In celebration of getting into the #UTMB12

One would have thought that getting into the UTMB was the hard bit, but it seems that getting annual leave approved is more difficult.  It appears that the Olympics are hitting the UK this year, which buggers up the holidays of those who defend our country.  Monday is the day of reckoning.  So, just in case things get awkward I thought it would be nice to celebrate last year’s event from a family perspective.

The day before the UTMB set off (while the TDS was in action) the event organisers arranged a Mini UTMB, Mini TDS and Mini CC in the Savoy fields. Our kids were very keen to join in despite not being particularly athletic themselves.  The buzz of the town that time of year just charmed the children to take part.

It was organised by the official committee, resided over by Catherine POLETTI. There was plenty of noise and excitement, with the kids grouped into ages.  The youngest doing the shortest Mini CCC and the oldest (up to 12 I think) did the Mini TDS.  I don’t know who was more excited, the kids or the parents?  Lots of running done by all (and some very fast running by a number of Dads) following their progress around.

This was also our first meeting of Sebastien Chaigneau, who came third in the big race itself that year.  A North Face sponsored runner, so of course key to this spin-off event.

And here is a little more on the efforts of the kids themselves.  It’s amazing how fast they’ll go for some free caps and stickers.  Or was it for the cakes and sweets?

And this is my favourite. Reverse winning   And of course the number one bibs are because everyone’s a winner

Allez, Allez!!

The kids favourite Chamonix ski area: Balme Le Tour

Although you may have seen from earlier posts discussing Chamonix kids skiing options that we take the lessons in Argentiere, it is Le Tour the the kids most enjoy.  It’s a lovely wide open bowl in the Vallorcine area, offering relatively gentle slopes on the south facing aspects. A small snow park with jumps can also be found in the middle of the valley, which can offer much safe fun.

This ski area is also home to the L’Arret Bougnete at the Vallorice train station which proves to be a great incentive for meandering down through the trees to acquire a hot chocolate.  You have to watch the snow conditions though as the twists and turns can get a little precarious for the little ones if its a bit patchy – when we first used it it was classified as a red run,then was down graded to blue last year which suggests it has its moment.

The main ski area consists of 11 blue runs, 9 red and 1 black, which is why its so nice for the kids.  However, I’m told that there is ample off piste for the adventure seekers, easily accessed of the lift system and it will take you back to the bottom of the lifts via a number of routes.

Indoor entertainment at the Vox Cinema

Last year was quite fraught for Chamonix’s Vox cinema.  At the end of 2010 there was a threat of closure, and petitions were generated.  Thankfully the “Community of the Chamonix Valley Communes” agreed to pay a grant of 70,000 euros per year for 3 years, ending 2013. This was with the proviso that the management will invest in digital and 3D projectors soon after this period.

Due to the generous donations it means that English and French speaking people alike have the opportunity to watch current and classic films from around the world each day from around 4pm.  Fitting for a cinema located in the Alps it also runs a programme of mountain related films mid evening a few times a week in July and August.  The programme is varied, catering for adults and children alike on its 3 screens.  So even if the summer weather is a little inclement you can retreat into the cosy old cinema, ditto the winter.

The cinema is easy to find, opposite the Tourist Office, near the main square, 22 Cour Bartavel  +33 (0)4 50 53 03 39.  You can’t miss its great mural full of actors and film sets.  Ticket are 8 Euros for adults 6 Euros for children.

For other ideas during inclement weather try this or this.

In search of cafes; short family hikes

Not always do our kids share our enthusiasm for walking, so incentives ‘to get there’ are often required.  In most cases this takes the form of food or drink. Given that Chamonix is a glacial valley its sides are steep so a cafe or buvette at a key view point can be a welcome break.  Here are some of our favourites. We’ve not been specific on directions as the paths are pretty well sign posted (as you might be able to see on the photo below) with estimates of length in minutes which seem to be family pace.

Cascade du Dard (1,233m).

This is probably one of the easiest short walks that can handily be combined with a walk up to Chalet du Cerro .

Cascade du Dard has views of the 20m high waterfall and Aiguilles Rouges.  It takes about 20 mins to get there if you park in the car park at the last bend on the road to Mont Blanc, or 40 mins if you walk directly from Barrats A.

