Catching Up With Friends in Chamonix

Bonjour Bloggers, 

Well we have broken the 10,000 views on the blog and the different people that we speak to now and then say how fabulous it is and what a great record of our adventure it will be for us both, which we are sure it will be.

We left our little site at Lake Orta, Italy,  in torrential rain and drove the 157 miles to Chamonix back in France and it rained the whole way with no sign of stopping.  The only time we got a rest from the rain was as we drove through the many tunnels on the motorway towards one of the most famous tunnels, Mont Blanc, and at over 10 km long it would give the wipers a rest also!!! 

A little way before the tunnel the diesel light decided to come on and we both said oh we will get some at the next station but it never came and we just had to keep going towards the tunnel with no services in sight, then the next thing we were at the toll booth to go through the tunnel and the van was beeping & flashing orange text to me saying LOW FUEL, LOW FUEL.  There was no option but to go through so we paid our one-way toll of €57 and proceeded, all I could think of was how much would it be to get recovered from the middle of the Mont Blanc tunnel, I hate to think, but once about half way through it begins to descend slightly so we managed to coast some of the way and while we were coasting had a quick look on the sat-nav which showed a petrol station just the other side in Chamonix (thank god).  As we came out after what seemed like a lifetime it was clear blue skies and no rain and the view of the mountains and Chamonix town below was amazing.

We had arranged to meet up with a good old friend of ours, Big Jim (who really does make us look like midgets!!), who we become friends with back in 2006 when we did our kitesurfing course together in Biscarrosse, France.  Jim now lives in Chamonix and has his own ski & bike rental business so we said we would give him a call once we had arrived.  Before we left Italy we had looked for a place to stay but there aren’t any open all year campsites at all but a few of our books said that you could park at an “aire” in a lift station car park called Grepon which apparently had water and waste in one corner and was usually full of motorhomes.  We headed for the Grepon car park after getting some well needed diesel but as we pulled into the entrance it had a lovely pair of new shiny height barriers set at 2 metres high so not a chance for us and looking at the car park no one else either!  A little further up into town we found a coach park and parked there while we rang Jim and explained our situation, without a minutes delay he said wait there I am on my way, and said don’t worry there are other better places to stay.  Well with that he pulled up by the van and stepped out, it was so good to see him after all this time (about 4 years),  I went to shake his hand but he insisted on a man hug then a welcoming kiss for Julie.  So after a quick catch up it was a simple follow me from Jim and we took off into Chamonix Town.  We had also earlier arranged to meet up with Jonathan & Sam another couple who live and work in Chamonix who we met about four Christmasses ago while kitesurfing at Kite Junkies in Egypt, but the weird bit is they also knew Jim and when Chamonix came up in a conversation at Kite Junkies the penny dropped that the Jim they knew was the same one, what a small world it is sometimes.  So as it was lunchtime Jim found us a spot to park up with a couple of other vans and then gave us a quick walk round the town on the way to meet Jonathan & Sam for lunch.  It was so nice to see them also, it’s been too long really but we all have busy lives and it was nice of Jon to take time out of his busy carpentry business to come and meet us for lunch as he had said to us over lunch that he is so so busy with work on the books for best part of next year!  

It was so nice to catch up with them all over a lovely lunch and a beer (which Jim insisted on treating us to) with Julie chatting away to Sam about our adventures, kiting & holidays and then us boys talking building, biking & anything snow related!!!  When we were in Meribel at the beginning of our trip we were meant to come to Chamonix and visit but once we got settled one thing led to another and we never made it so we both said we must make sure we fit in a visit on our way back home so it has worked out really well and they have forgiven us for being 11 months late!! 

After lunch Jim took us to his shop “Echo Base Ski et Surf” which was a little further up the valley in Les Praz, it’s a cracking shop on split levels with a basement which doubles up as storage and a workshop with tons of equipment for rental i.e. boots, skis & snowboards but at the time we were there it was in change over mode between seasons as he does mountain bike hire and preparation during the summer months so there was a bit of both in the shop.

So after that we said where do you live then Jim, with that he walked literally 10 steps through a set of gates beside the shop and said look it’s not a big place (one thing with Jim is that he says it exactly how it is) and he stepped toward this amazing wooden two storey chalet and said welcome to Shrek’s House and with that pulled the enormous key out from his secret spot and opened the four inch thick arched wooden door.  

