Argentiere to Chamonix

Argentiere is in the Chamonix valley about 10km from Chamonix.
A few days ago we met an Australian couple (Gillian and Rob Webb) who have hiked all around the world and this is their third Tour du Mont Blanc. Remarkably they’re probably in their eighties. Gillian suggested I join her on an easy walk down the valley to Chamonix and the two Robs tackle a tough mountain route. In retrospect perhaps a good option. Rob and I decided to follow the normal route which is an eight km hike over the mountain to a cable car station and ride down.

The 4 km hike to the top ( 800m gain) took us two and a half hours and included about a dozen ladders, rungs, platforms, timber steps and some scary ledge walking… the pics tell the story.
Magnificent views and the mount side carpeted in spring flowers. We were fortunate to get a good sighting of an Ibex.

Close to the top my right knee (the “real” one) played up and needed some doctoring; ended up climbing some short sections on all fours.

From the top we had about 4 km to the cable car across the mountain and we split. Rob followed the prescribed route but he suggested I take an alternative track with an easier gradient and thankfully I did!! My walk wasn’t bad and besides having to negotiate a few sections on my posterior it wasn’t difficult. Here’s Rob’s experience:

“Having parted ways I continued climbing the trail for a few hundred metres to reach a frozen lake. After taking a few pics, I walked around trying to see how the trail continued. I assumed it was time to start descending. In fact, the reason I couldn’t see it was because it was covered in snow….and went up. What followed was a slog up a snowy slope (maybe 200m) that increased in gradient the longer it went on. The final 20m involved me putting a lot of trust in the grip of my boots and the strength of my poles! Reaching the top, with my adrenaline pumping, I just wanted to get down to the cable station. Thankfully the descend didn’t have as much snow and I was able to get down in time for a pint of beer before catching the cable car.”