on a quiet road.
More about Les Praz

In summer, some of Europe’s most spectacular mountain hikes can be started right from the door — or the Flegere lift, within a 5–10 minute stroll, can whisk you up to the start of the high alpine walks, and the new Flegere bike park with a variety of separate downhill trails. The Chamonix golf course, a short walk away, is a world class eighteen hole course with superb views. The leisure centre with its tennis courts and excellent outdoor and indoor swimming pools is about 15 minutes walk.

Winters are spectacular in this world capital of mountain sport — ski, snowboard, tour, ice climb, paraglide and more in an amazing Alpine playground

Chamonix is one of the world’s top destinations for skiing and snowboarding, whether you want to learn to ski in the stunning mountain surroundings, or ride the classic off-piste route of the Vallee Blanche. You can also heliski and heliboard in Chamonix, as it’s close to the Italian and Swiss borders.

With five major ski areas — Brevent & Flegere (which is a short walk from the chalet), Les Houches, Les Grands Montets, Le Tour and Vallorcine — excellent snow record (90% of the pistes are above 2000m) and unparallelled scenery, it’s the true home of mountain and adventure sports.
So as well as skiing and snowboarding, you can also try snowshoeing, husky-sledding, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, ice skating, ice climbing, parapenting, helicopter or balloon flights, and loads of winter activities for families.

Powder at Vallorcine

Skiing in Chamonix

Chamonix offers unparallelled backcountry descents including the classic Vallee Blanche (always take a guide for off-piste), and 140 km of superb pistes. Instruction is available at all levels, whether it’s fun lessons for children, or advanced off-piste tuition.
Ski touring routes range from from one day explorations to the famous Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. There’s also two terrain parks, though the natural terrain provides more than enough enough hits and kickers to keep you happy. Regular free shuttle buses and trains run between the four ski areas.

Brevent & Flegere

The south facing slopes have amazing Mont Blanc views and are great for mixed ability groups. Cat tracks make natural lips and there’s great powder runs in the bowls. Descends to Chamonix at one end and Les Praz at the other. More info on Brevent & Flegere

Les Grands Montets:

Wild high mountain slopes with huge unpisted areas, and a terrain park. For many, the quintessential Chamonix area. More on Les Grands Montets

Le Tour & Vallorcine:

Wide slopes near the Swiss border and wonderful tree runs. More on Le Tour & Vallorcine

Les Houches:

Tree runs and great slopeside restaurants. A good place when there’s bad weather elswhere in the valley. More on Les Houches

Off Piste:

For many, the biggest reason to come to Chamonix — the wild and beautiful world away from the lifts. More about Chamonix Off Piste

Pas de Chevre

The Mont Blanc Unlimited pass includes access to Courmayeur (Italy, 30 mins away) and Verbier (switzerland, 90 mins away), which are both well worth visiting — especially Courmayeur. Particularly useful if there’s bad weather.

Snowboarding in Chamonix

Unparallelled backcountry snowboarding (always take a guide for off-piste), and 140 km of superb pistes, with an average annual snowfall of 9.6 m

There’s a terrain park at Les Grands Montets and an airbag at Brevent for perfecting your backflips, but parks aren’t really Chamonix’s strong point as it doesn’t really need then — the natural terrain provides fantasic hits and kickers, with gullies making natural half-pipes.

Snowboarding at Flegere

Regular free shuttle buses and trains run between the four areas, and each has its own character:

Brevent-Flegere
The south facing slopes have amazing Mont Blanc views and are great for mixed ability groups. Cat tracks make natural lips and there’s great powder runs in the bowls. Links to Brevent to form the largest area of Chamonix. More about Brevent-Flegere

Les Grands Montets:
Wild high mountain slopes with huge unpisted areas, and a terrain park. This is the place to be on a powder day, but you have to be up early! More on Les Grands Montets

Le Tour and Vallorcine:
Wide slopes near the Swiss border with natural half-pipes, relaxed powder and wonderful tree runs. More on Le Tour and Vallorcine

Les Houches:
Tree runs and great slopeside restaurants. A good place when there’s bad weather elswhere in the valley, but snowboarders should avoid the Bellevue lift which has a long flat spot at the top. More on Les Houches

For many snowboarders, the off-piste is the big draw at Chamonix, and classic runs like the Vallee Blanche, the Pas de Chevre, Les Jeurs and the Hotel face are wonderful on a snowboard. There are also several short tours which are very good for boarders such as the Col du Passon. Always take a qualified mountain guide for off-piste.

Chamonix for non-skiers

Chamonix has been one of the world’s favourite places for winter holidays since long before skiing was invented, and it’s a fantastic places to go and enjoy the snow.

