Chamonix Mont Blanc — Top of Europe

Well, we just got back from one of the best trips we’ve taken. The French Alps are truly spectacular. We went to Chamonix Mont Blanc to spend the weekend skiing and playing in the snow.
We went skiing the first day. Unfortunately the weather across Europe has been very warm, so the snow wasn’t the best. Nonetheless, it was great to be back on the slopes.

The next day, the sun came out and it was a beautiful (and warm) day.


We loved snowshoeing on the mid mountain (around 1800m)…



The sun lit up the mountains real nice…

That night, we wandered around the town of Chamonix. Yes, that is hot iron she is using.

Next day, we decided that snow shoeing was so much fun that we hired a guide to lead us across one of the high mountain glaciers. To get there though, we had to pass underneath the mountain and into Italy. Along with 3 of our friends and our guide we hopped on a gondola and took the easy way up the mountain to about 3,500 meters (11,500 ft).
Here are a few of the views from our trip across the glacier.

This is my favorite view of Mont Blanc.

This is our fearless guide, Patrice. He has been guiding people on Mont Blanc for 36 years. Although he prefers rock climbing, he has made the ascent to the Mont Blanc massif more than 25 times. This is the mountain that began the modern age of mountaineering.

Here are three random facts about Mont Blanc thanks to Wikipedia:
– It was first ascended in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel
Paccard
– Nearly 20,000 people ascend to the summit each year, even though
it is a technical ascent and requires a fair about of skill to
successfully reach the peak.
– Future President Theodore Roosevelt led an expedition and
reached the peak on his honeymoon in 1886.

Although it was fairly safe to cross the glacier, we were crossing the valley on top of nearly 200 meters of ice and 2-3 meters of snow.

The far ridge of the mountain is the border between France and Italy. So, Patrice’s hand is in both countries.

We stopped at the base of this peak for lunch.


Here is Melissa enjoying her lunch.

Ravi and Katie made a very cute mountain couple.

Here we are trekking back across the glacier.



This is the “after” picture as we packed the gear up to head back down.

Katie caught me doing my thing… 🙂


Back down at the bottom, we felt compelled to pop into the Italian diner. Some of us had espresso, but for us non-coffee drinkers, it was incredibly thick hot chocolate. Actually, it is the only hot chocolate that I’ve added a packet of sugar to. Perhaps that’s because it was only semi-sweet chocolate or maybe it was just because I love sugar, who knows…

Anna and I really enjoyed climbing with all of them. It was a great way to get a taste of the high mountain. We plan to come back in the summer of 2008 to climb all the way to the top. Perhaps they will want to join us then.
Our last day in Chamonix was spent on yet another glacier, Le Mer de Glace (or Sea of Ice). This time, there was only a little snow on the ice, so we could actually explore the ice. At the top of a cog railway (again at about 1,800 meters). Unfortunately, it was a bit touristy, but interesting nonetheless.

Here is the ice a little closer.

We explored the Ice Grotto. The ice is clear and absorbs all the red light which creates a brilliant blue hue.


After we had our fill of the unique (albeit a little manufactured) ice grotto we headed out onto the ice. After what seemed like a long time, we reached another ice fall. Anna liked it so much, she gave it some love.




If you look closely, you can see little Anna hiking back over the glacier.

You can see how Le Mer de Glace slowly flows down from the heights of Mont Blanc into the Chamonix valley.

It was an amazing 4 days. We loved being back in the mountains and all the spectacular activities that are available. We can’t wait to go back to explore more of the Alps.
–Jim