Thomas Rimer
Trail Running Chamonix (October ‘24)
Getting There
Flew into Geneva (landed early morning). Took train from Airport to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc train station (couldn’t book French tickets on the SBB app so I had to go to the ticket booth in person when it opened). Walked from the train station to the Gare Chamonix Train du Montenvers (stopped along the way to get food/water). Rode the tram up to the Refuge du Montenvers. Booked my room in person (almost nobody staying there in October, it’s middle of shoulder season). At this point, it was early afternoon, so I changed into running gear, left my bags with the front desk, got out on the trails.
The Run
Did an out-and-back along the apron under the mountains. Weather was rainy in the morning but transitioned to partly cloudy in the afternoon. Steep section at the beginning, then lots of super nice rolling trails. Turn-around point was Plan de l’Aiguille. Views of the valley the whole way. No scrambling at any point. Strava
Geneva
On my way back to New York, I stopped through Geneva and ran along Lac Leman. The waterfront has a pretty nice, uninterrupted path with gardens along the way. Strava
Advice
- Buy food and water in the valley before heading up; there’s not much up top
- You probably wont be able to check in to your room early, but it’s fine because they’re very much used to people leaving bags and going out on hikes before/after check-in/check-out
- If I were to do this again, I would somehow try to get to Plan de l’Aiguille earlier so I could catch the tram up and see the views from the top. I would probably also stop for the food that they were serving at the hut
- Don’t worry if the weather is bad when you arrive, it can change in an instant
- The food at Refuge de Montenvers is very good; definitely purchase the room/food combo
Photos from Chamonix
Photos from Geneva