Chamonix in winter — photo copyright and courtesy of Chamonix Tourist Office

A real French mountain town rather than a resort, Chamonix has everything that goes with France — wonderful food and wine of course, culture and heritage, boutiques and chocolatiers, spas and pools, scenic roads and railways.…

Aiguille du Midi cable car

The highest cable car in Europe, The Aiguille Du Midi is a heart-stopping ride to the pinnacle, 3842 metres above sea level. Once at the top, you’re in another world of ice and snow. The views over the Alps are indescribably beautiful and you can often see the tiny dots of climbers ascending the summit
of Mont Blanc. There’s a cafe and shop, or you can have lunch at the restaurant. It’s possible to cross to Italy from the top, on the Hellbronner lift, and have a day in the cheerful Italian town of Courmayeur.

Montenvers Railway and Ice Cave

The charming old cog railway on Montenvers winds up from a separate station just next to the main train station in Chamonix. You can see it sometimes from the balcony as it passes high above the chalet). At the top, there’s an amazing panorama of the Mer De Glace glacier, a cafe, restaurant and shop.
It’s a lovely spot for lunch, and you can either walk or get the lift down to the ice cave carved out of the glacier.

Mont-Blanc Tramway

Another lovely old rack railway, the Mont Blanc Tramway — built in 1913 - starts at Le Fayet and makes a stop at St Gervais. In winter, after winding up through woods and villages,it stops at Bellevue. You can enjoy the views at the restaurant, or by walking or snowshoeing on the plateau surrounding
the area.

Helicopter rides

Highly recommended — a breathtaking ride around the peaks with the longest trip going around the summit of Mont Blanc with Pascal, one of Europe’s finest helicopter pilots. The heliport is next to the excellent Cremerie du Glacier restaurant, signposted from the turn-off to Les Grands Montets just before Argentiere. Full details on their site:
http://www.chamonix-helico.fr/

Chamonix and around: Spas

If you’d like to spend some time at a spa, try the superb facilities of “Le Bachal” at the Hotel Hameau Albert Premier, within walking distance of the chalet, in Chamonix. You need to reserve this in advance so check their site for more details.

The spa at the Albert Premier — Copyright Hameau Albert Premier

The famous spa baths at St Gervais are in a beautiful building set within the grounds of a splendid park. You can get the train from Les Praz direct to St Gervais — check the times for the journey back.

Finally, a drive of less than an hour through beautiful scenery takes you to the beautiful spa complex of Lavey-les-Bains. Kids also love the thermal baths here.

Chamonix Leisure Centre

Swimming in a huge pool complete with giant waterslide, sauna and steam rooms, gym, ice rink, indoor climbing and tennis are among the facilities available at the Chamonix Centre Sportif

Bowling

A fun place to go, with eight bowling alleys, pool tables and air hockey. It’s in Chamonix Sud, and isn’t hard to find as it has a huge neon bowling pin outside it

Chamonix Casino

In a beautiful old building, the casino has table for blackjack and roulette upstairs and machines downstairs, and also has a cafe. It’s over 18s only and you may need ID to play.

Cinemas in Chamonix

Cinema Vox has three screens showing a variety of movies from Hollywood blockbusters to more offbeat choices including mountain movies. Movies are often shown in English or with English subtitles — check the listings for times and languages. Extra showings are put on if the weather’s bad.

Shopping in and near Chamonix

Chamonix has a huge variety of shops — from upmarket boutiques like Chanel to some of the best choice of climbing and skiing equipment around in Snell Sports. As you’d expect, it’s a good place to shop for clothes — the big snow and surf brands like Quiksilver, Reef and Billabong all have shops here. Zero G has a particularly good clothing range and stocks brands like Analog and Nikita along with the bikes and boards. There are also chocolatiers, bookshops, galleries, local crafts, delicatessens and gift shops from the fun and cheesy to the exclusive and beautiful.

Shops open from 9am to 12 noon and then from around 2pm until 7 pm. Almost nothing opens 12–2, so you may as well settle in for a good lunch!

Food shopping

There are several supermarkets in town, but if you intend to cook at the chalet a lot, it may well be worth while stocking up at the Carrefour at Sallanches, which is excellent and cheaper, especially for wine. You’ll also find a branch of Satoriz opposite Carrefour, a French wholefood store which has a good range of organic,
vegetarian and vegan food.

There is also a wholefood shop in Chamonix Sud (next to Legends) which has a good selection of veggie food including tofu.

During the season, you can find a seafood stall near the clock in the town centre where you can buy oysters and platters of Fruits de Mer.

