Climb­ing in Chamonix is more than a pastime — it’s a way of life here, with a rich history of legendary climbs and pioneer­ing climbers. It’s also a perfect place to learn or improve. With nearly four verti­cal kilome­ters from the top of Mont Blanc to the valley floor, there’s an abundance of climb­ing of every possi­ble level in the valley.

Start­ing out

Beginner’s lessons are avail­able from Evolu­tion 2, or the Compag­nie des Guides, who offer courses from half a day upwards at the crags of Les Gaillands (see below). If you are just start­ing to get into climb­ing, or even if this is your first time on the rock, these crags are one of the best places in the world to begin. After­wards, you can soak in the hot tub looking at the mighty verti­cal mile of the Dru with real appre­ci­a­tion for those who scale its 38 pitches.…

Boulder­ing

Only a stroll away from the chalet is the historic Pierre d’Orthaz boulder — from the 50s to the 70s, this was the focus of a campsite where the world’s finest climbers would stay, and practise their techniques on the granite. Now rather polished but definitely worth a visit.

Boulder­ing at the Col Des Montets is just a 10 minute drive and it’s a lovely area with a good variety of grades. More about boulder­ing in Chamonix

The crags of Chamonix

Aiguilette d’Argentiere

Chamonix has several wonder­ful areas of bolted crags, of which perhaps the most famous is Les Gaillands. In a lovely wooded setting by a lake reflect­ing Mont Blanc, complete with a small café, they have the most enormous variety of bolted routes from 3a to 7b. The spectac­u­lar Aiguilette d’Argentiere (see photo) is also a great spot. The book “Chamonix Cragging” is indis­pens­able if you are climb­ing there yourself — there is a copy of this at the chalet which you’re welcome to borrow. It can be bought at most climb­ing shops in Chamonix if you’d like your own. More about crag climb­ing in Chamonix

And from there…

The unbeliev­able range of climbs through­out the valley is more than I can ever hope to cover here! It’s unique in its variety, beauty and acces­si­bil­ity. Two compa­nies that run courses to intro­duce you to the bigger climbs, and to advance from there, are:

Icicle Mountaineer­ing and Mountain­girl.

See also…

Our Mountaineer­ing section