Chalet du Cerro (1,358m)

This is a further 40 mins on from Cascade du Dard.  Just behind it is the viewing platform for the Bossons Glacier, the longest in the valley, if not in Europe I think.  Alternately you can park next to the Mont Blanc tunnel and ascend for 20 mins or walk from 45mins from Songenaz in Les Bossons.

La Floria (1,137m)

This is worth the effort if only to appreciate the beautiful flowers.  These frame the fantastic views of Mont Blanc on the opposite side of the valley. This is also situated on a public foot path, a little above the Petite Balcon Sud so you can picnic providing you purchase a drink.

The walk takes about an hour from Barrats A or about 45 mins from the Brevent, Les Nants (next to the Tennis courts) or Paradiz des Praz car parks.

Chalet du Chapeau (1,576m)

This is placed within the l’Arveyron canyon, offering a view of the Drus and the Chamonix valley.  It also has a view point 15mins higher up which gives great views of the foot of the Mer de Glace.  The walk takes about 50 mins from La Lavancher or 1hr 15 mins from the village of Les Bois. We cycled from Chamonix via the Bois du Bochet cycle route just to add another dimension to things and locked the bikes up near Les Bois.

Cascade du Berard (1,456m).

This is within the area of Vallorcine at the top of the Chamonix valley. It’s at the beginning of the much longer Col du Buet walk, but a great introduction to this part of the valley.

It’s a gentle 25 mins stroll from the car park in the Buet hamlet.

Short family hikes have the advantage of leaving you half the day free to do things that might be higher on the kids list like, swimming or visiting the lake.  Or alternatively taking advantage of a break in the weather when the skies decide to demonstrate why the local flora & fauna is so lush and green.

And if they don’t fancy walking, here are some other ideas when the weather is good.

and when the weather isn’t so good….

A touch of the Riviera – Lac Leman

Chamonix might be some way from the sea, but you can get the ‘Riviera feel’ within about an hours drive of the town itself – Evian on Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).

We have travelled up the valley and crossed over the Forclas pass into Switzerland to visit the  Aqua Parc on the edge of Lac Leman in the Chablais region of Switzerland many a time. Its an annual must for the kids as it has indoor and outdoor swimming, an ‘adults only area’ with gym and a picnic beach.  We try to choose a hot day, but there is plenty to do indoors with all its flumes if it’s a bid inclement.

Any way when we were driving home last year we thought we’d follow the route around the lake and take the more windy country route up through Morzine, Les Gets.  We were pleasantly surprised to drive through a number of beautiful lake side villages so when we came to the edge of Evian-Les-Bains we decided to stop for tea.  The sun was setting, lights were twinkling and the mountain backdrop set the ambiance off beautifully. The food from the Logis we ate complimented it well.

Next year our trip to the lake we’ll make sure we take in a lot more of Evian as I’m told its beautiful.

Sunday lunch at Le Robinson in the sunshine

With the early arrival of  summer in the ski resort the kids were keen to have ice cream. Driving back from Argentiere towards town we decided to pop down one of the paths that go through the woods (Le Bois du Bouchet) near the river at the edge of Les Praz.  – We needed to get into the shade!!

Promenade des Cremeries, as the name suggests has a number of  rustic restaurants offering refreshments. We chose the one with the most umbrellas that looked the coolest.  We’d passed it a number of times while cycling with the kids (Its a nice flat path around there), but never been in.  It turned out to offer a reasonable menu and have play equipment for the kids, so as a consequence a number of chilled out looking family groups.

Restaurant Le Robinson

309 Promenade des Cremeries

74400 Chamonix

+33 4.50.53.45.87

lerobinson74@orange.fr

Although we didn’t eat on this occasion the menu looked very reasonable for kids, with steak hache,  jambon blanc or chicken nuggets with chips, plus a drink for 7E.  For adults there was mixed grill, chips or vegetables for 18E, steak and chips for 18E, or sausage and chips for 9E.  For starters, again, not necessarily fancy, but a fair price for Chamonix, there was a range of salads around 12E and prawn cocktail at 10E.

We all decided that we’d be happy to visit the restaurant in the summer with our friends when they stay with us, as the older kids would be able to potter around in the woods following one of the way marked paths (you can see 3 levels indicated on the photo above), while the younger ones can jump all over the play equipment.  That will then leave the adults to enjoy the alfresco dining experience in peace.  We considered planning a visit for evening dining, but due to the lack of lighting we figured it would only be open for lunch.

