This summer I enjoyed a couple of weeks in the Alps and headed high for some fabulous trail running. While staying in Argentiere at The Dahu Hotel (well priced, clean, comfortable and great breakfasts) I took advantage of the nearby Grand Montets cable car for brilliant running route.
Stunning views from the Grand Montets top station.
At Christmas, G and I had skied the famous Grand Montets ski run and it was amazing to see the mountain with far less snow. I took the cable car to the top at 3300m for a look. While there was still a good covering of snow higher up and a spectacular glacier, mostly the landscape looked bare and dry.
Lognan mountain refuge chalet.
That is walking time. It took me about 40 mins.
Fabulous views of Argentiere far below.
I descended to the mid-station, to the top of the Lognan cable car at 1972m, and picked up signs for the Lognan mountain refuge chalet. The high level run took about 30 minutes, mainly because I kept stopping to enjoy the views. It has some small ups and downs but mostly traverses the mountain on one level. The trail is a dry dirt path with some rocky sections.
At the refuge there was a wooden sign pointing to a path that descends to the village far below. It was runnable except in a few places where it became so steep that I feared I would slip over and injure myself. The landscape is obviously transformed by deep snow into ski runs in the winter, which will explain why it as so steep to run down.
Also see: Other trails to run in the Chamonix valley.