My mum and dad were keen to come out to Chamonix again so way back in January I booked flights for a weekend in the middle of June. Mid June is a good choice: sunny; hot, but not too hot; still fairly quiet; most lifts are open.
Plan Praz to La Flégère
After a rainy start the weather got better, and hotter…
This was the perfect opportunity to go for a walk taking advantage of the lifts: Plan Praz up, and La Flégère down. I’d been hoping my parents would be up for this. It’s not a huge walk for those who are used to walking in the hills, there’s a good path, and the ups and downs aren’t too great, but for those with aged knees and ankles it could be a little too far.
We decided to take it easy, walking slowly, and stop as often as we needed. For much of the journey we could see our destination, so we could also see our progress. The views were fantastic, as ever, the air was sweet, and the breeze was cool. Perfect walking conditions.
There was a slight sting in the tail towards the end of the walk where the path steepened considerably. I even heard my dad swear (something I very, very rarely hear) as he struggled up the last few steps. Fortunately he recovered quickly after a few minutes rest, and we continued on with thoughts of what rewards we might get at the end of the journey.
Poème à Lou
I thought that my parents might need a day in bed after all the exercise the day before, but no! After a very good nights sleep they were ready for more adventure, but not perhaps the adventure Pete and I were up for. They decided a day window shopping in Chamonix and sampling the many coffee and cake shops was the best adventure for them, while we went climbing.
We took the lift up to le Brevent and walked down to find Poème à Lou.
Poème à Lou
Unfortunately we didn’t have great success. A combination of things conspired, but the main problem was lack of finger fitness on the initial steep start. Thoroughly demoralised we eventually descended back down to the valley for a long gin and tonic and a special meal out.
So, no big ticks on the climbing front, but a massive tick for my parents and another wonderful weekend in Chamonix.