With a vast network of mountain paths together with some of the most dramatic views in the French Alps this is a great place to explore. From riverside strolls to 3000m peaks it’s all within the capability of guests to do. Marked routes and chair lifts mean it’s easy for guests to leave the valley bottom, get away from the beaten path and reach the heights where the air goes thin and the views spectacular.
The Grand Massif plays host to some excellent walking terrain and means that Samoens is a great base for alpine walking & trekking holidays.
Samoens itself is at an altitude of 700m and sits in a classic U-shaped glaciated valley. The mountains then climb dramatically from the valley bottom and give panoramic views across to Mont Blanc, the Aguilles and the rest of the high Alps. Many walks pass mountain café’s & refuges for you to re-charge your batteries and take in the beautiful mountain landscape. It’s also possible to combine a stay in our chalet with a longer 2 or 3 day refuge trip, there are some excellent refuges in the area in which you can stay overnight.
We provide route guides & maps for many walks in the area ranging from Easy to Extreme and every level in-between. These will give you a flavour for starters:
A tour of Samoens from the chalet door, down to the river and through the historic centre. An ideal way to get to know the layout of the area and surrounding mountains.
As the name implies a horseshoe walk, which runs upto 8km beneath dramatic waterfalls. Set within a Nature Reserve with many wild flowers and native animals such as Chamois, Buquetin, & Marmottes
From the Col de Joux Plane this walk traverses a beautiful grassy ridge overlooking the Samoens valley with views across to the Mont Blanc massif.
Atough climb from the chalet itself, but not technically difficult, which passes through a dramatic quiet hidden valley before reaching the 2300m peak itself which sits alongside the impressive Dents Blanches.
A true mountaineering trip that really requires an overnight stop (or a very long day out!). True backcountry walking with snow / rock scrambles across remote couloirs & ridges.
Chris is an experienced fell runner having competed (as an also-ran!) in many races both in the UK and surrounding alpine area. His family set-up and ran the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay in the Lake District for 20yrs that still provides a permanent fixture to the UK race calendar.
The Alps makes for great training terrain, providing an opportunity for altitude training and hill climbs that just aren’t possible back home. We can point you in the direction of many training routes and are happy to provide maps & route advice as well as safety tips. You may even fancy doing one of the local races, there are several to choose from including:
If hills aren’t your thing and you prefer flat & fast, that’s no problem either. The flat valley bottom nearby provides ample opportunity for riverside running, leisure park & woodland running, speed training or even road running, all from the chalet itself.
We'd like your feedback and your views on the walking and running in the area, so feel free to add your comments for all others to see.
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30 April 2010
Martin & Lynne
Great local knowledge greatly helping us to plan our days