Day trips

The walled city of Annecy is very picturesque in winter — it’s an hour or so to drive, or the Chamonix Tourist Office arranges weekly coach trips — check the site for times. Geneva is also just an hour away by car or bus, and Lausanne is also close by

You can also visit the lovely medieval village of Yvoire or the cosmopolitan and beautiful town of Evian on the banks of Lake Geneva.

An hour’s drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel is Italy. Have a day in the cheerful traditional town of Courmayeur– great Italian food and friendly bars.

For a cultural day out, there are several excellent galleries in Martigny (take the train directly from Les Praz towards Switzerland) including the Fondation Gianada. Martigny is also the home of the wonderfully eccentric St. Bernard Dog Museum.

An unusual trip is to Plateau d’Assy, a pretty mountain village that has an incredible church decorated by some of the greatest modern artists — Notre Dame de Toute Grace incorporates work by Matisse, Chagalle and Braque amongst others.

Seven days in Chamonix for non-skiers
Day 1: Getting your bearings
Day 2: Savoyarde Gastronomy
Day 3: Snow Safari
Day 4: Spa day and fabulousness
Day 5: Slow track to culture
Day 6: Explore the Alps
Day 7: Mont Blanc

Splitboarding in Chamonix

Only a few years ago, it was just a handful of hardy souls who braved Chamonix with a splitboard. Now it’s exploding here, with loads of local riders adding them to the quiver. This year I finally have one (Jones Solution 161, from Zero G), so I’ll be updating this page with more info and pics as I go on.

What is it?

If you’re wonder­ing what it means, it’s a way of combin­ing ski touring with snowboard­ing — the board splits into skis, which you use sticky skins on to that you can walk up with them on your feet. At the top, you re-assemble the board and ride down. Splitboard.com has all the details for the curious.

My Jones solution 161 with Spark bindings

Where can I go?

Not every tour in Chamonix is suitable for splitboarding. If you’re used to the lower, more rounded mountains of much of North America, our steep and technical peaks are a bit of a challenge, and you can expect to use your crampons a lot — but there’s more than enough choice to keep you happy. The Col de Belvedere, Bel Oiseau, Col de Passon, around the Grand Saint Bernard area, the possibilities are endless. Some local guides that I would recommend are Neil Hitchings, who has guided us on many great adventures, Neil McNab who runs splitboard specific group weeks, and Lars of Mountain Penguins who also specialises in snowboards.

Splitboard touring at the Col de Fenestral

I want one!

If you’d like to try it, Zero G has one for hire — call them up and ask to talk to Tom if you have any questions. Tom has a split himself and is a great source of info — they also have spares etc if you have a board and need anything for it. They deal with both Spark and Karakoram for bindings, and Jones, Lib Tech Gnu and more for boards.

Freeride wall at Zero G

For inspiration, have a look at Jeremy Jones’ “Deeper” movie, partly filmed in Chamonix.

Jeremy Jones’ Deeper Trailer — A Snowboard Film from Teton Gravity Research on Vimeo.

Enchanting Chamonix chalet for ten, hot tub & sauna, close to ski lift & village with bars & restaurants, family friendly with enormous garden & spectacular views.

Magnificent setting ringed with trees and mountain views, just a short walk to the largest and sunniest ski area of Chamonix: Brevent & Flegere.  Village with bars, shops and restaurants within five minutes walk. Chamonix town centre is five minutes by car or a pleasant twenty minute stroll. More about our location…

Outdoor hot tub with sparkling fresh water, beautiful woodburning sauna, thick, fluffy towels, high quality bedlinen & bathrobes, log fire, TVs, DVDs, BOSE stereos with iPod docks, Scalextric, Wii, games and wifi. Photos inside and out, winter & summer.  Family friendly - children and babies welcome.
…take a tour of Chalet la Forêt, Chamonix

…it’s made of old larch timbers that smell really good.

“Friendly and fabulous” Chalet la Forêt is proud to be selected for Sawday’s “Special Places to Stay“
“Wonderful”…“Stunning”…” A dream place”.…..read our reviews

Book direct with the owner, friendly professional management in Chamonix.

Flexible dates, self catering with catered option available.

Chalet la Forêt booking, availability and prices

Chamonix in winter — what to wear

Some practical ideas for when you’re not on the mountain…

I’ve been asked a few times recently for advice about what clothes to bring, so here’s what I came up with —  practical suggestions, things that I’ve found useful to have.

How cold does it get?
Although the town itself is quite low (1000m) , temperatures in winter can range from +10 ° C to –25 ° C so it’s best to be well prepared, especially in January and February. Though it’s well worn advice, layering really is the best idea as you may need to put everything on at once if it gets really cold.

