If you are arriving in Chamonix a day or two before your main trip then there are some great options for getting out and doing some pre-acclimatisation.

The main point to remember here is that this should be some gentle activity that prepares you well for the main event of the trip. Don’t go out and get yourself tired before you’ve even started the climbing!

You are better off starting your trip with us well rested and unacclimitised rather than knackered and semi-acclimitised!

We’d recommend some half days out, breathing some thin air and getting yourself acclimatised to the altitude just a little.

Acclimatisation at the Aiguille du Midi

By far the easiest (but not the cheapest) way of getting some thin air into the lungs is to catch the Aiguille du Midi lift and spend an afternoon at the top station. 3450m is really high and is obviously a very efficient way of acclimatising to some altitude without walking to get there.

Disclaimer – the Midi is high. You acclimatise up there at your own risk. Exercising at altitude is serious so if in any doubt just take it easy….

You will need to spend a few hours up there to get the most bang for you buck. So take a book, some headphones and a little cash for the cafe. Spend some time walking the stairs to get your heart rate a little more elevated before getting a coffee.

In the spring you’ll see mountain guides up their doing their tax returns and other admin before the main climbing season kicks off. Acclimatising whilst getting the boring admin done!

Walks from the Aiguille du Midi mid station.

Although not as effective for acclimatisation there are some great walks from the Plan d”Aiguille. The views are stunning and you are above 2000m, so it’s not a bad option. If the weather is good and you are capable then a walk from the Plan d’Aiguille across to the Montenvers mountain railway station is a classic outing and you can catch the train down if you want to save your knees.

Brevant – Aiguille Rouge

Across the valley from the Aiguille du Midi is the Brevant lift station which is easily accessible from Chamonix town centre. The lift gets you above 2000m and there are some great trails to follow.
The views and tracks are breathtaking.

We’d say that it is a good idea to take the lift down again (at least from the mid station) to save your legs the fatigue from the descent. It’s a 1000m from the mid station to the valley and it’s a bit of a quad burner if you’re not used to it!

Maps the GPS tracks

We have uploaded some GPS traces to the ViewRanger website. You can view and download them:

Spending the night at a mountain refuge before your main climbing trip

If you fancy a night in a hut then there are some good options around Chamonix. It’s perfect acclimitisation as well.

The highest option is the Torino refuge in Italy. At 3450m it is indeed high and you need to be aware of any of the dangers of sleeping/staying at altitude. If you have previous experiance then it’s a great option for getting acclimitised.

Access is either via the Mont Blanc tunnel and then the SkyWay lift or in the summer you could catch the panoramic lift across from the Aiguille du Midi.

For something a little lower you have a few options in the Chamonix valley.

With easy access from the Aiguille du Midi lift the Refuge du Plan de l’Aiguille is a great little hut with sunset views! The altitude is 2207m which wil give you a little acclimitisation without any sleepless nights.

At a similar altitude but with a lot more walking is the Refuge Bellachat. It’s a steep uphill walk from the valley or downhill from the Brevant lift. That’s more of a two day trip.

Talking of a two day trip, if you want to get close to the mountains then the excellent Albert Premier refuge is at 2700m and right next to the high mountains of le Tour glacier. We often head there on our alpine training courses.