What an amazing, totally different place to live, we both fell in love with the place it really did have something about it.  Julie and I said the commute to work must be horrific to which he replied “some days I have to put my shoes on”.  After a cuppa and more stories we went and picked the van up and followed Jim to where he thought best for us to park up for the night which was a great spot just by Jon & Sam’s place and their local bar where we had all arranged to meet up for a few drinks.  It had a great view Mont Blanc and the Bosson glacier.  We had a little chill out and a change of clothes then with that a knock at the door, it was Jon & Sam picking us up to go to their local which was lovely and as you walked in there was the open fire burning away and bar surrounded by English builders talking amongst themselves but Jon soon introduced us to them, then Jim turned up and we all just simply chatted the night away and exchanged stories and also we got to find out a lot more about Chamonix.

The Bosson Glacier

The next morning we took the motorhome up to Jim’s shop/house as there was a car park right there and we had offered to give Jim a hand in the shop to get it into winter mode but before getting to work in the shop Jim took us both on a lovely little walk through his back garden which is basically the whole valley, pointing out along the way all the couloirs that he drops into and boards down back into the resort amongst the trees.  It’ s one of those places that you just have to keep taking a second glance at because it is simply stunning with Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the European union, standing at 4810 metres high which for you old school is 15,780 feet.  

Mont Blanc is the small rounded peak furthest away in this picture

So after a brief tour we set to work in the shop which involved getting loads of skis up from the basement and sorted into the racking systems in the shop in some sort of order and getting the fitting benches in place etc etc which took best part of the day but what was nice was that Jon & Sam had invited us all over for dinner at their place along with one of their friends Jo. 

Jon & Sam’s house is beautiful, it was an empty shell and they have both turned the inside into a lovely apartment and with Jon being a skilled carpenter and builder and Sam a painter/decorator they have both done a fantastic job (Sam’s not a bad cook either!) the dinner and home made biscuits were amazing.  

That night we camped in the car park next to Jim’s house with stunning views of the mountains all around.

The next day the sun was out so Jim took a day off from the shop and took us on a long walk along the valley to Argentiere, on the way we climbed quite steeply up some of the trails and even across some of the runs.  

We got breathtaking views of the whole area including some of Chamonix’s most famous peaks such as the Dru and the Aiguille (meaning needle) du Midi.  There is a cable car that takes you from the centre of Chamonix up to the Aiguille Du Midi which is a 20 minute ride and takes you to point where you are perched at a height of 3,842m and offers you views of the French, Swiss & Italian Alps.  It is open in the summer months and again in the Winter season but as now is classed as inter-season (between seasons) it isn’t open, mind you looking at images on Google I am not sure Julie would have liked it!!  

The Dru

The Aiguille Du Midi with it's lift station perched on top

On the way back we followed the lower riverside trails back to Jim’s.  On route I heard a noise I know only too well (but haven’t heard for a while!), it was a concrete breaker on a machine and with that there it was mid-river breaking a large piece of granite that was blocking the flow of the river.  

When we got back we popped into town for a quick drink to replace lost fluids before heading back for dinner cooked by Jim, a yummy giant steak & vegetable pasty and so simple so it’s now on our to-do list.  We sat in Jim’s place, eating, drinking & chatting and felt so relaxed, at home & chilled out it was another great evening and we again stayed in the car park next to Jim’s.  

It was great to see Chamonix which is actually a town and much bigger than what we are used to in a ski resort, it is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and is known as the “Gateway to the European cascades” due to it’s proximity to Switzerland and Italy and it was the site of the first ever Winter Olympics back in 1924.

The next day we decided to head off to a place called Samoens only about 30 miles away to an open all year alpine site as we needed to get the van back on hook up and didn’t want to stop Jim getting ready for the upcoming busy season. Before we left we did a bit of work in the shop again which involved me getting back on the tools and in return Jim kindly gave our snowboards a quick look over and wax ready for Meribel.

We really enjoyed “catching up with friends in Chamonix” so after another man hug and a kiss for Julie we said our goodbyes but hope to maybe catch up in Meribel at some point before we head home.

Au revoir for now.

J&J

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