Argentière

The neighborhood of the church and Mont Blanc.
The view from a country cottage in Argentière.

Argentière is a picturesque skiing, alpine walking and mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix Mont Blanc. Altitude: 1252 m (4101 ft.).

Geography

Argentière is located near the head of the valley of Chamonix approximately 7 km from Chamonix town. It is connected by road with Switzerland by the pass over the Col des Montets, and the Col de la Forclaz to Martigny in the Rhône valley. The village also lies on the route of the incredibly scenic Mont Blanc Express railroad which runs from St Gervais / Le Fayet through Chamonix, Argentiere and Vallorcine before crossing the Franco/Swiss border at Chatelard, passing through Finhaut before reaching the end of the line in Martigny.

The Argentière glacier lies to the south-east of the village, and is bound on its north-east side by the Aiguille du Chardonnet, the Aiguille d'Argentière and the Tour Noir, and on its south-west by the Aiguille Verte, Les Droites and Les Courtes. This area is generally known as the Argentière basin.

The Argentière Glacier.

Winter sports

Argentiere is a popular destination for skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, attracting many skiers and snowboarders in the winter season - typically mid-December to early May - and is an ideal location for those who seek an exceptional alpine sports experience. The village is an equally popular location in summer season - June through September - for alpine walkers, rock & ice climbers and as a base for many other alpine sports activities.

Argentière is the starting point for the Telepherique du Lognan cable car up to Les Grands Montets (3,295m),[1] a skiing area famous for its steep and demanding slopes, both on-piste as well as off-piste. In total, the skiing area is served by 1 cable car (2 sections), 1 gondola, 5 chair-lifts and some skilifts. Along with the Vallée Blanche, Les Grands Montets draws skiers from all around the world to the Chamonix Valley each and every year.

Because of its central location three other ski-zones, the Valle Blanche, Domaine de Balme[Le Tour/Vallorcine] and Brevent/Flegere are a short journey from Argentiere by Chamonix Bus or the Mont Blanc Express local train.

Overall a total of four easily accessible 'snow-sure' systems, mostly above 2000m that together provide more than 150 km of marked piste/trail plus extensive 'off-piste' areas with runs suitable for all grades of skier from Beginner to Advanced.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.chamonix.com/grands-montets,85,fr.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Argentière.

Coordinates: 45°58′48″N 6°55′48″E / 45.98000°N 6.93000°E / 45.98000; 6.93000

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.