So barely, have we finished our winter holiday and we’re looking forward to summer in the valley

What to do if the snow isn’t great….

We’re very much looking forward to our last trip to Chamonix for ski season 10/11.  However, given how late Easter falls this year, and the fact that the weather is so mild, the snow ain’t great.  According to the Chamonix Daily Dump Snow Report 31st March, there is no snow base below 2,000m and it was raining at Montenvers.

fortunately for us, we’re happy to take it easy on the skiing front, because we know we’ll be going back again.  However we still want to make the most of our holiday and keep the kids amused.  The hunch is it’ll be lessons in the morning then other things in the afternoon.

So here are a couple of things we might be doing again:

• The ice grotto at the top of the Montenvers Railway.  The kids had great fun last year, and I understand there is even a geocache up there   La Grotte de Glace, so that would be a nice bonus find while we’re up there, particularly given how few finds its had.
• Swimming at the indoor pool of the Richard Bozon Sports Centre.

And here are somethings we haven’t tried yet that sound a good idea

• A drawing and painting lessons for beginners and improvers.  A local artist Catherine Kartal, a renowned painter and art teacher who will bring out your hidden talents I gather. Apparently the lessons are either in the open air or in her studio, both of which seem to be in the centre of Chamonix.
• Photographic exhibition in the central library.  Photos are from the South of India and may well make you think of warmer climbs. Entrance is free.
• And I’m also wondering if we might improve our French by listening to the story telling sessions in the libraries dotted around the valley.  Some how the kids don’t seem to keen ……

And I suppose there are always some of the summer activities we found to do in the area when it was raining in the summer, such as the museum, mini golf or bowling.

The Compagnie du Mont Blanc have also been thinking about what else we might want to do is mud stops play. For every on-line purchase of a MONT BLANC Unlimited lift-pass from 3 days or more at the promotional price from 4th to 15th April 2011, ladies you can exclusively enjoy activities that have been specially selected for them at a highly preferential price. …. Link to their ladies week suggesting spas, culture, nature etc.

Babysitters in Chamonix

Recently we were fortunate enough to be invited to holiday with friends in a luxury chalet in the 3 Valleys.  Lovely!!  But this got me thinking, ‘what is luxury’? Of course it means different things to different people, but to parents does this have more to do with the size of the jacuzzi or having the kids taken off your hands??

Taking your au pair or nanny holidaying with you isn’t open to everyone, but hiring a babysitter in resort may well be a way of getting the desired effect – a nice meal in peace, a day on the slopes without having to pick the kids up from ski school etc.

So how difficult is it to get good childcare while holidaying in Chamonix? Not very is seems.

Chatting to the owners of Baby Cham who have operated a babysitting agency in Chamonix since 2006, it seems they work hard to find the best child carers that the valley has to offer. All their babysitters are referenced checked, eligible to work in France, insured and have some kind of care qualification, whether they are nurses,  nannies, teachers etc. By all accounts their clients have very high standards and they have a great deal of success in meeting them.

The babysitters can collect kids from ski school and take them back to the residence, (subject to availability of course as not all babysitters have cars and others don’t like to risk driving icy roads with other people’s children). It sounds as though the kids have great fun as the babysitters will take them out for walks, build snowmen with them and maybe take them sledging etc.. The babysitters come equipped with a bag of activities and toys to keep the kids entertained too. All childcare takes place at the clients residence, there are no creche facilities or similar.

To avoid the need for paying the babysitter in cash, Baby Cham take payment by credit card and give you the opportunity to see the babysitter’s profile.  If you are happy with what you see, the booking is taken and you can look forward to your peace and quiet    And for busy periods like Christmas and half term it’s best to book early of course.

Baby Cham also provide a rental service, with high-end 3 wheel buggies, travel cots, snow suits and sledges so parents don’t have to lug their ski’s and all the kids basics through the airports.

Babysitting prices range from €15.90 – €17.90 per hour depending on the amount of hours booked. A fair price to pay for a bit of freedom and preventing you feeling more frazzled than before you started your holiday don’t you think?

