Fraser Addecott
Nestled high in the French Alps, close to the Swiss and Italian borders and with dramatic peaks on all sides, Chamonix has long been a mecca for winter sports fans.
It was home to the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and I was surprised to learn, therefore, that the region now attracts a greater number of visitors in the summer months.
The reason for this is obvious as soon as you take a stroll along the attractive pedestrianised main drag in the town.
Everywhere you look are enthusiastic folk dressed up in all manner of lycra cycle shorts, hiking boots, weatherproof jackets and trousers, woolly hats, helmets, expensive sunglasses and mountaineering gear.
Depending on the time of day, they are either striding out determinedly, clutching maps, walking poles or lengths of rope – or, come late afternoon, moving at a slower pace as they seek out a venue for a drink and a meal after a hard day’s adventure sporting.
That is the main draw to the area in the
Town nestles in the Alps summer and there’s a huge range to choose from, be it paragliding, hiking, mountain biking, e-mountain biking, climbing, trail running, horse riding, mountaineering, whitewater rafting and, er, golf.
The magnet for all these activities is, of course, the mountains themselves – and towering over everything is Mont Blanc, at 4,808m (15,774ft), Europe’s highest peak.
To get close to it, we took the cable car up to the Aiguille du Midi – the best bet is to buy a lift multi-pass.
The views on the way up are spectacular, especially as you pass over Les Pelerins glacier.
At the top, in the rarefied air, there are a number of viewing terraces, a museum carved into the rock, a café and a restaurant. Take the elevator inside the
You can step out of Mont Blanc into a glass room 1,000m up in the air