Do I need smart clothes?
It’s a very informal atmosphere and, whilst I’ve seen everything from eveningwear to clothes that have clearly seen a week’s ski touring without being removed, most people are happily somewhere in the middle. If you do fancy getting dressed up, there are some nice places to go for a smart night out, but on the whole, it’s a casual place, nothing like the ritzier end of ski towns like St Moritz or even Zermatt, and jeans and trainers are ok everywhere.

Shoes:
It’s really useful to have some waterproof boots with good treads as the pavements can get icy, snowy or slushy. The classics are the Canadian boots Sorel Caribou — available for men and women, fleece lined, warm, waterproof and should last a lifetime if well looked after. Very popular in Chamonix.….also last winter I saw a Vogue journalist wearing them in Soho when London got snowy! These pictured are a collaboration with Parisian boutique Colette — tres chic…

Sorel also make a range of boots if the Caribou isn’t right for you — I have the high, faux-fur-trimmed Sorel Arctic myself.

Merrel and Timberland are also good bets, or of course any hiking boot — DMs are also fine The main thing is to have something waterproof and grippy — if you’ve only got trainers, you may find even a short walk to the bar leaves you with wet and freezing feet.

You can also get very good clip on grips for boots to make them better in the snow. Most sports shops in Chamonix will sell them, (Chaines à chaussures) or buy them before you go, they are widely available.

Wool socks are also really handy and will keep your feet much, much warmer than cotton — I especially recommend merino such as Smartwool and Icebreaker.

Finally don’t forget the humble slipper! Skiing, snowboarding and walking in big boots are all tough on the feet, and it’s wonderful to get into warm, soft slippers to slop about at the end of the day. Ugg do lovely sheepskin ones ( at rather supermodel-esque prices it must be said), or go mountain style with tent mules from The North Face.

Outer Clothes

A warm coat is a must — most people will of course have a warm jacket, but if you aren’t skiing, you will need to take something quite substantial. Places are generally kept warm inside, so a thick scarf and warm hat will keep you protected from the elements without overheating you once you’re in. If you feel you need more warm hats, it’s a good place to get them! Zero G is my favourite shop for this. Scarves are something I feel is better from home.

It’s really nice to bring some gloves for going out in, too, as it’s good to have a change from wearing the gloves you’ve been skiing in all day, which may well be drying on a radiator anyway.

Jeans are fine, though it’s not a bad idea to have a thin pair of long johns to wear under jeans or as leggings under a skirt.

Underlayers

Thermal layers can make all the difference to your comfort — lending normal clothes the extra you need to keep you warm in a cold Alpine winter. I really recommend a warm underlayer — Howies, Icebreaker and Smartwool all make nice tshirts in thin merino. These ones from NY’s Outlier are beautiful.

Icebreaker also do very pretty camisoles which I find invaluable — you can wear them under most things  to keep you warm.  TKMaxx is a good place to find merino inexpensively, if you’re lucky, and Icebreaker have regular sales which help reduce their rather eye watering prices. Good merino is an excellent investment though, and my faithful Icebreaker camis have served me well for years,   whether mountaineering in the Himalayas or at winter weddings in Britain.

However, Uniqlo’s HeatTech range, though not made as well, is really good for the price and makes an excellent inexpensive option — their quilted jackets are another good buy, a great range of nice colours at a tenth of the price of down.

If you did want to go an bit more fashion…
For something a bit more niche and interesting, check out Arcteryx’s Veillance line or Japan’s White Mountaineering.

Lac Emosson in November

In search of dinosaurs…

I’ve always been a bit put off by Lac Emosson’s massive concrete barrage, but once you’re up there, you don’t see that much of it, and the lovely turquoise lake is in a spectacular setting. You can either drive up to the lake or take the funicular — reportedly the world’s steepest with a section at an astonishing 87 degrees.

It’s a steep but very scenic drive to the dam

The drive is pretty spectacular in itself and this is definitely one of the most amazing views of the Mont Blanc Massif that you can view without using a cable car. The big attraction here are the dinosaur footprints, which we didn’t see as we took a different path and alas it was dark by the time we got back to the lake.

View over the dam

Lakeside

In summer, it’s known as “Emosson Beach” — a bit too cold for a dip today though

In summer, the lake has several points you can swim from — you can see why it’s locally known as Emosson Beach…an almost mediterranean look.
Now, with the streams surrounding the lake frozen solid, it’s less tempting.

Frozen streams wind through the high meadow

There’s still splashes of colour in the rosehips and flowers — these meadows must be spectacular in July.

Rosehips

Late Gentians bloom near the col

As we left, dusk was falling, and I rested the camera on the car to steady it with rather nice results

Dusk at the barrage — reflections are on a car roof though!

We’ll return in the spring — to see the dinosaur footprints this time!