Contact details below:

+33 (0)6 14 55 52 87

Skype at baby-cham.com

email ellie@baby-cham.com

Kids ski free in Chamonix

Well they do if they are the second, third or fourth child!

This applies to both the Mont-Blanc Unlimited Pass and Le Pass (we’ll talk more about the differences between the two a little later). It’s definition of  ‘family’ is a nice broad one as well, with grandparents, children over 15 and actual parents being considered suitable ‘family leaders’. So with documentation to prove that you are family (e.g. passport, family record book – I’m going to have to look into examples of what this might be in the UK …) you are eligible.

With 2 full paying ‘parents’, the first child is 50% of the adults rate and 2nd child is free, as are any others in the family.  Not bad hey

Example for a family of 2 adults and 3 children skiing with a Mont-Blanc Unlimited  6-day pass:

• the two parents pay the public rate of 240€ (x2)
• the first child pays 50% or 120,00€
• the other two ski for free!

Total : 600,00€ for 5 persons and 6 days of skiing (Tariffs 2010, not including smart cards)

Should your family have different preferences for locations etc., you can even mix and match the Le Pass/Unlimited pass element, and price will adjust accordingly.

If you’d like to check it out for yourself or book online click here.

Incidentally a quick guide to the two pass types referenced:

• Mont Blanc Unlimited (MBU): Best for those seeking maximum flexibility & convenience; people who want immediate access to the highest parts of the resort; people who want to be able to ski Courmayeur & Verbier and have full access to Les Houches slopes.
• Chamonix Le Pass (CLP): Best for those on a budget; beginner & intermediate skiers.  More limited access.

And here are some ideas of skiing with kids

Things to do in Chamonix when its raining

Well let’s face it, this summer wasn’t the sunniest in much of Western Europe.  And if there wasn’t rain the scenery wouldn’t be a lovely lush green would it?

Having become comfortably used to temperatures regularly hitting the 30s in previous summers, I must admit I’d become a bit complacent in my packing and not paid too much attention to filling cases with jumpers and trousers.  A bit daft really when one of the highlights of going to the Alps is to see snow-capped mountains. Nevermind, a good excuse to go shopping

So with Chamonix being principally an outdoor holiday, we had to discover some alternative activities if we were to stay dry.   So, here are some of the things we found to do to keep the kids entertained and damp free.

• Bowling. A place we have walked past so many times in Cham Sud, but never visited.  The kids were delighted. During wet weather it opens at 2pm, (as opposed to 5pm on dry days) and stays open until 10pm.  Although each game isn’t cheap (9 Euros per adult, 7 Euros per child I think), they offer a bowl and drink package where for an extra euro you can get a drink (soft or alcoholic).  A drink, bowl and pizza package is also available for 14euros.

• Indoor mini golf. Located above the bowling alley, it’s nice and dry, if not a little quick 9 holes. 5 Euros per person, a round which you can string out at quiet times.

• The Crystal Musem at the Espace Tairraz. Although Daddy is almost allergic to museums we managed to pass an hour and half without too much stress. It comprises two exhibitions:  “Les Hommes and Les Glaciers” and a crystal display.  The main exhibitions was of course very appropriate to the location with many pictures, exhibits and films relating to the geology of key glaciers around the world, the history of Mont Blanc’s conquering, environmental aspects etc.  It also had a rather interesting chunk of the Indian airplane that crashed into the mountain during the 60′s. The crystal exhibition had a little history on the crystal hunters, but most importantly lots of lovely sparkly stones of various hues. Bling with labels, the kids loved it!

• Alpine museum. You get entry to both museums for the price of one.  We didn’t actually get to visit this museum as it was felt by the male member of the family that one museum a holiday was enough.  But we had tickets for it, so I thought I’d include it in my list

• Geocaching.  Not as daft as it might first appear as there are many just on the edge of car parks that only take a few minutes to get to.  For example Montee Divine opposite Les Houches at the foot of the Jesus statue, Vue sur les Grandes on a river bank near at Les Tignes and Toute vapeur near Montenvers station in the middle of town.  Well if you are going to go for a drive you need a reason to stretch you legs don’t you.

Although we had a good few days in the wet we didn’t get a chance to try some of the other things like the indoor climbing wall in Les Houches, the cinema or ice skating.  So every cloud has a silver lining I suppose, leaving us something to look forward to the next time it rains.